Conformity And Social Limitations And Consequences Of Cosmetic Surgery

The article Cosmetic Surgery and the Cultural Construction of Beauty by Lorrie Blair and Maya Shalmon uncover the never ending popularity of cosmetic surgery. They base their sayings on many articles and researches presented in the March

Plastic surgery began as bodily reconstruction for wounded soldiers in World War I. The surgery developed in stages, starting with correcting traumatic injuries and deformed facial features. The more cosmetic focus began in the 1970’s, with creating “perfected” facial features and making aesthetically pleasing body parts. Cosmetic surgery boomed in the 1990’s, with 1.2 million procedures performed in the United States alone (plasticsurgery.org). The swiftness in which these procedures have infiltrated society has lead to a change in our view of the value of the body. The modern ease and accessibility of cosmetic surgery has intensified the need for external beauty and has influenced the loss of personal identity.

Receiving the various procedures has divided and mystified individuals by money, class, and personal privilege, eradicating not only the huge inequalities between classes in society, but also the desperation that characterizes the lives of those who do. Howveer, since her book’s publication much has changed and plastic surgery procedures have sky-rocketed in popularity.

Cosmetic surgery, a type of elective surgery undertaken to alter a person’s appearance for reasons beyond injury, illness, or disease, has become increasingly pervasive in society in the past few decades despite sparking controversial debates. (Coleman, 171) While reconstructive surgery is condoned, cosmetic surgery occupies a gray area where physicians “dedicated to saving lives, healing, and promoting health” perform “invasive surgical operations on healthy bodies for the sake of improving appearance.” (Miller, 353) Nevertheless, demand for it is higher than ever with people looking to surgery as an easy method for changing their appearances. This essay will argue that cosmetic surgery is indeed ethical for physicians to perform by examining it through the perspective of the four basic principles of medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

In recent years, plastic and cosmetic surgery has become more saturated in society through magazines, television programs, and advertisements that promise attractiveness and youth. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2015, 17.1 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States, 115% increase from 2000 (1st) . The surge in available providers as well as lower costs and less invasive procedures appeal to the majority. Provided conditions under which the maintenance of outer appearance is made important, cosmetic surgery constructs the need as well as legitimization. The normalization of cosmetic surgery is the result of the 2011 chin obsession, 2013 butt trend, and the 2014 battle of the breasts and pecs. The desire for the perfect pout in 2016 ultimately brought significant change and popularity to cosmetic surgery.

In today’s society, cosmetic surgeries are more accepted. Many women who are unhappy with their bodies and/or faces undergo these type of surgeries. I think this happens because nowadays people are more focused on the look than they were in the past. Also, after many years of women having no voice, today women are able to do anything they want with their bodies, and people are more open minded. Moreover, science, medicine, and technology have evolved, creating every day a new procedure in

This new trend of cosmetic surgery is also a factor in presenting an unrealistic body image to the public. Predominantly used by celebrities and those of wealth, now cosmetic surgery is progressively being used by the average middle class person. Men are just as affected by the

107) Second, magazines geared toward women often run stories focusing on the ordinary woman’s experiences with surgery of the benefits of surgically improving one’s appearance. Also, advertisements typically promote the benefits of cosmetic surgery using gendered stereotypes, with men represented as concerned with virility and professional competitiveness whereas women are investing in aesthetic improvements. Therefore, the idea of personal transformations and self-improvement is not particularly novel but standard approach that has become entrenched in mass media representations of cosmetic surgery (Adams, 2009, p. 108). However, the potential health risks are downplayed and negative outcomes are attributed to the unpredictability of the aesthetic results or poor surgeon selection. More importantly, these frames tend to diverge from the actual surgical experience, which rather being neat and instantaneous, is often complex and painful. Nevertheless, it is the media-mediated frame that dominates the broader social discussion of cosmetic surgery and often reduces it to a consumable lifestyle option as opposed to a complicated medical procedure fraught with potential risks and uncertainties.

Every year more and more people around the world are choosing to have cosmetic surgery. It seems to be an easy fix to problems that people perceive, even if the problems are natural, like breast size. In a sociological study done in the UK, the author found that “[T]o have breast implants requires a major medical procedure, but they are sold as a fashion accessory and the procedure is framed as a beauty treatment rather than an operation by those who sell it” (Taylor). While many cosmetic surgeries are fairly simple procedures, there is very little benefit to outweigh the extreme risks, and many doctors are more interested in making money than fully explaining all of the risks to their patients. Many patients would be better helped by

Elizabeth Haiken, "The Making of the Modern Face: Cosmetic Surgery," Social Research, Spring 2000. The American culture that produced cosmetic surgery is the increasingly visual, psychologically influenced culture of the twentieth century United States. For those surgeons who perform cosmetic surgery, the relationship between the physical face and the construction of individual identity has always been and continues to be central. "In our modern twentieth century United States, our attitudes toward cosmetic surgery have been based on a series of assumptions: that inside every person who looks different is an American struggling to get out; that inside every homely girl a confident girl is trying to emerge..." These surgeons,

Young adults all over the world should recognize the societal pressures placed upon them to look a certain way and thus see cosmetic surgery as unnecessary. As reported by Dan O’Connor in the article Journal of Health Care Law & Policy, “Adolescents should never be exposed to choices for cosmetic procedures,” meaning that no teen boy or girl should be given the thought of a different kind of beauty besides natural. The young adults seeking cosmetic procedures are merely choosing to do what is expected of him/her by a society demanding they should look a certain way. According to O’Connor, “The struggle by having cosmetic surgery at a very young age in order to meet those standards, can interrupt the natural growing of body tissue.” At first, the reality is that looks won’t equal worth; however, that is easily overthrown by a small percentage that says looks do equal worth. This meaning that, the certainty and the fact that a teenager feels bad about themselves is blamed not due to the perceptions, but upon the reality that their body does not meet those perceptions.

It’s no secret that celebrities and people from the upper class have plastic surgery. The United States is a leading country in plastic surgery where cosmetic surgery has become trendy. Why do more and more people decide to have plastic surgery? Many people blindly think that in modern society, youth and beauty are wealth that could create opportunities for them and make them become more competitive. Therefore, some women spare no effort to fawn upon rich men through having plastic surgery so as to live a life they desire. In today’s competitive job market, some people believe that an artificially enhanced appearance can give them an edge over their competitors. While beauty may be only skin-deep, it is the first thing that a prospective employer sees and will judge upon. Inner desire urges people to have plastic surgery. The desire for beauty is universal. One could instantly acquire external beauty through plastic surgery, so it could satisfy people’s eager desire for beauty. Some positive effects and advertising publicized after plastic surgery make people believe that plastic surgery could help them enhance confidence, experience happiness and step towards happiness and a better life. The impetuous psychology of following the trend also expands the group of people who have plastic surgery (Dittmann). One might feel behind the fashion if everybody else has plastic surgery except him or her. Some people who have plastic surgery even feel that they are superior to others

The three increasing degrees of commitment which are compliance, identification and internalisation are related to the level of involvement with the attitude object (Solomon et al, 2006, p.282). The very complex cognitive process of cosmetic surgery is internalised and become part of the individual’s value system. This strong attitude is hard to change as it intertwined with self-concept and self-esteem. For example, some women regard the plastic surgery as displaying women’s appearance value. They see the surgeons and undergo the surgeries routinely to maintain their emphasis on the value of beauty. As this internalisation level of cosmetic surgery, women not only increase physical attractiveness but enhance self-value (Gan, 2007). According to balance theory, people tend to seek relations among elements that are perceived belonging together (Solomon et al, 2006, p.286). People alter these perceptions to make harmony among the elements’ relations. In the case, it is a positive relation between the cosmetic surgery and the danger of surgery procedure. Women who want to undergo the surgery hesitate about the risk. They will experience pressure to restore balance by changing the perceptions. Some accepting the hesitation of risk prompt a change in their attitude towards cosmetic surgery; others might give up the cosmetic surgery. As the theory, people are likely to observe changes in attitude when inconsistencies occur.

Messages within the media indirectly contribute to the rising rate of plastic surgery. Desires to meet the idealisms of media representations are often so consuming that people demand plastic surgery despite all of its associated risks and controversies. To compensate for this up and coming surgical trend, technology has developed more reasonable and attainable options for the public. Millions of operations are now able to be performed on those wishing to fulfill specific gratifcations toward their own personal appearance and/or self-esteem. This is a serious problem in that people are unaware or just simply

Cosmetic surgery is an increasing worldwide trend amongst a significant number of adults in the 21st century. As technology advances more rapidly than ever, the opportunity for people to undergo surgery enabling them to look younger and healthier becomes more readily accessible to the masses. From the more common Botox treatments to breast augmentation surgeries and rhinoplasties, every year up to 15 million people around the world have opted to undergo certain cosmetic procedures in order to enhance their appearance. This shows how much more increasingly popular and socially accepted it has become for people to undergo cosmetic surgery in the recent years, and it also suggests a change in society’s perception of ‘beauty’ and individuals’