Cosmetic Surgery : The Role Of Culture And Social Contact

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

Feminism is secondary as the means to challenge the abnormal body which generates suffering. Cosmetic surgery was found to be important as a solution to problems of self-identity. Popular representation of surgical culture authorizes and expresses its normalization and is reflected by post-feminist ideologies.

Modern popular media has a significant impact on defining cultural norms in our society. The rise of smart phones and other personal devices means that we are inundated with images on an ongoing basis. So many of these images represent women in an ideal form that is unattainable form most individuals. Cosmetic surgery, along with image enhancing techniques, are used to erase imperfections, sculpt he body into a more desirable shape and erase signs of the aging process in so many of the images that we see on a daily basis. This inundation has led to our society and me personally have a more accepting view on cosmetic surgery.

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

Over the years there has been a significant amount of people who have gotten cosmetic surgeries due to unrealistic images the media portrays to us. Statistics say someone gets a cosmetic surgery every half an hour. Due to these unrealistic images, it has resulted in anxiety, low self-confidence, and low self-esteem in many men and women, but especially in women. Attractiveness directly affects people’s quality in life and what their ‘worth’ is.

Plastic Surgery has become a worldwide epidemic in today’s world. The number of plastic surgeries continues to increase since 2010. In today’s day and age, plastic surgery is one of the most popular and requested procedures. Females are opting to have plastic surgery because they dislike their body image. Society has impacted many people by brain washing them to believe that a person’s body has to be perfect. In order for one to be considered beautiful, television and media influence people’s perceptions of beauty.

“In 2006, almost 11 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States alone. The number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States has increased over 50 percent since the start of the century. Almost 12 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2007, with the five most common surgeries being breast augmentation, liposuction, nasal surgery, eyelid surgery, and abdominoplasty. The increased use of cosmetic procedures crosses racial and ethnic lines in the U.S., with increases seen among African-Americans and Hispanic Americans as well as Caucasian Americans. In Europe, the second largest market for cosmetic procedures, cosmetic surgery is a $2.2 billion business” (Plastic surgeon HQ, 2010, 1 p.p.).

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Cosmetic Surgery, over 65 million surgeries have undertaken in the nation alone, along with the rise in popularity of cosmetic surgery, as well as a noticeable decline in the negative perceptions of these surgeries.

To begin with, it can be noted that people's obsession with plastic surgery in recent times has largely been informed by the media's increased glorification of perfection and beauty. Indeed, according to Porterfield (2007), "actors and entertainers set an unrealistic ideal body image that leads to many people's dissatisfaction with their own perceived imperfections." Hence in their quest to look like their favorite stars as portrayed by the media, some people seek to alter or enhance their body features through plastic surgery.

It seems that beauty and acceptance is what leads to happy productive lives and many people are ruining themselves choosing cosmetic surgery. People today aren’t satisfied with their physical appearance whether it be wanting a bigger butt or smaller waist, we take the easy way out choosing plastic surgery. We live in a culture where people are valued because of their physical looks forcing low self-confidence on individuals in society. Many suffer from body dysmorphic disorder and the number keeps growing. If someone doesn’t like the way they look, there are many ways to change their appearance but with every way comes a risk. People who deal with post surgery body arrangements are almost always affected financially, psychologically, emotionally and sometimes even physically.

Just like someone walking into a hair salon and flippingh through the pages of a magazine to inform the barber how they would like their hair to be styled, many people walk into the offices of cosmetic surgeons to do the same; asking for an enhancement or removal of physical features. Patients come to cosmetic surgeons with all sorts of fantasies. Many of these are very realistic but a few are unrealistic. Psychologists Ericksen, William and Billick encourage surgeons to use screening questionnaires and explain that they are “key in identifying patients for whom surgery was appropriate.” (345.) Though cosmetic surgery helps boost self-esteem and may bring a feeling of meeting the socially accepted standards of beauty, many people who pursue cosmetic surgery have psychological disorders such as narcissism, BDD, bulimia, depression, and anxiety, that would be much better treated through psychiatric help rather than seeking to transform their body image. According to Nikolic, “A “perfect” candidate for the surgery has a healthy body image, and the desire to improve upon a specific feature (e.g. breasts), not the entire body and mind.” (944.)

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

“What’s the whole point of being pretty on the outside when you are so ugly on the inside?” This quote is saying about the valuation of a person is inside of her or him, not the beauty outside. According to the current psychological survey, lots of people do not like their appearances. In recently years, plastic surgery has grown in the Medical field in many countries around the world. It has become a booming in the United State, the plastic surgery patients are both men and women, especially women. Perhaps, people who after have the plastic surgery will be prettier than normal appearance. Beside the beauty of this kind surgery brings, people almost forget about its risks related to their life. Clearly, the plastic surgery is increasing in the United State, Japan, South Korean, China, and Thailand. While plastic surgery is giving people a chance to attain the look they so much desire, its drawbacks are numerous hence it is not a worthwhile solution.

The impact of cosmetic surgery in the society and daily lives is bigger than one may realise and with the on-going growth and innovation of this sector, women are continuously looking for ways to adjust their outer appearance through cosmetic surgeries, despite the economic stagnation, collective attitudes and stigma. Additionally, the cosmetic surgery market saw a global growth with Brazil and China leading the list as the second and third country, respectively, with the most cosmetic procedures (ISAPS, 2012). This essay will analyse and explain the reason behind this increasing trend through looking at the role that motivation, culture and reference groups play in different demographics in terms of pursuing cosmetic surgery.