Looking at before/after plastic surgery pictures of Hollywood stars is a type of procrastination we’ve all succumbed to. We all have this curiosity to see if beauty can really be gained by changing physical features. Megan Fox, Heidi Montag, Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian and many more have done it. So why shouldn’t we? If these women, who were beautiful to start with, felt they needed to improve their physical appearance, why can’t we also decide to eliminate our flaws?
“Because your features are what make you unique and who you are”, says the loud majority that includes your friends and family. Even though plastic surgery is a very popular practice in North America, it is frowned upon by many. However, is it correct to say that our flaws define who we are?
It is closed minded to think that getting plastic surgery makes anybody superficial. A personal decision to improve self-confidence shouldn’t dictate the outside perception of a person’s inner beauty. In fact, being able to make the decision to get or not get surgery proves a great deal of confidence for their own person and body.
The relationship between a person and their body is a love affair. If a woman is found in an abusive relationship that takes away her self-worth and her self-confidence, anybody in their right mind would tell her to leave the relationship.
Therefore, if a woman was constantly self-conscious about one of her features (example: her nose) and it started affecting her personal and professional endeavors due to a lack of confidence in herself, shouldn’t she be able to make the decision to undergo plastic surgery without fear of being judged superficial? Yes, she should be able to.
According to Forbes, the top plastic surgeries in 2010 included nose reshaping, ear surgery as well as liposuction. Of course, breast augmentation was number one with 252, 000 procedures conducted that year in the US.
There is one type of surgery that is socially acceptable in our criticizing society: Breast reduction. Many get this type of surgery because of medical reasons, but others are victims of the popular belief that having very big breasts is too vulgar.
Amelia* had breast reduction because she had constantly been told by her friends and family that her breasts were too big and that it simply couldn’t be good for her physical health. After so much peer pressure, she started believing it herself and went under the knife. However, after the procedure, regret filled her and she realized she had loved her natural full breast. She then went back to her surgeon and had breast augmentation to fix her mistake. Since then, she couldn’t be in a better love-filled relationship with her body because she learned to know what it is she loved about herself and what she wanted in her relationship with her body.
Getting surgery is a serious decision that should not revolve around people’s opinion.
The purpose of plastic surgery is to correct our perceived flaws, which would in turn increase self-acceptation and boost self-confidence. I would compare it to the moment your acne finally went away and you actually felt like it wasn’t the first thing people noticed anymore. Those who were extremely conscious about one aspect of themselves will feel relieved when their burden is finally put to rest.
However, there are those who are too critical of themselves and have a mental obsession of altering their body and face. This behavioral addiction is called plastic surgery addiction and is common in today’s society that aims for perfection.
It is acceptable to undergo surgery to correct a particular feature, but it is when the person keeps finding flaws when there are none, it becomes dangerous and unhealthy. This is when Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD) comes in. It is an anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to constantly worry about their appearance and have a distorted image of how they look.
The point of surgery isn’t to make you look like a whole new person. Trust me, it won’t suit you. Your friends and family should be able to recognize you, otherwise it counters the purpose of the procedure, which is to embellish you, not change you.
Therefore, before deciding to go under the knife, it is important to thoroughly think it through since it is not easily reversed. It’s a commitment you make to your body for the rest of your life. Just like getting a tattoo, it is expensive, permanent and representative of you.
So, going under the knife: yay or nay?
Only you can answer that question since it is something you do for yourself. In fact, you are the one who will live with your body for the rest of your life. Feeling good about yourself is important and whatever route you choose to fully love yourself is your own decision. Surgery is not the solution, but it can be a means to an end.