Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

Cosmetic plastic surgery in the United States is a growing phenomenon, especially for women. What started primarily with rich and famous celebrities, moved to reality television and then to the everyday, middle class woman. Rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, liposuction, chin/cheek implants, blepharoplasty, brow lifts, etc. are just a few examples of the types of plastic surgery women subject themselves to in order to alter their appearance. Although these surgeries are promoted as being able to raise a person's self esteem and make them have a healthier self image, I believe that plastic surgery may be more harmful than beneficial to women and the women's movement in general. Since these women are altering their natural, physical state, it seems that from an Ecofeminist perspective plastic surgery is just another man-made corruption of nature, as well as woman.

Before we get into the problems with cosmetic plastic surgery, I would like to first discuss reasons why women in particular are so drawn to it. The first reason, which has been and still is very popular with both male and female celebrities, is to maintain their youth/image. Younger celebrities seem to go under the knife in order to boost their image and sexual appeal, while older celebrities seem to do it to maintain a youthful look. A famous example would be Joan Rivers, who, among other things, receives Botox and collagen injections every couple of months. I could list other examples, but it seems that every other celebrity has done something to surgically change their appearance (as Joan Rivers puts it in an interview, "Every woman on television over the age of 25 has had something done"). Although this reason for surgery primarily thrived among celebrities, it has grown into a problem for all women. In movies, television, and magazines, these surgically-enhanced women are the ones shaping culture, fashion, and body image for the rest of us. It's almost impossible to look at these women and not feel at least a little bit self conscious of our own bodies, and it's nearly impossible to get bodies like these women without going into surgery. ("Nips and Tucks")

This leads into another reason that many women today are getting plastic surgery: to create higher self esteem. Women who have always felt ugly throughout their entire lives are now suddenly offered the expensive and painful solution to surgically alter their bodies. Women who have always felt that their noses are too big or that their breasts are too small are now encouraged to change what they don't like about themselves. However, this can become a problem when women become obsessed with plastic surgery and use it as a solution to everything they hate about their bodies. Nose and breast jobs move into cheek implants, lip injections, and liposuction. People with low self esteem (although they may think so at first) will never be completely satisfied with the effects of their plastic surgery. Physical appearance (no matter how much you change it) always eventually diminishes, and women should not be depending solely on their looks for self esteem.

Another reason for plastic surgery, which can be seen both with celebrities and everyday people, is for a sense of power and attention. These women enhance themselves in order to become famous or noticed, and then use this attention to gain a feeling of power (over men, society, etc.). The best example of this type of woman is Pamela Anderson. Pam Anderson has been on the most Playboy covers in history, is one of the most downloaded women on the internet, and is notorious for her abnormally huge fake breasts. She is an actress that is criticized for not being able to act, making it obvious that the only reason she receives any type of attention is because of her breasts. However, although Anderson became famous through her plastic surgery, she is also known for being a good mother and has turned all the attention she gets towards good causes. She works closely with organizations such as PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) and for liver foundations (after she had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C). She also writes a column for Jane magazine, where she often addresses women's issues. But even though Anderson seems to be a charitable, good-hearted person, it's overshadowed by the idea that she is structured to be a male fantasy. Therefore whatever position of leadership or power she puts herself in, she is still viewed as a subservient woman, aimed to please men, who can never truly be taken seriously.

The last reason for plastic surgery that I will discuss, and I believe is the only good reason, is to correct physical disfigurement or discomfort. Women who naturally have overly large breasts and experience pain or humiliation; babies who are born with a cleft lip or palate; people who get into car accidents and experience facial or bodily damage; etc. are all examples of situations in which plastic surgery may be acceptable and necessary. In these situations it's more a matter of not feeling different/humiliated, than a simple matter of low self esteem or low body image (in other words, not feeling like a movie star).

The main problem with plastic surgery is that our culture has made us oblivious to the health, emotional, and financial risks that it may involve. Any surgery involves risks, and some of cosmetic surgery's general risks include: bleeding and hematoma, infection, seroma, suture reactions, skin reactions, wound separation, necrosis, nerve damage, anesthesia, and scarring. Unnecessary surgery seems puts women in danger for the sake of Hollywood beauty. The whole industry seems to be feeding off the insecurities and money of others, leaving women only with the temporary benefit of good looks that will fade with time. ("General Risks...")

The real problem lies in the fact that plastic surgery is being promoted more and more everyday. Reality shows such as "I Want a Famous Face", "The Swan", and "Extreme Makeover", have created unrealistic expectations about what plastic surgery can really do for someone. They advertise it as something that will dramatically change a person's life for the better. MTV's "I Want a Famous Face" is particularly disturbing, in that it takes adults as young as 19 years old and performs plastic surgery on them so they can look like their favorite celebrities. Since the appearance of these reality shows (in about 2000), the number of plastic surgeries have tripled. Plastic surgery used to be just a thing that existed among the rich and famous, for people who had tons of time and money to waste (the Jacksons are a good example), but now, as these reality shows prove, plastic surgery is for everyone and affordable even if you're in middle class. Although, these shows also demonstrate the non-glamorous effects of plastic surgery. They show the pain, bruises, and swelling of the people after the surgery is over, as well as the surgeries themselves sometimes. However, I believe the shows are creating more harm than good, and creating the popular idea that it is okay to drastically change physical things about yourself that you don't like. (Bryant)

The reason why plastic surgery is so damaging to the women's movement can be explained through the Ecofeminist perspective. This perspective and its application to plastic surgery can best be explained by Karen J. Warner, and her theory that "the Western World's basic beliefs, values, attitudes, and assumptions about itself and its inhabitants have been shaped by an oppressive patriarchal conceptual framework" (246). Women who literally reshape themselves in order to fit into society's definition of beauty are unknowingly subjecting themselves to male standards.

Peter Wenz can also be applied to plastic surgery when he argued that, "there is something intuitively wrong about destroying an ecosystem when there is no good reason to do so" (250). Since, through this perspective, women's bodies are seen as both nature and natural, they can also be seen as ecosystems ("intricately interwoven and interdependent intersection of elements that function as a whole organism" [249]). If we alter our bodies for our own selfish purposes, without good reason, then we are committing a crime against both women and nature. And, altering our bodies in such a way is completely male, according to Ecofeminists. Plastic surgery is a form of "man's gynecology" in which we are "substituting the fake for the real, the artificial for the natural" and "cutting wholes into parts" (257). Through plastic surgery, women are ultimately becoming "men's 'fembots', permitting themselves to be drained of their life forces" (257). (Tong)

The solution to the growing cosmetic surgery epidemic is not that simple, but it can be done. It's not that simple because it has to start with the media. We have to eliminate the glamorized reality shows that give an unrealistic image of what it means to have plastic surgery, and perhaps replace them with shows that are more realistic about the issue. We need more shows that demonstrate what can go wrong, and that teach that plastic surgery is not for everyone and will not help with (or is not necessary for) certain problems. We need to get rid of the shows that display the message that plastic surgery will make you a better person or make all your dreams come true (like "The Swan" often promises). Also, we need more celebrities that can give more realistic, positive body images. We need more role models that aren't artificially beautiful and remind us of how imperfect we are. And if we can't find what we're looking for in the media, then maybe we should just watch less TV.

On a more personal level, maybe all we need to do is simply learn to accept certain things about ourselves that aren't exactly perfect or the way we want them to be. If we are unsatisfied with ourselves physically, then maybe all we have to do is make ourselves satisfied with our emotional, personal aspects. Also, treating each other with a certain respect, regardless of looks, can do a small part to help our culture from becoming totally absorbed with the artificially beautiful.

Works Cited

Bryant, Rebecca. "Reality Television." Cosmetic Surgery Times. 2004. Cosmetic Surgery Times. 10 Apr. 2006 .

"General Risks of Cosmetic Surgery." Beautysurg.Com. 2006. Cosmetic Surgery and Plastic Surgery Information. 10 Apr. 2006 .

"Nips and Tucks." E! Online. 2006. E! Entertainment Television. 10 Apr. 2006 .

Tong, Rosemarie P. Feminist Thought. 2nd ed. Boulder: Westview P, 1998. 246-264.