Straight teeth, wrinkle-free skin, a super thin body and a perfect nose; these are just some of the many beauty standards that exist in society today. From rhinoplasty to Botox injections, cosmetic enhancement has become an increasingly common option to attempt to boost self-concept for many. What began as a taboo subject remains now not only acceptable, but a widespread trend that continues to grow. According to the ASPS, the total number of cosmetic procedures rose from 14,690,110 in 2012 to an astounding 15,116,353 in 2013. The continuous rise in aesthetic procedures results from poor self-image influenced by the false beauty standards projected by the media. Reasons for these procedures range from mature women wanting to look younger to the need of teenagers to fit in with the crowd and everything in-between but the true cause stems from the media. It’s proven that, “Social endorsements of an ideal body shape, such as those found in print and media formats, have been related to body image disturbance (Cusumano and Thompson 701-702). When the media presents these standards, they are internalized by the public and manifested into critical self-concepts which are a problem and the solution to these problems for some lies in cosmetic adjustments. One of the outlets through which the media broadcasts its unreasonable beauty ideals is television. Specifically, the wildly popular genre of reality television. Plenty of reality shows dealing with cosmetic enhancement have aired throughout the past decade such as, The Swan, Dr. 90210, and Extreme Makeover. These programs consist of taking an ordinary individual with cosmetic flaws and altering them into a new and improved version of themselves that better fits with the way that soc... ... middle of paper ... ...e feedback they long for but instead end up being bullied and made fun of, surgery becomes an option. ASPS reports that aesthetic procedures for teens 13-19 years old boosted 2% from 2011 to 2012 resulting in a total of 236,356. Adolescents don’t just want to look “regular” though, but to be beyond that. Per a 2009 report, the goal of teens getting plastic surgery is not just to look normal but, “to look better than normal,”(Gilbert 14). Based on studies, it’s clear that teenagers will continue to look to the media to decide their self-perception. As been noted, the media plays a huge role in influencing self-perception. Many Americans want to look young, beautiful and to be accepted into the crowd. So long as the media is allowed to dictate what’s beautiful and what isn’t, people will compare themselves to said standards and develop a desire to change accordingly.
Sullivan, Deborah A. "Tightening the Bonds of Beauty." Cosmetic Surgery: The Cutting Edge of Commercial Medicine in America. N.p.: Rutgers UP, 2001. N. pag. Print.
The media and how it affects our society has changed tremendously over the past few decades. Our population of children who spend a lot of time in front of the television or on social media continues to increase, creating a superficial view of themselves and who they should be. This superficial outlook has been created by the media because it preaches to our society that looks matter. Not only are there millions of advertisements saying to lose weight and buy certain products to be beautiful, but there has been a specific standard of beauty set for models and actresses to obtain. These standards include big eyes, volumino...
As a result of the wide variety of media that is in the world, it plays as one of the main factors to most of the body distortion and low self-esteems that is put on men and women. According to Lau, beauty or body perfection, “...is a social/cultural construct, and that advertising, lifestyle/entertainment magazines, movies, scripted and reality television, documentaries and even public service campaigns all play a role in normalising the unrealistic pursuit of body perfection” (Lau, Harris-Moore…). Because of the broad variety of media there is, each has a different perspective on what the ideal ‘real beauty’ is, this causes a lot of pressure to be put upon people on how they should truly appear. In addition, media is also setting the standards that people should start looking like celebrities. As stated by a plastic surgeon, Z. Paul Lorenc in The Culture of Beauty, is that “...one of several concerns is the more and more Americans are seeking plastic surgery because of the very high beauty bar set by celebrities” (Gerdes, The Culture of Beauty). Due to the media constantly flaunting how attractive celebrities are, it makes men and women feel as if they are not good enough and that they need to modify themselves to become socially acceptable in the eye of
Cosmetic surgery companies offer many options in which to finance cosmetic procedures for individual of all income levels. There were over 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2008, as reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). (Surgery, 2009) The statistic mentioned, clearly shows how many of us now would be willing to undergo cosmetic surgery. But, have you asked why? In today’s society, plastic surgery is the number one chosen alternative decision for the augmentation of physical appearance, scar repair and for the repair of a deformity, whether it be a birth defect or disfigurement from an accident.
...ters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s body image by cosmetic surgery. These articles about appearance are damaging because it leads to seriously unhealthy lifestyles that women and teenagers think they need to look beautiful. In addition to that, Teen Magazine published in 2003 an article saying that children from age 6-12 have been on a diet and are now considering plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery sends the message that the prejudices some people have about appearance are valid, which is very wrong.
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
The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.
A revealing example of young, insecure girls attempting to imitate their favorite celebrities is the Kylie Jenner lip challenge in which girls put their lips in a shot like glass cup and “suction” their lips for a “fuller look” (Moyer 1). While some girls see this as a way to look more attractive, it is incredibly damaging and can causes serious health issues; Dendy Engelman, a dermatologic surgeon explains that it can cause “significant pain, swelling, and bruising result from these suction techniques, but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts” (Moyer 2). In addition, it can lead to “scarring, bruising and even lip indentations” that may be “permanent.” There is even a cosmetic device called the Candylipz that provides youngsters with a tool to create a fuller lip that has the same possible consequences as the lips challenge Those who have participated in this challenge say this process is “quite painful,” making it hard to eat and requiring “heavy makeup to conceal the wounds” (Moyer 3). These girls are trying to become more beautiful based on an idealistic role model, who has obviously gotten numerous surgeries to enhance her image. Artificially changing your look with makeup is one thing, but it is concerning when young women (who are not fully developed mentally or physically) begin making uninformed decisions that could change their look forever. Without surgery or body modification devices, it is impossible to attain the desired look, but celebrities refuse to admit that they are unnatural, causing young girls to see themselves as unfit for society and not meeting the standards of “normal” females.
Often what is not natural by nature is not easily accepted by society. People are expected to live the way others think they should live and not the way they want to live. The “term plastic surgery comes from the Greek word “plastikos” which means to mold or shape.”(Plastic Surgery) Initial plastic surgery was used as a way to correct injury or defects in the early 1600‘s. Based on ISAPS Global Statistics for 2010 to 2011, it illustrates that in Canada the number of nonsurgical procedures requiring no incision has dropped by 30% while the number of surgical procedure has increased by 30% from 2010. In recent years the practice is not just limited to correcting an abnormality or defect it can be used to alter or enhance an individual’s appearance. Plastic surgery has proved to be beneficial in a case like bullying, parenting, and the media. It has the ability to eliminate differences and help people to conform to society’s expectations.
The words plastic surgery ignite certain thoughts into people’s minds. One may think of a celebrity such as Kylie Jenner or the constant rise in breast augmentation. Typically most people do not have the desire to surgically alter their appearance. Some however, feel the need to enhance their look as a result of insecurity, low self-esteem or bullying. Others have certain role models they look up to and would like to resemble their idol in one aspect or another. Adolescents and young adults are the most influenced by the media. Often times, a teen girl will scroll through her Instagram or even look at models in advertisements and want to look like the women pictured. Even if this means mimicking a certain eye look or hairstyle. Some girls won’t settle for a subtle change and will want to take things farther.
According to Discourse and Society “Cosmetic surgery needs to be seen as an important social practice because it merges the attention given to the body by an individual person with the values and priorities of the consumer society.” Younger generations are easily drawn to the hype that is presented by the media, and in turn look at themselves as imperfect, and seek to make changes to their body as a result.
“Beauty lasts five minutes, maybe longer if you have a cosmetic surgeon.”(Tia Carrere) Non-medical cosmetic surgery was initially devised as a noble technique to help patients with disfigured face or body parts. However, as the time elapsed it became merely a look enhancing procedure. Humans started exploiting it just for their personal pleasure and its real motive of resurrecting severe disfigured faces, eventually got replaced by enhancing one’s looks. In present, Non-medical cosmetic surgery has deviated many forms including mammoplasty, buttock augmentation, rhinoplasty, liposuction, cheek augmentation, phalloplasty, blepharoplasty and many more. Non-medical cosmetic surgery expanded its boundaries from women, and soon entrapped men and teenagers too in its grasp. Although banning Non-medical cosmetic surgery would be considered as a violation of human rights and would anger people who believes it raises self-confidence, it should be done as it is a waste of money and time, has severe medical complications, and presents the patient as a person with weak personality.
In conclusion, the benefits of cosmetic surgery differ between people and situations; any negative thoughts of others may have an effect on a person’s decision to have a procedure done, but it is for the patient to decide if changing their body is the right decision for them. Regardless of the influences on the younger generation, unrealistic ideologies of patients, and moral issues others may have, plastic surgery will continue to be a huge part of society. However, society should be focusing on how to encourage others to seek happiness in whatever they seem fit, rather than choose to destroy the aspirations of others who choose to build a perfect body for
Cosmetic surgery not only has its positive outcomes but also has a negative side to it. In the novel, Cosmetic Surgery by Norman Waterhouse, he clarifies that "cosmetic surgery has now become a part of modern culture...
red the real meaning of plastic surgery? Do you know when plastic surgery was first developed? Despite the consensus that plastic surgery involves surgery done using plastic or artificial materials, plastic surgery is actually derived from the Greek word “plastikos”, which means “to mold or shape” whereas “surgery” is obtained from “kheirourgos”, “kheir” being “hand” and “ourgos” being “work”. It dates back to as early as 600 BC, when a nose was reconstructioned by a Hindu surgeon using a piece of cheek because it was damaged in battles or caused by punishments as slaves. However, the idea of beauty has been distorted in which one believes to obtain would require the help of an approach that is not necessarily needed. In today’s society, a person is being pressured into looking a certain way in order to be called beautiful. With the media and the Internet highly influencing consumers every day by presenting picture perfect celebrities with smooth skin, perky chests and bottoms on television, it is likely that the media would hold an effect on the persuadable youth who are healthy with no defects but yearns for the unattainable. Surgical makeover shows such as Extreme Makeover and The Swan showing back-to-back episodes of a group of “ugly” women given a gift to look and feel beautiful has shown how many people in society lacks the self-esteem and confidence. For them, it is to undergo plastic surgery. It is no surprise that in the annual report entitled “Global Aesthetic/Cosmetic Surgery Procedures Performed in 2011”, United States ranked first among countries performing breast augmentations.