Script

A sociological look into the causes and effects of cosmetic procedures Every school day, I wake up, force myself out of bed, and, once having plopped by backpack by the stairs and gulped down a bowl of cereal, open the door to the depths of my closet. From an array of jeans, t-shirts, khakis and camisoles, I pull out whatever ensemble seems trendy and “perfect” within my taste and inspect it in the mirror. Ultimately, I leave my home and step into the scholarly hallways with a general sense of confidence. Yet, I cannot help but envy countless other girls, gliding from class to class with their flawless skin, immaculate hair, and coy expressions that just seem to fit into any situation with grace and proficiency. Personally, I consider myself as an advocate of inner beauty, yet in the end I still find myself sucked into the image-obsessed trends of society. When I came across plastic surgery as a topic for this research project, I almost instantly decided to pursue it because of this general concept. From my perspective, cosmetic procedures always seemed superficial. Unless one has an actual need due to an injury or birth defect, why does it matter if one has A-cup breasts versus implanted C-cups? Or a few wrinkles versus a face-lift? Who wants to have a dopey, expressionless, frozen grin on their face after Botox? The sardonically entertaining concept of why people feel the need to revamp their features with fake body parts provided enough interest for me to direct my research towards cosmetic surgery. But with taking more time to consider my decision, I realized, as mentioned before, that I too am a part of the appearance trend, though not on such an extreme. In fact, nearly everyone strives to present themselves with an appraised look. For some strange reason, success and acceptance seem to easily go hand-in-hand with beauty these days. But why? What was a laugh-off over snobby women with nose jobs became a delve into the fabric of society. What catalysts cause a culture to overflow with promotion for an ideal image? By itself, what even is that ideal image? One would have to look no further than the cover of //Vogue// or //Sports Illustrated//. From its origin at oil wells deep within the earth, the polymer of plastic has become one of the dominant materials of industrializing society. From helmets to hula hoops, Tupperware to troll dolls, disposable silverware to desk lamps, plastic is all around us. Yet nowadays it seems to have moved within us as well. More and more often one can find countless promotions for plastic surgery just by flipping the pages of a magazine or surfing the channels on television. More and more often one realizes the surrounding pressures to meet the societal norm of good looks—exhibited by celebrities and fashion models worldwide. With this, one can feel the need to succumb to these pressures in order to have a confident self-image. In today’s times people are getting caught in an unbridled whirlwind of improving appearance, where the concept of identity is so heavily abused that it is lost to fad consumerism. As societies have become increasingly connected and industrialized, an expectation of youthful, western beauty has formed, promoting a growing craze in cosmetic surgery. While recently there has been a slight decline in plastic surgery due to a weak economy, as a whole the number of procedures has increased dramatically over the years (Campbell 2, Farrell 1). Yet what is the source of this growing trend? For many, much of the weight can be placed on the shoulders of the media. The media is filled with promotions for altering appearances, as exhibited in programs such as //Nip/Tuck//, //Dr. 90210//, and //Extreme Makeover// (Tancer 1, Campbell 1). Yet the pressure to go under the knife, specifically for women, can be traced back to the beginnings of magazines (Sullivan 156-7). From all angles, the necessity of meeting a deemed respectable appearance has been forced upon women in particular for generations. One could even give a strong argument that this “requirement” is instilled at an early age: “Children are introduced early on to societal values…[;] in fairy tales [, women] who are kind and honest are beautiful and therefore worthy of love and esteem” (Landau 20). Periodicals build upon this mentality by providing superfluous articles on achieving “the look”: Women’s magazines offer instruction in how to remake the body itself to meet the prevailing youthful, thin-but-bosomy standard of beauty…Together with articles on cosmetic surgery, [pieces on appearance-related health] constitute one third of the articles on health issues (Sullivan 159). With magazines and other factors, what else is one to do but consider the acceptance of their own appearance in society? Unfortunately, a growing number of women (and some men) are becoming sucked into this demand for practically flawless figures. Besides the knowledge of the catalysts behind this craze, why are people electing for non-necessary surgery? Or, what manifest functions are they expecting as a result of meeting these expectations? As Joan Rivers and Valerie Frankel explain in //Men Are Stupid…And They Like Big Boobs//, “Looking good equals //feeling// good…I’d rather look younger and //feel// happy than look older and be depressed” (qtd. in Cloud 1). Many people go through the tedious preparation and painful recovery of cosmetic procedures hoping for improved opportunities in careers and dating, as well as a higher level of self-confidence (Campbell 2). All in all, “Most of those who have realistic expectations about what cosmetic procedures can accomplish are happy with the results” (Cloud 2). With the knowledge of human limits, many experience a positive result from jumping on the cosmetic surgery bandwagon. However, what if something goes wrong? For many young women especially, patients elect for operations without thoroughly considering the risks (Farrell 2). Though the effects of a successful procedure may be positive, the physical, psychological, and economical effects of an awry surgery may outweigh any level of added self esteem. In fact, regardless if a surgery turns out or not, some consumers are not even happy with successful results (Cloud 1). While many people are giving in to the rave for cosmetic surgery, many others are likewise suffering from unexpected dysfunctions. Ultimately, society as a whole is at risk of experiencing a latent function of the plastic surgery trend: as countless persons vie toward a general perception of beauty, the concept of unique identity is being lost—even on a global level. In 1990, Asian American women’s most prominent surgeries included eyelid-creasing procedures, nasal bridge implants, and nasal tip refinement (Kaw 75). In the future, some experts predict that cosmetic procedures will become as common as braces (Campbell 1). Yet, while this single, western concept of beauty exists, many others perceive that it is constantly shifting in the face of alternating trends, and in the evasive concept of a “single beauty” in itself (Campbell 2). Basically, the more alike everyone appears, the more details everyone looks for in defining pleasant appearances (Campbell 2). In a stronger argument, some patients and surgeons state their belief that “doctors…are the gatekeepers, making sure changes are simply an extension of a person’s natural look” (Campbell 2). Whether one thinks so or not, there still exists a question of the preservation of one’s identity. Just has plastic has swept through the industrial world, it has impacted the medical world, from breast implants to Botox, calf implants to collagen injections, “tummy tucks” to face lifts. Spurred by the media, many people have adopted the practice of plastic surgery in order to meet the norms of society and feel resulting self-confidence—yet risk crushing depression when a poor procedure fails to meet such norms. Simultaneously, the idea of individual identity is also at risk as many aspire to a similar, universal model look. And with all of this confusion one cannot help but wonder—if it is the inside that counts, yet all of our insides are changed for the mere purpose to “improve” our outsides, what is purely left of us as human beings?
 * Plastic Surgery—Why and How? **