"
Just a bit off the sides" - we used to hear this in
barber shops. Now we hear it in
plastic surgeons' offices.
What has the world come to?
My dad's SO is a nurse in a plastic surgeon's office. Actually, the best plastic surgeon in Israel. It is unbelievable who goes there. Everybody who is anybody in Israel, it seems, has had something done to their body. Be it rhinoplasty, liposuction, whatever. This brings about several important questions:
- Is everybody dissatisfied with how they look? I personally am. I can't extrapolate from myself to everyone else, but it seems no one I know is happy with their looks. I'm even talking about models. You've heard of anorexic models. And you've probably thought it strange. Well, it is. Even people with "perfect" bodies are unsatisfied. But then again, it's so easy to be dissatisfied. Everyone has a chubby belly or narrow shoulders, or an aquiline nose, or protruding ears, or small breasts, or big breasts, or a hairy chest, or skinny legs.... With just that limited list, I've probably hit a nerve with you. I've hit quite a few with myself. Well, can't we just be happy with who we are?
- There is now an easy solution. I am not completely happy with my exterior. So I've embarked upon a fitness plan, and am trying to build my body. It's difficult to stick to. I've seen people try to diet. It's damn hard. Isn't it easier just to get some fat sucked out?
- If it's okay, why is everyone ashamed of it? I know 3 people who have had nose jobs. They all said that they had a problem with their nose (specifically, a deviated septum), and while they were at it, they had some cosmetic surgery. Yeah, right! If it's okay, why not admit it? If it's not, why do it?
- Isn't it better to learn to accept ourselves? It's quite difficult to accept oneself in this society. So what is the solution? As far as I've been able to gather, plastic surgery doesn't make anybody completely happy with themselves, because usually the object of surgery is a symptom and not the cause. What I mean is, there are people, for example, with a very big nose (like Cyrano de Bergerac), which, when remedied restores their self confidence. But those are not the majority. Most people who have cosmetic surgery performed on them come back for more. (I DO know this for a fact, I am not just tossing my beliefs around). So this makes you think, what should we fix? The nose, or the neurosis?
- Money makes most plastic surgeons blind. In a recent article in an Israeli newspaper, a woman whose nose was "perfect" (surgically speaking, it was flawless - decided upon by several surgeons), went to several plastic surgeons, asking for a nose job. All but one agreed to operate her, and only one of those who agreed said that in his opinion she didn't need surgery. Basically this means that anyone (with enough money) can choose to alter any part of his body alterable by science.
- Is it morally wrong? Should anyone be able to change his looks at a whim? Should we just learn to be satisfied with what we have? Then again, why not? If you can look better, and can afford it, why not improve your looks with a quick flick of the wrist?