Breast Implants, Breast Augmentation, and American Culture
Breast augmentation is rapidly becoming a common procedure among women in the United States. Shows detailing the surgery on TV station such as MTV and VH1 show mothers and their daughters getting implants together and teenage girls thrilled with their new 34-D chests. What most of these shows don't mention are the possible risks and painful recovery that come with the procedure. That breast implants are becoming more and more an accepted part of popular culture raises several questions. Are implants as safe and easy as they seem? Are women getting implants because they expect them to radically change their lives? More importantly, does our culture really believe that breast implants somehow improve a woman's quality of life?
There are two kinds of breast implants. Silicone implants, currently under review for re-approval by the FDA, consist of a silicone pouch filled with a silicone gel. Saline implants, currently the only implants available unless a woman is part of a medical trial, are simply a silicone pouch that is filled with saline solution once it is implanted in the woman ((1)). The risks associated with both kinds of implant include implant rupture, capsular contraction (where the scar tissue around the implant tightens), calcium deposits in the tissue surrounding the implant, infection, hematoma, delayed wound healing, a possible atrophy of breast tissue and an increased difficulty for medical professionals when reading mammograms ((2)). Rupture and capsular contraction are fairly common with both kinds of implant, and require that the patient undergo surgery to correct the problem. In fact, about 20% of women who sought breast implants for augmentation,...
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6)FDA Advisor: Ignore Breast Implant Vote, Details the concerns that the FDA advisory board chair has about silicon implants.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/11/05/breast.implants.ap/index.html
7)Suicide Risk May Be Lower Than Expected, from the American Society For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
http://www.asaps.org/press/news-psyc-08.asp
8)Silicone Breast Implants Redux
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-10-03-breast-implants_x.htm
9)Silicone Breast Implants Could Make a Comeback After FDA Hearings, Talks about the rise in the number of breast augmentation surgeries.
https://registration.mercurynews.com/reg/login.do?url=http://www.mercurynews.com%2Fmld%2Fkentucky%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F7002595.htm
10)Breast Enhancement For the Modern Woman, Article written by a plastic surgery
http://www.breastimplants411.com/articles/modern_woman.htm
The scarlet letter is more than just an “A” that Hester Prynne wears as punishment. The “A” on Hester’s clothing is a symbol for adultery, but under the hand stitched “A” it is much more. The “A” tells a story of how one mistake can make a big impact on life. Throughout the book there have been many scenarios that the “A” has affected different characters, in a positive and negative way. This little letter has many meanings to many people, some people that did not know it would even affect them. The simple letter is much more powerful than what anybody thought.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “ The Scarlet Letter’’ is a classical story about sin, punishment and revenge. It all began with a young woman named Hester Prynne who has committed adultery, and gave birth to a child in a Puritan society. Through the eyes of the puritans Hester has gone against their religious ways. Hester must now wear the symbol of the letter “A” on her clothing for the rest of her life as act of shame. Hester Prynne faces a long journey ahead and her strength enables her to continue on.
In today society, beauty in a woman seems to be the measured of her size, or the structure of her nose and lips. Plastic surgery has become a popular procedure for people, mostly for women, to fit in social class, race, or beauty. Most women are insecure about their body or face, wondering if they are perfect enough for the society to call the beautiful; this is when cosmetic surgery comes in. To fix what “needed” to be fixed. To begin with, there is no point in cutting your face or your body to add or remove something most people call ugly. “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” explored the desire of human to become beyond perfection by the undergoing plastic surgery. The author, Camille Pagalia, took a look how now days how Americans are so obsessed
Major changes occur in a women's body especially to the breasts with age, significant weight reduction, childbirth, and breast feeding. Apart from affecting the self-confidence, large breast cause other physical discomforts in the form of neck and back pain. This procedure is useful in reconstituting the breast configuration in women who have undergone Mastectomy to remove breast, mostly due to cancer. The breast formation may either involve implants or tissues from other parts of the body such as back or lower abdomen. Reconstruction of nipple and areola may be done to regain the natural appearance and confidence. The firmness and round contour of the breast can be restored by breast reduction surgery. Often, some women feel the size of their breast is too small. Some people desire for augmentation surgery after breast changes due to pregnancy, while others wish to correct the asymmetry in the size of the breast. In all these cases, it is possible to peerform breast enhancement surgery.
Recently, the effect that violent media has on society has been the focus of many psychological studies. According to an article published in the New York Times, research has found that: “Exposure to violent imagery does not preordain violence, but it is a risk factor” (Pozios, Kambam, Bender, 2013). There has yet to be a direct link between violence actually causing people to go on these massive shooting sprees that have been so common lately. It is natural and understandable for the
The scarlet letter “A” was worn by Hester Prynne daily to show her sin of adultery. While the primary meaning of the “A” was adulterer it later signified able, “People refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original signification. They said that it meant “Able,” so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 152). Hester has overcome her sin and did not let it define her as a woman. Hester being ostracized and tormented for doing what every woman does shaped her into a strong, able woman. The townspeople, at least in private life, do not look at her as the woman she was, but the woman she has
"Elizabethan Theatre Audiences." Elizabethan Theatre Audiences. Strayer University, 16 May 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Most of us don't like some aspect of our appearance, whether it's sagging eyes or excess weight in particular areas, to name a few complaints. Lately a record numbers of Americans are doing something about it by having plastic surgery. Since 1995, the number of cosmetic procedures, which range from liposuction to facelifts, has almost tripled (English 23). Is that a healthy choice-or a dangerous trend? Aging has become the field of the future for plastic surgeons whose patients have reasons not always valid in the search for youth and beauty.
In the 1980s, women with implants started reporting patterns of illnesses. There were breast implants that were rupturing or leaking in the women’s body. There were accusation of the implants causing autoimmune disorders.
Is Cosmetic Surgery giving adolescents false hope that it can “cure” deep insecurities or is it giving teenagers the confidence to be comfortable with their newly improved bodies? “In Miami, FL—Melissa Gonzales used the money she had gotten from her eighteenth birthday to have her breasts augmented. Melissa Gonzales is one of the many individuals who have had success with aesthetic surgery though there are still many who regret their aesthetic procedure like Kacy Long. Kacy Long had gotten implants three years ago. A few weeks following the surgery she began to endure shooting pain in her arms, followed by intense joint pain and crushing fatigue.” (Farrell) These two have had cosmetic surgery but have had different experiences. Aesthetic Procedures have been becoming an international trend, among all ages. The younger audience has been having surgery because they believe that it will allow them to fit in. In just a couple of years the number of surgeries skyrocketed. The “American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery recorded that 160,283 children, 18 and under have had cosmetic interventions in the year 2008.” (Marcus)As a result, cosmetic surgery has become a controversial issue. Some individuals believe cosmetic surgery will help boost adolescents’ confidence, especially in those who have deformities, while others claim that teenagers shouldn’t have aesthetic procedures due to the fact that it is a life impacting decision to make, and teenagers often do not think about the consequences of their actions, so they may later on regret their decision in life. Anyone who is under the age of 18 should not have cosmetic surgery due to the fact that there are so many emotional dangers, medical risks, and that a teens mind and body a...
As the puritans began to see Hester as a caring woman, and as someone who was concerned for the betterment of her community, the letter “A” no longer stood for adultery. "The scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world 's scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence, too” (Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter). This shows that with all the good deeds that Hester has done, the puritan community didn’t belittle or scorn Hester Prynne anymore. The puritan community “refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification” (Baym and Levine, pg.539). The letter became a symbol of her calling. Hester “brings food to the doors of the poor, she nurses the sick, and she is a source of aid in times of trouble” (The Scarlet Letter). This led the puritans to believe that the letter “A” stood for able. She was an able woman. She was no longer looked down upon or negatively talked about. Hester was respected by her community for the sensitive and nurturing woman she was. “Eventually, the letter even achieved a kind of holiness” (Shmoop Editorial Team). She was even a Sister of Mercy. The scarlet letter had “the effect of the cross on a nun 's bosom. It imparted to the wearer a kind of sacredness, which enabled her to walk securely amid all peril. Had she fallen among thieves, it would have kept her
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was not satisfied with the way things had always been done and he did not like the way other psychologists viewed people. He believed that individuals have great potential and thought that there had to be more to humans than simply rewards, punishments, and subconscious urges. To Maslow, people were full of positive potential. He developed humanistic psychology, which focuses on the potential of people to become all that they can be. Other psychologists helped develop different elements in humanistic psychology, but Maslow is largely considered to be the father of the humanist movement in psychology. Weiten (2013) mentioned that Maslow argued that humans have an innate drive towards personal growth that is, evolution toward a higher state of being (p. 377). Maslow wanted to understand what motivates an individual, believing that individuals possess a motivational system unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires. Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to attain certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, an individual seeks to fulfill the next one. Maslow 's greatest
Cosmetic Surgery has been around ever since the early wars to repair scars and injuries but, “today, cosmetic plastic surgeries outnumber reconstructive ones in many countries.” (Edmonds, 2012, p. 134). Cosmetic surgery continues to grow in popularity all around the world. It has now evolved to beautify an unattractive physical appearance. In 2013, Americans spent more than seven billion dollars on cosmetic surgery according to a website titled, Healthline. Cosmetic surgery may sound ideal to someone who is unhappy with a physical appearance but it can be very dangerous. According to “The Culture of Beauty”, “analysts agree that because
Seldom examinations have been conducted to appraise the risks for teens of these increasingly common surgeries. Research is especially needed for vexed procedures such as breast implants, liposuction, and genital plastic surgery. The hazards of breast alteration seems to duplicate with the cost of them, ($3,618 - $5,146). “Teenagers are often oblivious to the well-documented long-term health consequences of smoking, tanning, and other perilous behaviors, and are anticipated to pay even less attention to the risks of cosmetic surgery, making informed consent onerous. (Zuckerman, 13). Cosmetic surgery addicts imply to be familiar with a mental obsession to diversify their bodies and faces. “Cindy Jackson has altered her appearance through nine major operations. She says she felt “plain looking” and recognized how well beautiful people are treated. So, she devised a plan to change her appearance based on rules of physical proportion and beauty, and has been dubbed as the “Human Barbie.”” (OSU, 2). It is notorious for cosmetic surgery to become addictive, customarily this comes from indispensable insecurities and desires to be appeased with one’s self-concept or acceptance. People who unceasingly find faults to revise are usually
A remarkable number of people tend to underestimate the uncertainty of these operations. Yes, it is true that deaths caused by such surgeries are rare. This does not mean, however, that people have not died from having their eyebrows lifted or from breast implants. “In 2002, an 18-year-old woman from King of Prussia, Pa., and a 55-year-old woman from Jacksonville, Fla., died of complications from fat clots lodged in their lungs shorty after liposuction in a doctor’s office” (Friedman 322). Nor does this mean that undergoing cosmetic plastic surgeries is completely free of other risks. James Madhok explains, “…any surgery that involves going under the knife such as rhinoplasty or other facial restructuring, or a 'tuck ', is always going to carry an element of risk.” These risks vary depending on the type of surgery carried out. For instance, “…liposuctions can leave a person with uneven results, such as thighs of unequal size, or with bulges. In breast reductions, a nipple can be badly re-attached, or breasts can be asymmetrical.” (Friedman). On the other side of the world, more specifically in China, a new trend is becoming more and more popular, especially among teenagers. People who face complexities with their height are now able to add a few inches to their legs. This process of limb lengthening is both fascinating and alarming, since it carries the threat of