Rise of Plastic Surgery
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2004-2005 the number of girls 18 and younger who got breast implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326. Cosmetic implants have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. And for the first time, breast augmentation beat our rhinoplasty and liposuction as the most popular cosmetic procedure in 2006. It is not only implants; all kinds of cosmetic procedures are on the rise across the country. It appears that the new media coverage on plastic surgery gave the field a makeover.
Peter Fodor, president of the American Society for Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery, was quoted as saying that “I believe at least some of this upward trend may be attributable to increased media coverage of plastic surgery.” The enormous popularity of reality TV shows such as “Extreme Makeover,” “The Swan” and “Dr. 90210” as well as an explosion of media coverage on celebrities getting plastic surgery has fueled the desire of women, especially adolescent girls, to change their bodies surgically. Today, instead of a new car or vacation, breast implants and nose jobs are bestowed by parents as graduation presents.
The upsurge in cosmetic surgery among young women reveals a harmful trend that permeates through all popular culture: the glorification of thin, large-breasted, perfect-faced women…a-la Lara Croft. For God’s sake, she is a cartoon character, and women are expected to look like her! Even though this is an extremely rare body type that cannot be achieved naturally, the media and entertainment industries bombards us with images of perfect women non-stop. Teenage girls are the most susceptible, and often fail to comprehend the implications of surgery, especially the dangers that cosmetic procedures may pose. Luckily, the popularity of plastic surgery shows has waned recently. But it looks like the coverage of “perfect” celebrities is here to stay, and the consequences on the psyche of adolescent girls is undeniable.
I recently blogged about this month’s controversial issue of JANE magazine and how the editors decided to feature real women with real breasts as a way of getting their female readers to feel better about their own bodies… There’s also a bit on celebrities who are embracing what mother nature gave them. Here’s the link to it:
http://pandoraatl.wordpress.com/2007/05/09/dont-be-a-boob-about-tit/