An ugly trend indeed, beauty society has always valued. Attractiveness in literature often symbolizes a lovely main character, while ugliness indicates the unpleasant rival. When we are children without even realizing it we are taught, to prize beauty. People in every culture and race have gone to extremes in the name of beauty. From foot binding in China, to life threatening corsets in Victorian times, to nose jobs in 800 B. C. India. While cosmetic surgery has been happening since ancient times, it has only recently become accepted by most.
Television programs that promote cosmetic surgery as a positive industry; “I Want a Famous Face” on MTV,“Nip/ Tuck” on FX, and “Dr. 90210” on Hulu, to expose the public to a business once kept on the down low. Reality television embraces these due to its shock value and entertainment to the audience, in result the public is becoming more and more relaxed to the idea of plastic surgery. A generation has been created that is not bothered by images of Botox, blood or bandages.
My belief is that during the process of beautifying “average” humans, they have implanted something besides silicone to the viewers which is the belief that cosmetic surgery will improve lives. Now, not only do people accept cosmetic surgery, they embrace it as a solution to personal and professional problems rather than being grateful that their legs working. Think about the handicap, can they just have a new leg sewn on and it work just as before? No. While appearance has always been important, mainstream media acceptance of cosmetic surgery has created a society that values appearance over ability.
According to research, rhinoplasty (nose job) developed in ancient India was a form of public punishment for dishonor and unprofessional conduct . Therefore, the connection between an unattractive nose and being immoral was deeply rooted for this culture. The nose is not a vital organ. Yet, it is exposed to everyone’s view and has become a symbol of integrity as well as an important aspect of human beauty. Referring to a bad witch in today’s movies or shows usually has a huge or disfigured nose and or face.
Only a couple of decades ago it was considered wrong to admit to having any “work” done, and it was not unusual for patients to take extreme measures such as sneaking into the doctor’s offices through the back door, or using fake names basically just to hide the fact even though any sane person would notice something different about their friend or current celebrity. More patients today became interested in the many procedures after seeing them on TV and researching them online because according to the mirror you are not even close to the photoshopped models and famous actors or singers.
Currently, cosmetic surgery is so common that instead of scheduling secretly, most patients often bring parents, wife or husband, siblings or even friends to the “Imagery” meetings and is now called an improvement or a fix that God missed. According to facts on surgery. org, 11. 5 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2005 for people in the US. On the website, The Medical Tourism Guide, readers are told, “Plastic or cosmetic surgery can help to boost confidence. In the case of cosmetic surgery, think of this procedure as an repair, much like you’d add that new roof or coat of paint to a car.
” I believe that reality television shows are modern fairy tales and are staged. They all use a common formula to have good results; take an average, shy, unhappy person, alter her or his appearance, and after a transformation she or he is magically a success and everyone wants to be them. While the message is mostly the same, there is one key difference: these are not fictional characters, these are real people with real feelings. The confidence that comes from a new (broken) nose, (toxic) breasts, or (scaring) liposuction is only temporary.
Physically many procedures need to be repeated as well as another cycle of emotional pain. Often, peoples insecurities about their appearance can grow into an obsession, for instance someone already having a DD chest size from their last surgery and then going up a few more sizes therefore making even more stress on the body. Most women who have those types of surgery can not even exercise. Depression, may be relieved temporarily by surgery, but this confidence in one’s appearance is nothing in comparison to the confidence and achievement one can have by excelling in academics like sports, or a true hobby.
Marketing cosmetic surgery as a confidence booster increases profits to a point, but it also gives people an unrealistic expectation, like what if something goes wrong while you are under an anaesthetic? Paying patients believe that their life will change and when it doesn’t go exactly as as planned and they are disappointed, too bad because they are stuck with the end result unless they would like to pay even more to take the chance that it may work out better.
Some people even have parties to show off their new and improved features, but while cosmetic surgery may appear to increase the self-esteem, it’s often an illusion because people often confuse real self-esteem with the excitement and joy of feeling like others approve of their appearance now. My mother always asked me this whenever I wanted something that was “in” and as you can see the trend is real, why should you care about the opinion of people who don’t see you for who you are on the inside?
Children as young as six are undergoing minor procedures, and 13 year olds are having nose jobs. Parents who support these surgeries claim that the child understands and to the doctors it is just another paycheck. However, it’s more likely that she realizes her parents want her to change and wants to feel loved or accepted, and is willing to have it done. Some people feel pressured by their wife or husband to remain youthful or become more attractive but then why did they marry you?
As far as I know a person who you may or may not spend the rest of your life with is supposed to love you for you. Not a surgery that deems you as fake. Cosmetic surgery constantly appears in media, celebrities are society’s belief that attractiveness is a necessary part of success . From a young age, children play with toys like Barbie dolls and action figures with muscles and bodies that are physically impossible to achieve without surgery or steroids. Exposure to these that are labeled as perfection are damaging because then suddenly if you’re overweight you are made fun of.
With so much media aimed for appearance, other things come second. Middle school to high school students are learning that they should aim to be beautiful to be liked and accepted instead of intelligent decreasing their opportunities for a better future. It’s even a common gift from parents to reward their high school graduates with cosmetic surgery. But is that really an appropriate reward? Something really scary in my opinion is this industry is no longer limited to the wealthy, did you know that banks offer loans for cosmetic surgery?
As people become more comfortable with cosmetic surgery it’s interesting to ponder whether the value of beauty will decrease as it becomes something that anyone can up and buy. America is also the most medicated country on earth. It’s obvious that these surgeries are not really making us happier if 10 percent of our population are on antidepressants, according to NPR. Everyone needs to realize that even the young are not immune to depression, more children now are developing eating disorders and poor self-esteem because of everyday media.
In my opinion about cosmetic surgery happiness is a goal and can be achieved, but not through surgery. People need to embrace their differences and how they were born into a body that is extremely strong and fragile. You are unique, there is only one of you, no one else has your DNA, instead of trying to erase the flaws be yourself. Only when a person is at peace with themselves they can be truly radiant. “Valeria Lukyanova Aims to Become Most Realistic-Looking Human Barbie | Oddity Central – Collecting Oddities. ” Oddity Central Collecting Oddities. N. p. , n. d. Web. 05 June 2013. YouTube.
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