“onde magique” by Dana Holzner is the nineteenth in a series of books that seek to increase the societal value placed on personal height and gender. Although there have been studies on the subject for many years, there is still much that remains unknown about optimal height for various cultures and nationalities. The volume allows us to examine the practices of European cultures as they pertain to gender and stature while at the same time looking into practices that border on the phenomenology of aging. The text explores a myriad of questions regarding how height and gender are related to age, as well as race and ethnicity.
In this book, Dana Holzner looks into the practice of height discrepancies between partners in modern-day relationships. As an example, one European man is listed as 5 feet, ten inches tall while his partner is listed as only 4 feet, seven inches tall. these discrepancies is not only significant on a personal level but is also problematic in the workplace because it can affect productivity in the areas of appearance and performance.
Another interesting aspect of the text deals with how height and gender are related to aging. As people age, there is often a tendency to change our outward appearance for several reasons. One reason can relate to the desire to fit in with one’s new role in life. Age and gender are very important to the way we perceive ourselves in relation to our partners. In “onde Magique,” Holzner looks into this desire to keep up with an increasingly changing culture through the practice of cosmetic enhancements.