Being that I’m a Communications major, and have a particular interest in Pop Culture, I thought it would be interesting to blog about plastic surgery and open a discussion about the types of reasons a young woman or man (yes, men have them too!) would go under the knife. I am not here to judge Heidi Montag and make ethical comments on whether or not she made the correct decision or not, but she has definitely been receiving particular media coverage about her recent procedures and is one example of the great lengths people will go to achieve their ideal image of beauty.
I must admit to some personal shock when I heard that she underwent ten operations, not to mention that she stated in an interview that they all occurred in one sitting! The image is rather small but it lists all ten of Miss Montag’s procedures, they include:
- Mini brow lift
- Botox in forehead and frown area
- Nose job revision
- Fat injections in cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips
- Chin reduction
- Neck liposuction
- Ears pinned back
- Breast augmentation revision
- Liposuction on waist, hips and inner and outer thighs
- Buttocks augmentation
Some may criticize her for these changes, but is Heidi really alone?
More and more people have also made similar decisions in order to look a certain “type” that has been deemed attractive by popular media. Unfortunately (I will use women in these examples), this “type” is very uncommon to come across. Sorry fellas, but very few women naturally have a tiny waist, large bust, wide hips, and perfect face. Yet somehow these images seem to appear in almost every magazine, billboard, music video, movie, television show, etc. For many women, this puts them in a very difficult position: society is ultimately portraying an “unachievable” look as desirable. In addition, when this look is artificially achieved, they are ridiculed for being “fake” when they are simply trying to conform to the standards of beauty the media has set.
I do not want to make any ethical judgments on whether or not plastic surgery is good or bad, instead I am trying to seek explanations for this behavior. No, I have never had any cosmetic surgery performed on me but as a model relatively new to the industry, I often have the urge to get breast augmentation or make any other appropriate changes that may aid my career.
It is because I truly strive to be successful for who I am that I am deterred from that doctor’s office, though I may not be the “type” (as mentioned above). I want there to be images of different women for society to see and also deem beautiful. Women should be comfortable in their own skin, and see perfection in their imperfections.
I may succeed or I may never get a second glance but I am me. If you were to take anything away from my work it is that with imperfections and all, no doctor could make me love myself more.
[Edited: Rachel Williams]
I see plastic surgery as a medical miracle. No, I do not believe that it should be available to people to use so easily. But yes, people who would otherwise be discriminated have succeeded because of it. People who have burns or animal bite marks across their face, those who had a surgery to fix cleft pallet do many years ago, and now want to make the scars go away, those who have deformations. We live in a competetive world, no matter what people want to believe. Even if you are the best salesperson in the world, if you have something noticeably wrong with you, you aren’t going to be hired. If plastic surgery can keep you from being held back, then it is amedical miracle. Other than that, it is all superficial.
Wow! Thanks for all the insight, that is a really interesting way of looking at things! When people usually think of plastic surgery, I know at least for me, I immediately imagine the cosmetic surgery that is done simply to enhance their looks (not for any medical reason, etc). It is definitely a blessing in disguise and can definitely used superficially, I am simply arguing that perhaps part of the “over-use” like in Heidi Montag’s case, is due to the mass amount of media attention that focuses on a women’s body and how it should look. Those types of messages are pretty dangerous and definitely contribute to the reliant use of plastic surgery. <3
Mitchell has a good point, and I have to agree. However, I also have to note that everyone has a different point of view of what is attractive. The guy/girl you find hot may not appeal to some others. This goes for personal views as well. I’ve talked to many attractive girls who want something else, longer legs, larger bust, so forth. On one hand it is very superficial and plastic surgery should never be used to snag that guy/girl you’ve been dreaming about. That being said, if someone really wants to look a certain way, because that is what they deem attractive, there really isn’t any reason to stop them. I’m sure everyone has heard this said: “Oh you would look great with bangs” or “You would look nicer in short hair” or even something simple and common like “Oh you’d look great in this dress”. Yes they are a much lesser degree, hair grows back and clothes can be thrown out, but it’s the same concept to a much lesser degree. It all comes down to what is most important to you and what you consider values.
Thanks for the comment Drake
That is another really great point because plastic surgery is just the more permanent form of well, “buying a new dress” to make your body appear more appealing! Nice! Thanks so much<3
i actually heard this on the radio when it happened and i couldnt believe it im suprised and i think its pretty silly behavior but everyone cant be as perfect as you! <3 <4 <5!!!!!!!!!!!