Plastic Surgery: Why So Taboo?

In 2010, plastic surgery was nearly an eleven billion dollar industry.  Despite its prevalence in cultures all around the world, it has yet to be deemed socially acceptable.  Both women and men who choose to have a procedure, whether it be breast implants, a nose job, a face lift, or liposuction, are commonly looked down upon for not accepting their own body and embracing the qualities that make them different from others.

However, there is minimal difference between getting braces and having a surgical procedure.  Depending on a patient’s specific conditions and his/her exact procedure, both are rather costly, both take time and involve some sort of recovery, and both can drastically alter an appearance and change a person’s self-confidence.  Whereas braces have assimilated into being a norm in our society, someone who has just had lip injections would be judged and possibly even ostracized.    

People who choose to have surgical procedures don’t need to have their motives questioned.  Whether it is to have more confidence, look younger, or restore a part of the body that was injured a traumatic experience, both sexes are entitled to do as they please with their bodies.  It is unfair to pressure them out of their decision with the dry, unsympathetic words “But you are beautiful!”  It will not change the way he/she feels about his/her body.

Although people commonly argue that people should refrain from having plastic surgery since beauty differs from culture to culture and there is no real definition of beauty, does it really matter?  The cliché “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” holds truth.  In Africa, women are praised for being what America would deem as overweight.  In France, women commonly get breast reductions as opposed to in America where most women get breast implants.  In China, women are praised for their pale skin in contrast to America where many people have spray tans.  It is the fact that all people of all different cultures praise different aesthetics that makes this world so beautiful and diverse.   

It is unfair to judge someone who has had plastic surgery on their operation.  When I asked someone what they thought about Lana Del Rey’s music, they responded with “Can you believe her lips?”  When I asked someone what they thought about Ashley Tisdale as an actress, they responded with “Did you see her nose?”  When I asked someone what they thought about Heidi Montag as a person, they responded with “Did you see what happened to her face?”  It seems as though the same people who preach that beauty is much more than what is on the surface are the same people who use only aesthetics to judge people’s worth.  Anyone who has plastic surgery should not be viewed as morally and physically “ugly” just because they’ve had an operation.

Although society has become more open-minded in recent decades, plastic surgery has remained a taboo topic.  Although we should embrace the diversity of our world, we should not shun those who are dissatisfied with their appearance.