Beautiful, But at What Cost?

During lunch today I was watching a show on plastic surgery addicts. The first thing I noticed was that every person interviewed was a woman. I know there are men that become obsessed with plastic surgery, it is not solely women consumers. The second thing that caught my attention was the lengths these women would go to in order to achieve "perfection." The choices of one women in particular were particularly appalling. In order to finance her $55,000 of elective surgery she was selling the beautiful home that her husband adored. Her son also loved their home, he and his dad hiked through the creek and went fishing on a regular basis. Was sacrificing something so cherished by her family worth liposuction and a breast augmentation? I cannot imagine being self absorbed enough to engage in such actions. Originally I was mad that she was being ridiculous and then I started to look at the bigger picture. Why is it that women feel they have to be beautiful to be accepted? Women should be valued for more than their physical attractiveness, but society has projected the image you are less valuable if you are an unattractive woman.

When was it that Americans became obsessed with the easy way to achieve their goals? The first step should be hard work and dedication. If a person desires the perfect body, working out and eating healthy should be the first step, not elective surgery.

Because elective surgery has now become an option, the standards for beauty have become almost unattainable. Enough is enough. It should not surprise anybody that girls (and boys) struggle with self image. We are attempting to raise children in a society obsessed with physical perfection and teaching children that other attributes are less importance than physical appearance. I wish optional plastic surgery was not an option. Americans should learn to accept themselves as God created them. For all the flaws I may have, this is the body that God gave me and I am going to love it, flaws included.

I also became irritated with myself while watching this show. Immediately I thought "go figure, women obsessed over their looks." My reaction frustrated me and made me realize how easily I can stereotype my own class. It also made me realize that it is often other women that are the most critical of women in general. It is possible that if women worked together, and stopped being their own worst enemy, we could start to make a difference in the societal stereotypes. But, at the same time, I find the problems numerous and the optional solutions frustrating.