Cosmetic Enhancement Of The Body And Identity Essay

Cosmetic surgery has become increasingly more popular. However, many are unsatisfied with their results. Debra Dunn decided to have cosmetic surgery to fix a bump she had on her nose as a result of a childhood injury. After having two nose jobs and spending thousands of dollars, she was so dissatisfied with her results that she was embarrassed when she left the house and avoided mirrors. When she ventured out in public, she hid behind her hair. Although doctors tried convincing her that her nose was lovely and others would kill for a nose like hers, she greatly regretted ruining the face she was born with. Dunn even felt as though she no longer resembled herself. In an attempt to return her nose back to the nose she was born with, Dunn

It is no problem to glance at someone on the street and notice how they have altered their bodies in order to look more presentable. Nowadays this is “normal” to most people. Many women perform a daily routine in the morning in order to be their finest selves, but why are they doing this? Their answer may be to create a positive picture of themselves, but deep down the source of their daily routines is to be portrayed as normal in the eyes of others within their culture. This is an example of disciplinary body practices, which are “routines, rules, and practices” which help to maintain the body (Women’s Voices Feminist Visions, p. 193). They come at a cost, which may include time, money, and effort and these practices are influenced by various sources, such as television shows and commercials, magazines, social media, and many more. Both culture and globalization are directly connected to the influence of these practices and many people believe that if they do not conform to these practices, they will be seen as “odd.” I have experienced this myself because of my daily practices. Some examples of these disciplinary practices include shaving legs, styling hair, putting on make-up, surgeries, piercing body parts, tanning, and many more, which all come at a cost.

I have read your article that Liane Beam Wansbrough produced, on the topic of cosmetic plastic surgery, and I am writing to express my beliefs and feelings on the topic that you have addressed. I can understand your point of view, why you chose to help young teenagers to have cosmetic surgery ,however encouraging young adults can lead to devastating results.

What would we change about our bodies if we could? Our face, our thighs, or our hips? What about our eyes or our lips? Would we change everything? If given the chance, more than sixty percent of people would endure cosmetic surgery in the hopes of achieving their “ideal” form, according to a survey conducted by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In our nation, society has taken full control over body image. Not just any body image, though, our body image. Recently, bodies have been the favorite subject of our culture. These bodies are plastered to every major advertisement, the ones paraded down runways, and cast for the lead in television. These are the bodies that diet and exercise articles say you can have for the time, effort, and patience. These are the bodies surgeons say can happen with a lump sum and a few weeks of recovery. These ideal bodies have plagued our nation in a way that nothing else has. These are the bodies that sixty percent of people dream of having, but don’t. Bodies are becoming the number one priority in our life, but at what cost?

Too much fascination with the body is problematic because embodied identity is not only about the body. Lasch 1980- Contemporary culture places fascination with the appearance of people and it is observed that this is causes narcissism among individuals. Gillian) […] More narcisistic forms of 'self-surveillance, including the 'tyranny' of idealised images and a 'fragmentation' of the body [...]” Specifically it is (Lasch 1979 p48 ) “... corporeal images of youth, beauty, health and fitness.” that are overrepresented. As a consequence body modification is advocated in order to achieve these ideological representations of the self. (Featherstone) Modification and enhancement help construct a beautiful appearance which Featherstone links to

Marketing campaigns have been structured to encourage cosmetic surgeries in ways that attempt to generate demands. For example since 1983 in the USA, the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS) has attempted to expand its services of cosmetic surgery through a marketing campaign of press release that showed pre and post operative pictures as well as educational brochures (Gillespie 1997, p.76). In addition to that since costumers don't decide to undergo surgical procedure over night, providers need to keep a high profile by increasing advertisements and awareness through women magazines, local news papers and other types of communication (Gillespie 1997, p.76). Cosmetic surgery, which aims to improve individual’s body physique, encourages women to see imperfections as illness (Gillespie 1997, p.74). This form of ideals, that embraces only certain types of female bodies as normal and feminine in accordance to size, weight, shape and often color of the body, ignores natural diversity of women. The normalization of cosmetic surgery not only supports the capitalist system and enforces gender norms into society but also transforms normal body parts and the changes the natural process of aging into abnormal. For example nowadays it is very common to hear someone saying that an individual is ugly or fat and therefore needs to undergo plastic surgery; or questions why someone who is so wealthy would not pay for cosmetic surgery to fix certain parts of their body, which are considerate to be unattractive or abnormal according to the cultural norms. Consequently, the more people select to have cosmetic surgery procedures to create a beautiful face and body, the more ordinary looking individuals will become to be perceived and evaluated as ugly (Morgan 1991,

The article "Reflecting on Cosmetic Surgery: Body Image, Shame, and Narcissism" by Jane Megan Northrop points out that the physical body has always played a major role in society throughout history. This situation has caused cosmetic surgeries to increase rapidly, because people want to fit in to obtain a successful life. One of the aspects of society they want to fit in is their social groups. Northrop used Marcel Mauss’s idea to explain how body appearances influence social groups. According to Mauss this process is called “prestigious imitation” (Northrop). In the article stated “He argued that understanding such processes could not be achieved by sociological endeavor alone and called for a tripartite approach which incorporated sociology, psychology, and physiology” (Northrop). The use of body techniques or the use of outer materials like clothes to have ideal appearance to associate with different social groups. Mauss used sociology, psychology, and physiology concepts to understand prestigious imitation to see how others are socialize with their social groups. As people observe their society through the media or with their own experiences to see what kind of people are benefited the most. The result of the media is that the people with good appearances have more fun, are more sociable, are smarter, and have a better life. Their observations lead them to want to have good appearance which can result in the use of plastic surgery. When one person

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

You will never be the ideal image of beauty. What defines beauty is forever changing. The 20th century’s boom in electronics and entertainment helped form an egotistical era. Social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, instagram, and youtube produced new fads and trends that manipulate society into following. These platforms have targeted people’s insecurities to make them believe that they need to be fixed so they can feel accepted by society. Self improvement is never a bad thing but, nowadays self improvement means cosmetic surgery. However, is cosmetic surgery becoming too normalized?

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,

Ostensibly the body is the most holistic reflection of oneself, it is raw, conspicuous and present. Thus, anthropologists who arguably have the most holistic approach to social science, inevitably have incorporated the body into their study. However, the subject of the body has become ambivalent to anthropologists; irresolution arises from the body’s ubiquitousness but dynamic nature. When a subject has infinite complexities while being one of the best exhibits for how societies differ, change and function, anthropologists can either have a field-day or get a headache. Further, the introduction of enhancement technologies have revolutionised how the body functions within society; Ethnographies such as, 'The Poor Have the Right To Be Beautiful ': Cosmetic Surgery in Neoliberal Brazil’ Alexander Edmonds and ‘Medicalization of Racial Features: Asian American Women and Cosmetic Surgery’ Eugenia Kaw explore the interplay of technology and modernity with how one not only presents, but perceives their body. Both ethnographers explore the meaning of body modifications in the 21st century, questioning whether the body is not only a visual reflexive to politics and social order but embodies sociality and subjectivity.

Anthony Elliott thinks that the speed promoted by the global electronic economy drives and enables "re-inventing" one 's own self. "The new economy, in which disposability is elevated over durability and plasticity over permanence, creates fundamental anxieties and insecurities that more and more people are seeking to resolve at the level of the body," he argues. (Donley-Hayes, 2011). Consumerism or self-commodification offers a better take on what is occurring the financing of enhanced body parts is now creeping into monthly credit card statements but again this is not for me the core of what is driving the cosmetic reinvention craze. Professor Elliott says that, at an international level, bodies today are pumped, pummeled,

Anthony Elliott thinks that the speed promoted by the global electronic economy drives and enables "re-inventing" one 's own self. "The new economy, in which disposability is elevated over durability and plasticity over permanence, creates fundamental anxieties and insecurities that more and more people are seeking to resolve at the level of the body," he argues. (Donley-Hayes, 2011). Consumerism or self-commodification offers a better take on what is occurring the financing of enhanced body parts is now creeping into monthly credit card statements but again this is not for me the core of what is driving the cosmetic reinvention craze. Professor Elliott says that, at an international level, bodies today are pumped, pummeled,

Cosmetic surgery is a globally well-known term, which is undertaken to alter and enhance human self-imageand esteem.Cosmetic surgery is different from all other forms of surgeries and is a treatment for “want” rather than for “need”. Along with gaining popularity due to social obsession, it also creates health risks due to invasive surgery. This essay will argue for government control of cosmetic surgery in the areas of advertisement, medical malpractices and human welfare.

Have you ever considered having plastic surgery? After reading this paper you might want the surgery or you might not. Plastic surgery, a form of art, can reconstruct your body and renew your confidence but can you accept the risks involved?