Women always want to be a beautiful regardless of their age. The main reason why women are so eager to have a perfect face and body is the portrayal of celebrity in the media. Television commercials, magazine covers and internet advertisements constantly show the ideal beauty of women. Gaye Tuchman, professor of Sociology in Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, argues “The entertainment media may also generate myths, not images. ” (1979). Media has power to imprint celebrity appearance to women.
When they first see the picture of a model, they recognize that the model’s image, but it as a myth as a consequence of media. As a result of the media’s ceaseless exposure of a perfect female’s body, many women decide to have plastic surgery. This paper demonstrates an issue of top four plastic surgery countries and points out the media’s exposure of woman’s perfect appearance.
Beautiful women are preferred in every country. Brazil ranks the highest plastic surgery rates in the world. Before 2013, the United States ranked first. An International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery survey shows that Brazil surpasses total surgical procedures, including face and head and body extremities, performed in the United States.
Even though U. S. recorded the highest breast augmentation surgery rates, Brazil exceeds breast lift, breast reduction, and gynecomastia surgery rates. (2013). In Brazil, low income people can access plastic surgery for free. According to Sara (2012), “Interestingly, cosmetic surgery consumption is not limited to middle-class and affluent Brazilians; low-income Brazilian women line up for free cosmetic surgery in public hospitals in an attempt to improve their ‘self-esteem’ and their chance of a better life, in a milieu in which the social value of appearance is increasingly embedded in competitive, sexualized consumer markets; it is not just rich women who participate. “
In Brazil, cosmetic surgery has become a Increasing Rate of Plastic Surgery among Women 3 necessary procedure for Brazil women to gain their confidence. Even though they are unemployed, they do not worry about surgery fee. Brazil is the only country to provide plastic surgery for free to low income or unemployed citizens. NPR reported on an unemployed woman who had six plastic surgeries. She is 46 years old now, but she seems much younger due to plastic surgery. She had breast augmentation surgery three times, and tummy tuck surgery, liposuction, and hip replacement surgery.
She is very satisfied with her six plastic surgeries. Owing to surgery, she has a 21-year-old old boyfriend. (2014). Brazil women’s excessive plastic surgery addiction appears to be an addiction. Although they do not earn income regularly, they believe that investing in plastic surgery is worthwhile because having a perfect body is a priority for Brazil women. Following Brazil, the United States ranks second in the world. Among many surgical procedures, breast augmentation is the most popular plastic surgery for American women.
Not only famous actresses and well-known celebrities take this surgery, but also average women get plastic surgery. Fox News reported that police officers, teachers, CEOs, and soldiers are the targets of breast augmentation surgery (2013). For a long time ago, people like big breast women because it represents fertility in the society According to Olsen (2002),“Big breasts had become big business, and they had assumed an aura of cultural power as well. For millions of Americans, breasts and physical beauty have almost become synonymous.
Society placed a new value on breasts because of their erotic appeal. ” (p. 115). The author sees the main reason of women’s desire for big breasts is derived from the United States’ sexually open society. As many American women are exposed to erotic media, they are more likely to get breast augmentation surgery to show off their body. Big breasts become acquainted with women’s confidence in the United States. Increasing Rate of Plastic Surgery among Women 4 Following the United States, China ranks third in the world.
Chinese women prefer big double eyelids and high-bridged nose to small single eyelids and low-bridged nose. They are obsessed with western women. Anthropologist Wen Hua explains the term ‘artificial beauty’. She defines it as a process of upgrading women’s appearance via a surgery.
Also, she pointed out the problem of state-owned Chinese media. As a marketing tool for western goods, they control the image of women’s beauty. As a result of standardized Chinese media, women take it for granted that cosmetic surgery is the best solution to westernized their faces. Wen Hua (2013) introduced Chinese woman Hao Lulu, who is called the first artificial Chinese beauty. She was a freelance writer before she became a famous figure in the world. At her twenty-fourth birthday party, she met EverCare Cosmetic Surgery Hospital marketing director Bao Huai. At that time, this hospital did not earn a profit.
So, they held a “Beauty Dreamworks Project” to make a big name for their hospital. Hao Lulu was interested in plastic surgery, so she decided to participate. She had double eyelid surgery, eye bag removal surgery, rhinoplasty, facial bone contouring surgery, breast augmentation, buttock lift, and liposuction. After the surgery, Chinese media did not pay attention to her story. So, she called CNN news and they reported on the Beauty Dreamworks Project. Likewise, other international news agencies requested an interview with her, and she became a well-known person as the first artificial Chinese beauty.
One normal Chinese woman became a Cinderella after plastic surgery. She became a model and cosmetic reality television show as a hostess. (p. 53-54). Another Chinese woman wanted plastic surgery to look like Hollywood actress Jessica Alba. Her boyfriend was a huge fan of Jessica Alba. He bought a blonde wig for her. When she walked across the street with her boyfriend wearing the blond wig, many people laughed at her. Increasing Rate of Plastic Surgery among Women 5 So, she threw away the wig. He got angry and left her. However, the Chinese woman did not forget him. She wanted to change his mind at any cost. (2010).
She did not get plastic surgery, accepting Jessica Alba’s advice. Media has the power to incite women to opt for a surgery. South Korea is not exception. Big double eyelid, high nose, and slimming jaws have become a standard of beauty in South Korea. Koreans believe that beautiful women can get a job easily and meet a good partner. Therefore, many women take cosmetic surgery to survive in the competitive society. Plastic surgery is necessary to become a celebrity in South Korea. For example, actresses and female musicians take the surgery several times to gain a popularity and survive in the competitive entertainment industry.
Most of them are big double eyelid, high nose, and slimming jaws. As a result of this phenomenon, many teenage girls also decide to take the surgery. After they graduate, they get plastic surgery. They bring K-pop stars’ photographs to request doctors make them look like these celebrities. (2013). Korean media and celebrities influence teenage girls. Dr. Eugenia Kaw, who is a school teacher in the United States, interviewed nine Asian American women who had a plastic surgery. Two of them received cosmetic surgery in Seoul.. According to Kaw (1993), “The two who had surgery in Korea grew up in the United States;
they said that they decided to go to Korea for their surgeries because the operations were cheaper there than in the United States and because they felt doctors in Korea are more experienced since these types of surgery are more common in Korea than in the United States. ” Likewise, ABC Nightline reported on two Korean American women who visit South Korea to take a plastic surgery. Christina Lim, who is a 19-year-old student came to Korea to Increasing Rate of Plastic Surgery among Women 6 have rhinoplasty and jawline slimming surgery. According to Lim, “Plastic surgery is a normal thing.
My friends, they would actually just go on vacation and then they would come back with a new face. ” (2014). Another patient Jessica Choi, who is a property manager for a real estate company, visited Seoul to have a plastic surgery. As a result, her eye extended, nose got prominent, jaw slimmed, and forehead filled. After the surgery during an interview with a reporter, she said that she is generally satisfied with the result. Even though pain was so severe, these two women endured. Both women took surgery in the JK plastic surgery center, which is a top clinic in Gangnam, Seoul.
According to Lee (2013), “Services often include a multilingual website, e-mail and video consultations, accommodation and airport pickups. ” Both stories show that how Korean women are addicted to plastic surgery. The main reason of this phenomenon is caused by the Korean media. They not only show Barbie doll image in Television commercials and magazine advertisements, but also induce women to take a plastic surgery by participating a Television program. Korean plastic surgery reality show Let Me In received a lot of criticism from viewers because they deleted the horrible surgery process and side effects.
It shows that media takes an important role in the society to incite women to take a plastic surgery. In conclusion, women’s plastic surgery is a common phenomenon around the world. Plastic surgery has already become an indispensable process in women’s life. Media portrayals of a woman’s perfect figure encourage women to have plastic surgery. As the media keeps producing women’s perfect face and body, women’s desire for plastic surgery will not be stopped. Increasing Rate of Plastic Surgery among Women 7 References Ackerman, S. (2012, Oct 16). Pretty Modern: Beauty, Sex, and Plastic Surgery in Brazil by Alexander Edmonds. 26(3).
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