The surge in people seeking plastic surgery has reached an abnormal level. Normality has become engorged lips, miniscule waists and disproportionately sized buttocks, typically enhanced by a face full of makeup. Now, don’t get me wrong; people making choices about their own body isn’t any of my concern, and I wouldn’t advocate attacks on these people seeking or undergoing surgical treatments. People make their own choices about whether it’s something they want to change on an aesthetic level or to correct a medical issue, and ultimately it hardly affects me in a direct manner. There’s no need to ridicule people or question their sanity, even if they appear to have gone overboard with procedures; I personally condemn any sort of body shaming, and the aforementioned bodies fall under this premise.
However, the popularity of these aesthetic treatments proves to be of great concern, as younger and younger people are undergoing procedures, sometimes in great haste. The influence of social media, celebrities and current trends is blatant; the tabloids and reality shows are continuously showing us the latest looks, and bodies are constantly scrutinised. This has become a given in our self-obsessed society and forms the basis for a lot of conversation. Despite trends evolving regularly, our fixation on appearance is a concept that remains embedded in public discourse. In our modern world, where scientific advances are rampant, the possibility of excessively altering appearances is entirely possible. The connection is therefore made: what was once unattainable, such as the ‘perfect nose’, can now be acquired.
My concerns lie not with individuals, but the public glorification of surgical enhancement and the predatory stance taken by un/licensed practitioners, scouring for insecure patients. The media is accessed by people of all ages, given technological advancements, so the likelihood of children viewing the reoccurring barrage of people looking vastly different to them is high. Inquisitive minds will only question these differences between celebrities and themselves, and perhaps eventually go on to seek the same appearance as it becomes the standard idea of appeal and beauty. This, I find issue with. The media using its power to influence young minds to dislike their bodies, or hate them enough to go under the knife, is sad to consider. The misuse of this power to promote excessive aesthetic change, rather than self-love and self-appreciation, shows a misguided societal view developing. The benefit is clearly monetary; the product of ‘beauty’ is being sold through various means, after all.
I must make a clear distinction here: procedures to reverse medical ailments and whatnot is not what I’m questioning. I appreciate the medical advancements that allow people to gain back aspects of their life they had lost, due to disabilities or disease, and I’m glad accessibility to these procedures is on an incline. However, the development of a certain standard of beauty is what’s problematic. The surge in people questioning their physical appearance so much because of external influences is troublesome and shouldn’t be overlooked. Ethnicity-specific procedures, for example, cause me great concern. Ethnic rhinoplasty is sought after by South Asians in vast numbers and is encouraged by society instilling their idea of ‘beauty’ in everyday spaces. On the reverse, facial components such as larger lips have become increasingly popular – a direct imitation of people of colour, namely black people – showing a refusal to acknowledge the relentless body shaming and bullying these very people being copied have endured. The hypocrisy is baffling in my eyes. How could you assert that your plastic surgery isn’t directly related to the very people you have dehumanised for so long? Eurocentric beauty is being shown as the superior look, the version of ourselves we should aspire to look like - as if to say our natural selves ought to be disregarded entirely.
In an attempt to emulate the standardised idea of beauty, young people are seeking treatments that are well beyond their years, and surprisingly, access is unregulated. Lip fillers, for example, are continuously being administered by unlicensed pseudo-professionals, and people are leaving with far more than plumper lips. Infections and physical abnormalities are easily derived from illegitimate treatments, resulting in the number of corrective procedures increasing too.
The physical and monetary issues people are left with form only part of the problem. More worrying is the mental damage left behind, whether it’s in the form of regret for undergoing a procedure or a permanent state of body dysmorphia, first established by the influence of media and later further developed by an incorrect procedure. Of course, many success stories exist; legitimate professionals have changed the lives of many, and people are content with their results, but again, this is based on the glorification of certain aesthetic appearances. Young people planning their physical changes for a supposed ‘better life’ shouldn’t be the reality we live in; it’s enforcing the idea of hating ourselves and therefore allowing hyperfixation on damaging tactics that are readily available. Surgery is becoming a fix for all of life’s problems, as if our appearance is the real reason why we aren’t successful, thus deferring us from the root of the problem. Misdirection is leading people astray, far beyond the premise of appreciating their body’s abilities and strength, instead heavily focused on why it isn’t up to society’s standard of beautiful or attractive.
The definition of what an ‘attractive person’ is will differ from person to person. Some people find the surgically altered look appealing, whilst it’s abhorrent to others. Whatever your opinion is, attacking either party is unnecessary and cruel, and simply purposeless. I would instead encourage people to make safer, more viable choices for themselves, and to be aware of why they’re making such a choice. In the long run, I believe self-love and self-acceptance are stronger skills to develop, and whilst difficult, it is a fruitful journey to make.
Personally, I’ve become so accustomed to the same appearance being adorned by men and women alike, yet my dislike for cosmetic surgery, fillers and excessive makeup continues to grow. We’re inclined to express our creativity and personality through our appearance, yet people are giving into the standards imposed on them and simultaneously attributing it to personal choice, rather than societal pressure. The latter is far more accurate. The natural element of humanity is being erased, and instead replaced by an encasement of picture-perfect, aesthetically pleasing doppelgängers. Individuality is not impossible to source, but surgically enhanced celebrities are the ones repeatedly shown as the ‘ideal’. Natural aspects of our bodies such as stretch mark, acne, freckles, visible pores and more have been demonised to death, which is pathetic at best, as we all have these attributes, and to imply surgery is someone’s best bet is such a sad and distorted view to hold. This distorted view has reached our younger generation through filtered and doctored images on social media too, and praise and envy are expressed in relation to these bodies, when they’re unnatural or simply digitally fake. Moreover, avoiding the reality that cosmetic surgery adds to the objectification and sexualisation of women or young adults is a troubling assertion. Even if certain surgeries are undertaken for personal benefit, that ‘ideal’ is continuously enforced on young people as a means of expressing ‘this is what sexual appeal is, this is how someone should look’ and it’s dehumanising.
Ultimately, I would like awareness of body insecurities and body dysmorphia to become more prevalent. Coming to terms with why someone wants to radically change their appearance is vital; besides avoiding financial and medical woes, evading the repetitive nature of insecurity and body dysmorphia is important, as they can have detrimental effects on one’s mental health. Not all cases involve an escalation to seeking multiple surgeries, potentially resulting in disfigurement, but the internalised dislike of natural bodily attributes becomes far more pronounced.
Zack
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