Saira Shah - Plastic Surgery

 


The American Obsession with Beauty and the Rise of Plastic Surgery

Saira Shah

As a culture driven by unrealistic beauty ideals, consumerism, perfectionism, and social comparison continues to illustrate a rising trend in the desire to change one’s physical appearance, plastic surgery, defined as a branch of medicine that involves the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body, has become a normalized tool for self-transformation.

From the year 2022 to the following year 2023, the overall cosmetic surgery procedures increased by 5%. The top five procedures included liposuction (347,782 procedures - 7% increase), breast augmentation (304,181 - 2% increase), tummy tuck or abdominoplasty  (170,110 - 5% increase), breast lift (153,600 - 7% increase), and eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty (120,747 - 5% increase). The harmful link between American beauty standards and plastic surgeries lies in how unrealistic appearances and pressures of meeting the standard create environments in which many wish to alter their natural appearance. 

The pressure on Americans to strive to meet unattainable ideals, often promoted by social media, glorified by celebrities, and seen in reality TV, leads to individuals conforming to present-day qualities. With this, individuals use plastic surgeries as an escape to “fix” insecurities or as an attempt to better oneself both mentally and physically. As the plastic surgery industries continue to exemplify sucess among following years, plastic surgeons are likely to market procedures for empowerment or self-care.  

A few key points explaining the toxic connection include:

  • Creating insecurities as a norm

  • Making beauty feel like a requirement not a preference

  • Normalization of alteration

  • Mental Health Risks

In a culture in which beauty is exchanged like currency, plastic surgery has become a way of chasing impossible ideals. Until American ideals make room for diversity and authenticity, people will continue to cut themselves up to fulfill someone else's idea of perfection.


  

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