People considering plastic surgery often have to deal with negative reactions, whether direct disapproval or people whispering behind their backs. Much like people who wear excessive makeup, or who clearly spend hours fixing their hair, or even people who use suffocating amounts of perfume; people who undergo plastic surgery are often though of as somewhat vain or contrived. This simply is not the case all of the time. The following few paragraphs will demonstrate how plastic surgery can be used in subtle, helpful, or even reconstructive ways that do not indicate vanity.
Perhaps the most “controversial” form of plastic surgery, at least with regard to perceived vanity, is breast augmentation. However, as detailed on related websites like www.aboutplasticsurgery.com/, this type of surgery is not meant only for enlarging breasts; many women simply use it to maintain their familiar figure. For example, following a pregnancy, or even just from aging, many women find that their breasts change. It can certainly be contested that maintaining the body shape one is accustomed to is not complete vanity. Additionally, breast augmentation can even be used to reconstruct a breast or breasts following complications from a battle with breast cancer, a consideration unfortunately faced by many women today.
It is also quite common for people to look into erasing or lessening wrinkles via plastic surgery. This could be considered simply an effort to keep up appearances, rather than an attempt to change what one looks like or enhance one’s beauty. Through methods such as collagen injections and minor lifts, wrinkles can essentially be stretched and flattened so that the surface of the skin remains smooth. Now, of course, there are limits at which this surgery can appear to be a bit obvious or unnecessary… for example, an 80 year old person with perfectly flat and smooth skin does not look natural, and could be considered, perhaps, a bit vain or even somewhat in denial.
These have been just a few examples to help us to think through whether plastic surgery is always artifice. It’s always good to think these things through, rather than just react based on the expected perceptions of others. There are additional examples as well: slight liposuction for people who try and struggle to lose weight due to aging or pregnancy, or lifts and tummy tucks for people who have unflattering excess skin following a drastic or sudden weight loss, etc.
Under what circumstances would you consider plastic surgery?
I’ve given some thought to having a tummy tuck for the twinskin issue. (Cross stretchmarks with massive weight loss.) But I figure I wouldn’t really want to do it unless I had lots of discretionary cash and was absolutely sure I would never be pregnant again. And I figure by the time both of those happen, I’ll be too old to care any more. But I haven’t completely ruled it out. 😛
Like Queen of Carrots, I’ve considered the mommy makeover. A tummy tuck after I know I’m absolutely sure done having children along with a breast lift and reduction. Also like her, I figured I’ll never actually get it done because by the time I have that much cash and be done with kids, I’ll be too old to care.
This is very interesting. Do you think there is an age when you are too old to care? What would it be? I guess if you had a baby when you were forty you would be sixty-five or so when baby was through college. Sixty-five is looking younger and younger. Not trying to push plastic surgery or anything. 😉
I had a baby when I was 39. And I’m too old to care or more specifically I might have silent demands to know why anyone else cared so much about how I looked. When I was very young I thought it would be good to save money for an eventual facelift 😀 but I’m now more on the Anna Magnani side: I *earned* these wrinkles. (and the tuckless tummy, too!) I’ve always looked pretty young for my age but I’m not sure that figures in so much. A lot of times, strategizing to keep one’s imagined rightful place in the world seems like a hamster on a wheel. Like Through the Looking Glass where you’re running as fast as you can in order to stay in the same place. Though I don’t know how I’d feel about becoming eligible for a breast prosthesis, I really do admire the pirate aesthetic and maybe that would be my version of the pirate’s eyepatch. When I was younger, no, but now it sure strikes me as intriguing and quite the private conversation piece. Yes, I’d wear something to fill in the space – I wouldn’t want to make people so uncomfortable for me and in my presence. My son, btw, had a bad compartment syndrome injury in his forearm, with emergency surgery and months of home rehab. The scar curves from midpalm to almost crook of elbow. One of his alum fraternity brothers suggested he explain it as “shark attack.” First laugh we’d all had for months. And after that he wasn’t self-conscious about it anymore. Isn’t that what the surgery is supposed to fix? Not the physical body but the preoccupation with it?
Rebecca, “keeping up appearances” *is* “enhancing one’s beauty”, since the youthful model of beauty naturally erodes with time.
I would consider cosmetic surgery in two cases:
1. An illness which disfigures, such as some cancers
2. If my chin merges straight into my neck; I’m vain about having some kind of jawline.
The Duchess of Windsor died in her 80s as a result of complications of cosmetic surgery; she had insisted on one last face lift, against her doctors’ advice… so I think some women are never too old.
But really, why don’t we accept that an aged face has its own beatuy?
Just read Vildy’s comment… I had twins at 39. A number of the other twin mums got tummy tucks; I did not, relying on yoga and Pilates. Never had a very flat stomach again but also did not have the risk (abdominoplasty is big surgery, “tummy tuck” diminishes the reality) or the scar. And like Vildy I like the signs of life.
And, along with what you have both said, the hero and I have been noticing recently that we do not find that wrinkles take away from a woman’s appearance; quite the contrary: they add to it. I remarked at my recent high school reunion that the women mostly looked the same (as in high school) only “softer”.
I could add, and perhaps I have already mentioned, I was the only one with white hair. 😉
If your high school reunion is 25 years or less, people look pretty much the same, but you can see who’s keeping fit and who is not. Just saw a 45th reunion photo of a high school where I grew up- lots of friends of mine. Some were unrecognizable, others looked ‘just like themselves’. A good hair style and conscientious dental care make a big difference as the years roll up. (The best-looking of the lot had married a cosmetic surgeon :))
Neat discussion! I, like Vildy, have always turned away “Make Overs” and hair color (less so recently though) by explaining that I’m earning my wrinkles and my grey hair. I remember actually aspiring to them. Now that my face is saggy and my hair is starting to have a grey crest, I like it less that I thought I would. I’m thinking that I’ll start doing facial exercises as a more healthy way to improve my face. I still don’t mind the idea of wrinkles — I don’t like the saggy jaw and double chin. Maybe I only don’t mind the idea of wrinkles around my eyes. I don’t mind my tuckless tummy either (5 kids in
I did, and still do, consider plastic surgery.
I am pretty happy with the way I look, and my self esteem is pretty high.
I would like to get a small one done but have been wanting for a long time and still didn’t.