According to an article in Forbes, The Hidden Dangers of Cosmetic Surgery
by Jenna Gourdreau,”Cosmetic surgery has become a booming, $10.1 billion
business each year in the U.S., according to American Society of Plastic
Surgeon. Women, already 91% of cosmetic patients, are electing to make quick
fixes more than ever, undergoing 5% more procedures in 2010 than the year
before.” While reading this article, I could not help but to be curious as to
why people are so interested in plastic surgery. As common as it has become,
cosmetic surgery is not a simple thing to do. It is very risky and might have negative
effects. Then why do people still choose to go under the knife, despite all the
risks? From all the varying reasons, the common ones are feeling unsatisfied
with their own body, influence from the media, and to increase their
self-confidence.
The
most prevalent reason for people to undertake a cosmetic surgery is because
they feel unsatisfied with their own body. Some people do not want to look old;
therefore, they choose cosmetic surgery to appear younger and fresher while
others just want to have better figures. A severe case of this dissatisfaction
towards one own body is known as body
dysmorphic disorder. Body dysmorphic disorder or BDD is a mental disorder
in which the afflicted individual feels self-conscious about their body, to the
point of being obsessed with a minor or imagined flaw, imagining it as a
hideous disfigurement. People with BDD will never feel contended with how they
look, since they will always find something wrong in their body, regardless of
how many times they go for surgery. “They develop new obsession,” Hullet says.
“They get the nose fixed, and then it is the eyebrows. They fix the eyebrows,
and then it is the ears. The perceived abnormality keeps moving.”
Another thing
that caused people to want to do cosmetic surgery is influence from the media.
The images of models or celebrity with perfect and flawless figure which are
shown in the television and on magazines have changed our standard of beauty. People
strived to have perfect body and face just like what they saw, even though the
images on the television or magazines might have been enhanced and edited by
computer, such as photoshopped. There are also some TV shows about cosmetic
surgery, such as “I Want a Famous Face,” “Nip/Tuck,” and “Extreme Makeover.”
Shows like these and the amount of publicity about celebrity going under the
knife can make people see cosmetic surgery as a common thing and imply that it does
not have any risk, which is not.
All
the reasons that have been stated above lead to the last reason, which is
self-confidence. Dissatisfaction towards one own body and the effect from the
media can lower someone’s self-esteem. Some people think that by altering their
body part in which they find unattractive and by having the same figures as
what they saw on media can make them more confident. A study by Prof. Dr.
Jürgen Margraf, Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Clinical Psychology and
Psychotherapy at the RUB, shows that on average, the participants felt
healthier, were less anxious, had developed more self-esteem and found the
operated body feature in particular, but also their body as a whole, more
attractive, compared to those who had chosen not to have plastic surgery.
It is true that having
a perfect appearance and flawless body are everyone’s dream and each individual
has their own way to achieve it. One of it is cosmetic surgery. Even though
some people think that cosmetic surgery is such a bad and taboo thing to do,
there are still a lot of people who find advantages from doing it. To feel more
content with their body, to fit to the society’s standard of beauty, and to
feel more poise can cause people to undertake this surgery.
Reference
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2011/06/16/hidden-dangers-of-cosmetic-surgery/
(2013/11/21-11:14 PM)
http://www.thisisreallyinteresting.com/plastic-surgery-the-long-term-effect-is-positive/
(2013/11/21-11:14 PM)
http://bodyimagetroubles.weebly.com/plastic-surgery-and-the-media.html
(2013/11/21-11:15 PM)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
(2013/11/21-11:20 PM)