Heather Widdows
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Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick
Heather Widdows is a philosopher working on the modification of bodies, the rising demands of beauty, addressing lookism and the way that selfie culture is shaping what it means to be human. She has worked on global ethics, reproductive rights, and genetic ethics. Her most recent book, Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (Princeton University Press), was widely acclaimed inside and outside academia. Heather is committed to philosophy making a difference, and collaborates with policymakers, industry, NGOs and practitioners. She aims to raise awareness about the changing way beauty is valued in an increasingly visual and virtual culture, including the way that appearance is fundamentally connected to identity. She works with the anti-bullying alliance to raise awareness of the impact of lookism – the halo effect and pretty privilege are real! Heather is the founder of the #everydaylookism campaign and has an on-line column on Psychology Today. At Warwick Heather teaches courses on the philosophy of appearance and applied ethics. |
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Biographical note: Heather Widdows is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. Previously she was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and the John Ferguson Professor of Global Ethics in the Department of Philosophy. She has served on the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2014-2020) and previously on the UK Biobank Ethics and Governance Council (2007-2013). She was Deputy Chair of the Philosophy sub-panel for REF 2021 and was a member of the 2014 sub-panel. Currently she is a member of the British Philosophy Association Executive and she was co-organiser of the first British Philosophy Fortnight (March 2025). She is author of Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (2018), The Connected Self: The Ethics and Governance of the Genetic Individual (2103), Global Ethics: An Introduction (2011), and The Moral Vision of Iris Murdoch (2005). She has had funding from the AHRC, ESRC, Leverhulme Trust and the European Commission.
