Is Aesthetic Surgery Really Just About
Vanity?
“She’s had a nose job, who is she trying to fool?” … “Oh darling, you had botox? Wow, it looks so natural!” People can be very judgmental, can’t they?
We look at a celebrity who may have put on a couple of pounds since we last saw them, and we may well think ‘they’ve let themselves go’. Or if they have wrinkles on their face – especially if the celebrity is female – the headlines will be about how they’re ‘showing their age’.
All of this is pretty bad, to begin with. It’s their body, it’s their face and it’s their choice to do what they want with their appearance. It’s really not our place to judge them for it. Many of us don’t, but there is always a media storm there to judge someone. What’s worse, though, is the fact that if people do something about their appearance, they get judged for that too. “Oh! Miss X has had botox? Is she worried about losing parts to younger actresses?”. Yessss… Yes, she is, not least because you keep pointing out her wrinkles!
What this has resulted in is a world in which actors, singers, models and the rest are damned if they do and if they don’t. And it creates an image around people who have plastic surgery. ‘Can you believe how vain people are?’ the chorus goes. A world which judges on our looks also judges us for doing something about them.
It’s time there was some pushing back done about this throwaway tendency to shame people for how they look and what they do about it. Quite apart from anything else, cosmetic surgery is something of a misnomer. The name implies that people, having different plastic surgery types are merely undergoing some surface improvement. In fact, they are usually having a more substantial issue. A skilled surgeon will be looking to make a patient’s life easier all round. When someone has a cosmetic treatment, it is often because there are real practical benefits to it.
“She’s had a nose job, who is she trying to fool?”
We’ve all seen before/after headshots of famous people who have had surgery on their noses. Frequently, the before shot will be from before they were famous. As we are invited to poke fun at them, the underlying message is ‘here’s what they really look like’
A ‘nose job’ or rhinoplasty to give it its correct name can be an elective decision taken to make someone look better, yes. It can also be an invaluable surgical procedure to alleviate breathing difficulties. It can be a procedure that deals with sinus problems that cause pain and suffering, and embarrassment. Or it can be a decision taken by a person to change a body part they’re not comfortable with.
For any of these reasons, it is perfectly valid to have rhinoplasty. If people have a problem with it, it’s their problem, not yours. If you are someone who has breathing difficulties or just wants to look different, it may be worth a try. Ask around, find out what you need to know about your rhinoplasty procedure before you have it. It may well be a decision that changes your life immeasurably for the better.
“Look at her teeth now… and then!”
Another set of procedures that we are encouraged to judge people for is when they have elective dentistry. There is 
a long and growing list of procedures you can have, from a simple whitening to a more in-depth treatment. These can include having a dental implant surgery or fitting veneers. The list of reasons our teeth might not be up to the standard we would prefer is a long one. Long term neglect is the most common. After all, anything our parents spend the early part of our life insisting we do is something we feel less motivated to do when it’s our choice. Teeth can become damaged for countless other reasons, of course. Smoking is the most obvious, along with drinking red wine or black coffee. What we eat will also impact them, and that’s before you get to physical force injuries.
A car crash, a trip, and fall or an accident on the baseball diamond can already require a dental implant surgery. Or maybe you just grew up with a gap in your teeth. Either way, it can be embarrassing and painful. When someone has implants, or veneers, fitted, their reasons are not always vain. Having the right treatment can turn around a life where it is painful to eat, awkward to smile or uncomfortable to drink. And again, even if it is for reasons of vanity, they’re your teeth!
“Oh, you had botox..?”
Somewhere around the early middle of the last decade, botox was in the media all the time. First, in the context of surgery-free medical cosmetic enhancements.These days, it is possible to have botox for a wider range of reasons. It’s becoming very popular as a way of preventing hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). This is an issue that affects more people than we would think – because it’s not something anyone wants to admit to or talk about.
More recently it has emerged that for individuals who suffer from frequent migraines, botox can lessen the occurrence of headaches. Ask anyone who has ever had a migraine and they will tell you – this is no small benefit. Anything that reduces the pain is welcome. When Botox is injected for migraines, it can be injected in different areas. However, it can control headaches when applied in the usual spot on the forehead.
So if you want to get botox but aren’t wild about the idea of people talking about it, just show them the evidence regarding the botox-treatment of migraines. It should shut them up for a while. When it comes down to it, you can have all possible cosmetic surgery types for entirely your own reasons as long as it makes you happy, and you don’t need to share those with people. However, if you’re concerned about people rushing to shallow judgment, remember the above.
There are plenty of reasons why you might have some medical cosmetic enhancements or any kind of aesthetic plastic surgery. Nobody needs to know what yours are! So, what are your thoughts about plastic surgery and medical cosmetic enhancements now? Is aesthetic surgery really always just about vanity, and does it actually matter, after all?
Who are we to judge?
Klaudia
#pinteresting
No need to judge others for doing things to make themselves feel more confident and happier. There are extremes of course, but in moderation, why not?
I agree, Shari 🙂 Nobody’s business! Thanks a lot for coming over.