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Women’s bodies in western society have visible standards of beauty and normality. The female body has always been seen as in constant need of improvement and women are chained to the false belief that their self-worth is somewhat tied to their physical appearance. The breast implant industry started in the 1960s and has steadily risen in popularity since then and the first nose job was as early as the 1920s. The growing beauty and cosmetic surgery industry is an indicator of greater cultural developments. As health, fitness, and appearances progressively determined your self-esteem, social status, and possible jobs and close relationships, the idea of achieving the perfect body blew up both ideologically and commercially over the 20th century. (Gillespie, 1996). The concept of perfecting one’s body is hardly a modern phenomenon, so it comes as no surprise that the area of female body improvement has spread to the female genitalia. . It could be said that are growing pressure on women to conform to cultural standards of suitable femininity. The public gaze is no longer just confined ...
Beauty is a cruel mistress. Every day, Americans are bombarded by images of flawless women with perfect hair and smooth skin, tiny waists and generous busts. They are presented to us draped in designer clothing, looking sultry or perky or anywhere in between. And although the picture itself is alluring, the reality behind the visage is much more sinister. They are representations of beauty ideals, sirens that silently screech “this is what a woman is supposed to look like!” Through means of media distribution and physical alteration, technology has created unrealistic beauty ideals, resulting in distorted female body images.
"Skin blemishes made it impossible for me to really enjoy myself. I was always worrying about the way I looked" (Brumberg, p. 87). Woman all around the world share the same problem, they feel unhappy and self-conscious with the appearance of their bodies. In The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, she successfully illustrates the way adolescents begin to change focus from inner to outer beauty in the early 19th and 20th centuries. Through use of personal diaries and historical research, Brumberg shows her readers the physical differences between girls then and now. Brumberg talks about an array of topics in her book – periods, acne, dieting, piercing, virginity, and sexuality. From their roots in the 1800’s through the Victorian era and into modern society the reader gets a glimpse of the way young women evaluate their bodies and turn them into body projects, and is still to this day sweeping the nation more than ever.
The reading assigned titled “The Socially Constructed Body” by Judith Lorber and Yancey Martin dives into the sociology of gender with a specific focus on how the male and female body is compromised by social ideals in the Western culture. She introduces the phenomenon of body ideals pressed on men and women by introducing the shift in cosmetic surgery toward body modifications.
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
Most women want to have firm, perky and sexy breasts because it makes them feel good about themselves. However, over the years, factors such as aging, breastfeeding, weight fluctuations, pregnancy, heredity, gravity and others can have a toll on their breasts causing them to lose firmness and change shape. Sagging breasts are not only unsightly, but also cause embarrassment and to women. As a result, some are willing to go to any length to get their strong and firm breasts back. One of the medical procedures that can help women rectify the sagging is breast lift surgery.
It seems if a woman does not follow what the television or magazines do, they will be considered a ‘disgrace’ to society. “By the 1930’s, mass advertisements on radio and in magazines persuaded women to purchase cosmetic products by appealing to her fear of growing old or being rejected by social acquaintances,” (Gourley 56). The beauty industry specifically targeted women, using the ideas of an often highly feminine related idea of vanity. This also talked about women’s apparel in clothing and how they weren’t able to dress casually since they would be titled, slob. As looks represent a lot in a woman, the body type of a woman has always struggled with maintaining since the ‘perfect’ body types are not what everyone has. “In the 1890’s women had full bosoms, round hips. In actual measurements they were probably no rounder than Miss Cox but they seemed so because they were shorter, tightened their waists into an hour-glass effect … Now, though, the ideal figure must have a round, high bosom, a slim but not wasp-like waist, and gently rounded hips” (“This is What…”). Ideals women that society has pushed onto women to be for them to have any chance in romance. Though many women can drift away from this the women, though they won’t admit to it, had struggled to meet the ‘set standard’ for women. This shows how after women have gained the rights of voting, gender roles
Some people have decided that plastic surgery may help improve someones mental health and therefore should be included in health care insurance, I think this is just absurd. I am all for the improvement of mental health care considering it is very lacking in this country but I also think that until there is more proof to this argument we should not include it in everyones medical insurance fees. America is having a crises when it comes to mental health care and already doesn't include mental health care in many insurance policies as it is and this far fetched idea may not be a good thing to add in for the general public until we have more evidence to support this topic. However, I don't think general cosmetic surgery should be allowed, I do see the benefit of other "cosmetic" surgeries such as gender reassignment surgery which I feel these are less cosmetic and more geared towards mental health.Basically, I generally disagree with the idea that cosmetic
My mother was taught, as her mother before and so on, that these conversations are to be kept private and talked about quietly. In response to this, the power of men has an increasingly strong hold on the ideal physical beauty and how the changes of the body, such as menstruation, are in private and never spoken of. The Body Project gives a disturbing look at how women in the past few centuries and the present should act, look like, and keep hidden in response to what men think is most desirable. No matter how free women think they are, we are still under the control of men, even if it is not directly. This book opens the conversation on the problems that are still plaguing women and how society needs to change to have a healthier environment for women to be comfortable in their skin.
In conclusion it is possible to see how the media promotes a physical and psychological disease among women through the usage of unrealistic body images as it urges them to change their bodies, buy “enhancing” products, and redefine their opinions. Such statements may appear to be ridiculous, but for young women who are seeking to perfect their body according to how the media portrays “good looks” it is the basis for corruption. Confidence, contentment and healthy living are the keys to a perfect and unique body image and no amount of money can advertise or sell as genuine a treatment as this.
Exact Beauty: Exploring Women's Body Projects and Problems in the 21st Century. Mandell, Nancy (5th ed.). Feminist Issues: Race, Class, and Sexuality (131-160). Toronto: Pearson Canada, Inc. Schulenberg, Jennifer, L. (2006).
Flipping through the pages of Vogue's latest edition, 23 year-old Susan seems quite upset. She struggles with the thought of lacking the perfect body and delicate features in order to be considered attractive. Surprisingly, Susan is not alone in this kind of an internal struggle. In contemporary society, every other woman aspires to have the lips of Angelina Jolie and the perfect jaw line of Keira Knightley. Society today looks down upon individuals that do not fit in, whether in terms of body shape or facial attractiveness. This forces them to consider the option of 'ordering beauty.' Since cosmetic surgery is no longer a social taboo in America given its widespread popularity, more people are promoting it which ultimately affects the rest of the world due to the unwavering influence of American culture. Cosmetic surgery should be deterred in the US because it promotes the idea of valuing appearance over ability, gives rise to unrealistic expectations, and brings with it high cost to society.
Have you ever looked in the mirror and not liked what you saw? Haven’t we all? How about this, have you ever looked in the mirror and considered spending thousands of dollars to change what you see? Nope, me neither, but unfortunately thousands of people everyday do. Whether it’s a new nose, bigger breasts, an uplifted face, or any other cosmetic surgery, everyday someone is going under the knife to feel better about themselves. Now you may think, well that’s fine if they’re happy that way. However, it is most likely that after a surgery they will be more upset with what they see. There are many risks ignored by patients having cosmetic surgery
The world of cosmetic surgery is one of the largest and fastest growing industries worldwide, bringing in billions of dollars each year with cosmetic procedures that both men and women are having, in order to improve their looks, self esteem, and fulfilling societies norms and values. Cosmetic surgery has been accepted in certain cultures, this is a way of expressing who the person is. In my opinion cosmetic surgery is a good thing for individuals to pursue. As cosmetic surgery improves mental and physical well being, cosmetic surgeries through media, as cometic surgeries are improving health related issues, and creating opportunities for people.
Plastic surgery good and bad There are so many good and bad things that can come from getting plastic surgery. This essay will tell you all the effects, good and bad, that come from getting plastic surgery. The main reasons that people get plastic surgery are medical, personal, and at times career enhancement. Though we all should be satisfied with our looks, we aren’t.
Beauty is a huge thing in the world today. Looks are the first thing someone notices about you and it is what they judge you on. It is just how our society is today. Unfortunately, it is what the world has come to. The biggest extreme that someone can go to to enhance their natural beauty is to have plastic surgery. People are choosing to have plastic surgery due to the influence of celebrities, selfies, bullying, how important beauty is in society and the health benefits of it as well.