Critique Essay: Cosmetic Surgery and Individual Identity

In “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery,” by Camille Paglia, she argues that American surgeons are being too narrow minded with their work because they use the same models as a representation of what their clients can look like. She suggests that getting plastic surgery has become such a normal thing in America and that society pushes women to get work done in order to get that “perfect” look. Paglia also points out that plastic surgery has “leveled the playing field” with wives and their husbands mistresses (694). Also, she believes that plastic surgery is not only critical in keeping a job, but also in keeping a relationship. Although I agree with some of Paglia’s arguments, I view some of the issues differently such as, needing plastic surgery to keep a marriage, that plastic surgery is for non intellectuals, that Hollywood’s environment encourages women to change their looks, and that nothing good can come out of plastic surgery.

The article The Making of the Modern Face: Cosmetic Surgery by Elizabeth Haiken summaries briefly the American culture that is at the origin of cosmetic surgery. It reports how cosmetic surgery emerged from reconstructive surgery and how such a practice had effect on common culture. It also deals with the racism that emerged from the restrictive immigration laws which favoured Europeans and, the consequences of these laws on others minorities and the appeal of cosmetic surgery it created. Moreover, it looks over the surgeons who perform cosmetic surgeries and their thoughts about cosmetic

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

In the article “Plastic Surgery Junkies: Why Are Perfectly Pretty Women Getting Hooked” by Sally Davis, explained how perfect women are getting changes done to their bodies when it's not needed. She describes how people today are obsessed with their flaws and what people think about them just to fit in. She also said that the main reason people felt the need to change themselves was because of the use of technology and the idea of looking like a model and celebrity.

Cosmetic surgery is becoming the most popular category of surgery, for both men and women. According to Alexander Edmonds “Beauty is becoming a more visible part of medicine, and health risks may become less visible.” Since only one-third of surgeries

These modern day people feel the need to try and fit into the western culture, even Asian American, so desperate they are willing to go under a knife to fit into the mold. For example, in the New York Time, author Patricia Marx highlighted, “Many dispute the notion that Korean plastic surgery today emulates a Western aesthetic, pointing out, for example, that big eyes are universally considered appealing and that pale skin connotes affluence.” This is essential because western culture have a major impact on the Asian American community that brought the changes in cosmetic surgery to Korea influences the change among Asian to transform into “American” literally. Having blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, shaving down their jaw lines just to name a few Asian American is doing this cosmetic surgery to become what Asian American community considered being a true American. Because within today society, everyone wants to fit it, and for Asian American to accomplish the western culture would be reconstructing their features to becoming a Western American so they can blend into American society.

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.

The public is becoming more accustomed to the idea of plastic surgery; and number of patients seeking plastic surgery has increased in the past decade. Each year the American society is stimulated with thousands of prototype images. This reality affects countless people with low self-steam and fills the brain of men and women with lack of confidence about their body images. Plastic surgery seems to be a comfortable resolution to this issue, but actually it’s just the beginning of a more complex matter related to body images. The public is becoming more and more accustomed to the idea of plastic surgery.

Cosmetic surgery is becoming trendy not just in the United States, but internationally as well. We are surrounded by media that constantly reminds the society of the ways in which we should appear. The media imprints a message that happiness and success come from beauty. Media establishes this through only showing certain body figures on celebrity television shows and magazines. Because of this self-esteem begins to plummet, and people consider cosmetic surgery in hopes of boosting their self-esteem. As the articles below indicate, cosmetic procedures are viewed differently from an array of cultures due to social contact, and determining who is a good candidate for these specific procedures. Both articles are in fact, reputable sources, written by well educated authors that are experts on the effects of cosmetic surgeries.

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.

We live in a society where people worship beauty. As far as recorded history people have gone to extremes to seek beauty. From foot binding in China to wearing strangulating corsets in Victorian era. People from different race and culture have experimented in every way possible way to look beautiful prior to this popular age of plastic surgery. It’s very common to hear people complain about their appearance, whether it’s their crocked nose, thin lips or flat chest. Remarkably, plastic surgery has been the solution for people who complain. Most people tend to think of plastic surgery as only cosmetic surgery and not as reconstructive surgeries. Plastic surgeries seems to be an invention of modern technology; however its roots lie in the ancient history of India. An Indian surgeon contributed towards the establishment of plastic surgery, it was intended to correct physical deformities acquired during birth, accident, disease or war. These surgeries did not gain the popularity it has today until the First World War. It was during the late 60’s, when doctors started realizing the endless possibilities of plastic surgeries. With the help of this surgery a trained surgeon can replace an amputate body part, remove skin cancer, get rid of unattractive scars and visible birthmarks or rescaling a nose or enhance body parts. Today more and more people from different age groups opt for plastic surgeries to obtain dramatic physical changes. These surgeries were envisioned to restore

Throughout the twentieth century, the use of modern plastic surgery has evolved from a procedure used to provide treatment for disfiguring facial of the soldiers during WWI into a slave of modern beauty culture, more commonly known as “cosmetic surgery” (Gillies H, 1920). Although, the term “plastic surgery” and “cosmetic surgery” are used interchangeably, they are intrinsically different. On one hand, cosmetic surgery aims to enhance a patient’s appearance, which can be performed in all areas such as breasts, nose of body shape. Plastic surgery, on the other, aims to reconstruct facial and body defects such as burns, which are critical to their rehabilitation. (American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, 2016). Despite the optimistic view of such invention, some serious criticisms have been raised regarding the side effects of the patients undergoing a cosmetic surgery. Whilst both academics and publics have long debated on this matter, there is still a significant lack of literature which emphasizes specifically on young people despite the increasing figure of teenagers undergoing cosmetic surgery. For this reason, my research papers aim to focus specifically on the perspectives of international students’ in the UK on the procedure of cosmetic surgery.

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

America was once said to be a big melting pot of different ethnic groups and cultural rituals. In earlier history, most people did not get these operations done to enhance ones beauty, they did it because their lives almost depended on it. Even though plastic surgery started off as a procedure that was only done to fix an abnormality, this is one thing that has become apart of our culture. Cosmetic surgery has manifested into something that everyone