Media and the Rise of Plastic Surgery

 

     According to the graph above the popularity of cosmetic surgery among ordinary people has continued to increase during the past ten years. Thousands of people around the world undergo plastic surgery every year. The most popular operations include breast reduction and augmentation, liposuction, wrinkle removal, chin reduction, cheekbone implants and lip augmentation. In Asian countries, women have their eyes reshaped to resemble a more western look. There are even women who chose to have their feet “mangled” so their toes will fit in the fashionable shoes. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery website states, “The media has played a major role in the prominence of cosmetic surgery. Stories of celebrities having treatments and the multitude of advertisements have made the idea of having a cosmetic procedure more common place”. David Wilkes writes,“ The trend, inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker tottering across television screens as Manolo Blahnik-loving Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, has led to more and more ladies in Los Angeles having foot surgery – often purely for appearance’s sake.” Where will this end? When will women accept the body they have and work to make it healthy and fit rather than undergoing painful procedures and spending thousands of dollars to become someone else?


Facial plastic surgery today. (2008). 22(1), Retrieved from http://www.aafprs.org/patient/fps_today/vol22/04/pg1.html