Medical Aesthetics: An Honest Conversation, Please?
Plastic surgery is not an evil thing. Millions of people have been helped by advances within the profession, including babies born with cleft palates and those who have been severely injured in accidents. One man even had his penis re-attached by a plastic surgeon after an estranged loved chopped it off in a fit of rage. Considering the span of history, these surgeries are somewhat — if not totally — miraculous.
Surgery for purely aesthetic reasons, meaning the procedures performed solely for the advancement of beauty, is on the rise. The industry has been booming, projected to be worth a whopping $26.53 BILLION by 2024. The “year of the rear” (with an uptick in gluteus enlargement) has been going on for several years now, due in part to Instagram culture and (as much as I hate to say it) the Kardashian/Jenner family. Citing “overall wellness and self-care” as the bigger reason, a report published by Allergan 360, which collected data over several years throughout the United States’ metropolitan areas, explains the rise of aesthetic treatments — both surgical and non-surgical.
According to the report, studies have found that aesthetic treatments, which span the gamut from full-blown surgeries to fillers and Botox injections, have become more socially acceptable and less stigmatized, minimizing taboo altogether.
There is no doubt times are changing and whether or not the repercussions will be negative or positive is difficult to determine or even study. While the Allergan report is fairly broad and encompassing, it fails to include the views, feelings, and psychological results of those consuming the images of aesthetically altered and modified models, celebrities, and even friends — who might not always be forthcoming about said procedures.
The message as of late seems to scream: if you do not like something about yourself, CHANGE IT. I’m not knocking that. I agree. If it is going to benefit your quality of life, absolutely do what you want. My only hope is that we pause and ponder the “why?” Why do you not like that particular thing about yourself? Why do you feel the need to change it? Are you doing this for you?
There has been much noise about the body positivity movement in recent years, which — for the most part — is a wonderful thing. Inclusivity is important and we all have different bodies which are necessary to represent. However, exploiters have used this movement and wave to Trojan horse body modification under the guise of “positivity”. This even reaches the realms of “self-care”, a term now tokened as a marketing scheme, where beauty brands, vitamin companies, and those within the industry based around aesthetics have capitalized and continue to capitalize under the umbrella of “self-care”. This is concerning. How many explosive diarrhea teas do we need before we take a step back and see where our money is going? Is this truly “self-care”?
The answers depend on adherence to western beauty standards, personal beliefs, and a lot of data that has yet to be collected. Of course, plastic surgeons and the beauty industry alike do their best with marketing and the exploitation of psychology to convince anyone of needing whatever is deemed beautiful or ideal at the moment. This is a difficult game and one that is hard to play and even harder to quit, where the rules often change, and the players get younger. Furthermore, “need” by its very definition means something that is essential or very important. Again, this depends on adherence and whether or not someone seeking out something they, themselves, deem “very important”.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the eye of the beholder is constantly exposed to a barrage of images given to us by people who, as David Foster Wallace put it, “do not love us but want our money.” It should give us pause that depression and negative self-image is on the rise despite our constant movements pushing against it. Perhaps it is our overconsumption of social media, our desire to make our lives look more desirable, and a constant waxing and waning of societal standards that are a knot to untangle.
It is these confusing messages that leave young women and men puzzled. “I am supposed to love myself the way I am, but no, not like that?” “Aging is a privilege, but wrinkles are ugly?” “Accept your cellulite — everyone has it — but here’s a way to get rid of it.” It feels like hypocrisy and it very well might be if you have not developed the machinery within yourself to turn off those messages, which a lot of people, especially YOUNG PEOPLE, have not.
I do not see this slowing down. I don’t see the trajectory falling to the ground. This is here to stay and it will continue to grow. Is that a good or bad thing? I don’t have an answer. No one does. But can we start to have an honest conversation about it?
