Plastic Surgery For Everyone
This columnist takes the pragmatic view that if plastic surgery is going to make us feel better about ourselves, we should all just go ahead and have it.
"There is little point in bemoaning the cult of glamour when we are naturally drawn towards physically attractive people, and inclined to praise and admire friends when they lose weight, get fit, get a flattering haircut or a glowing tan. For women particularly, neglect of looks and appearance is often an indicator of depression."
I've already made an appointment for the Botox clinic, myself.
"There is little point in bemoaning the cult of glamour when we are naturally drawn towards physically attractive people, and inclined to praise and admire friends when they lose weight, get fit, get a flattering haircut or a glowing tan. For women particularly, neglect of looks and appearance is often an indicator of depression."
I've already made an appointment for the Botox clinic, myself.
posted by mo pie at 10:05 AM
4 Comments:
Nobody, not even the most stringent critics of plastic surgery, would deny that they’d choose clothes that made them look smarter, fitter or younger, or that they are occasionally seduced by the promises of a face cream that offered smoother, wrinkle-free skin. So why get all sniffy about a shot or two of Botulin toxin if it irons out the creases for a few months, or a small operation that opens up tired eyes?Because if you eat food containing botulin toxin, you will then die an excruciating and drawn-out death during which you will be very awake and clear-minded about what is happening to you until your heart stops, that's why. And we are all aware of the hazards of surgery, aren't we? All kinds of things go wrong.
There is little point in bemoaning the cult of glamour when we are naturally drawn towards physically attractive people, and inclined to praise and admire friends when they lose weight, get fit, get a flattering haircut or a glowing tan. For women particularly, neglect of looks and appearance is often an indicator of depression.We who? Happy healthy people are attractive, yes. But cosmetic surgery will not make you healthy. It is not a substitute for eating right, getting some form of regular exercise, avoiding tobacco, keeping alcohol to a minimum, etc. And there's been lots of comment from reputable cosmetic surgeons in the U.S., if not elsewhere, that people who blame all their unhappiness on a too large nose or too small breasts or such are not good candidates for cosmetic surgery. Because as soon as one "flaw" is "fixed," they fixate on another. And then another. And another.
As for the neglect of looks being a symptom of depression -- no. When therapists talk about this what they mean is neglect of self-care such as rarely taking a shower or never washing one's hair or doing the laundry so one has clean clothes to wear, etc. There's also anhedonia, the inability to enjoy activities one previously enjoyed. If a woman who enjoys using makeup or painting her nails or getting herself all gussied up loses interest in doing these things, that could be a symptom of depression BUT only if accompanied by other symptoms of depression. (For more info, see the NIMH website, for starters.)
Still Dolley; still password-challenged.
I don't get what the big "moral" deal is over Botox. Its aesthetic benefits were noted as a by-product of its medical use, and it has the advantage of postponing or rendering unnecessary more invasive surgery. Although it's entertaining to talk about the "expression of permanent surprise," I've never observed it in myself or in others, and I am perfectly able to express surprise, anger, incredulity, quizzicalness, all with a twitch of the brow, or brows. For me, it was a decision that made sense, psychologically and financially. I could spend thousands on analysts trying to convince me that the signs of aging don't matter, when evidence to the contrary is all around me, or I can get the occasional shot. Tough choice. And I choose to NOT keep the marks that are/were a constant reminder of my ex-husband. I gave him the house and the car, which I paid for; he gave me lines. I choose not to keep them.
I also think it's perfectly acceptable to make your own choice for cosmetic surgery. I had the profile of a hake; now I don't. A hake is a perfectly acceptable, attractive fish; it doesn't translate so well to humans. Is it OK that I had my chin fixed? Is it OK that I had it fixed while two fractures to my jaw were repaired? Would it have been OK to fix the fractures, but only if it returned me to my original icthyological profile? All I know is it makes me happy, every time I catch a glimpse of my profile, whereas before it made me unhappy and self-conscious.
If it's somehow "immoral" to Botox, or to fix a part that has made the possessor thereof, then count me with the sinners; I won't be one of the ones throwing stones.
Still Dolley; still challenged.
"or to fix a part that has made the possessor thereof,"
should read:
"or to fix a part that has made the possessor thereof unhappy,"
Yeesh. Sorry!
Heh, I read this on a day when I'd actually gone as far as looking up information on chemical peels and laser resurfacing to deal with the two 2.5" scars on my face from having dodgy moles removed (medically dodgy, not cosmetically dodgy)...then I saw a "before & after" showing a woman who had a couple of highly noticable veins in the circles under her eyes, and they got zapped with a laser and were gone. GONE!
My first thought was...whoah...I can get my permanent veiny eye-bruises zapped into oblivion too? Sign me up!
But I know I'd never be seriously considering any sort of cosmetic procedure if I hadn't acquired these two scars in the past year. It probably has something to do with living in southern California too, the whole concept of "self improvement" in the more shallow sense is just in the air here.
I don't find that article to be encouraging people to go get plastic surgery, just to be more accepting of those who do, which is a good attitude in my opinion.
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