Remodel
I hesitate to bring you this today as I cringe at the thought of spreading this demented way of thinking. But I must. This cannot be ignored.
This article from the New York Times landed in my inbox yesterday afternoon, and I read it in disbelief. Model-perfect women who serve as a visual goal of perfection are now getting micro-plastic surgery in obscure places in order to make themselves super-perfect. Taking out an ounce or two of fat around the ankles and knees is a way to “enhance the body parts of the already fit.” They are so skinny to begin with that the doctors have them wear their tight jeans or bras before they come in for the liposuction so they can see and mark the tiny lumps of fat. Even the genitalia have become zones of perfectibility, as one woman complained about a little bit of fat that showed in her tiny Brazilian bikini. The doctor actually refused to perform that one, as the surgery could have made sex painful for her.
Even though I realize that women choosing to have plastic surgery are, in fact, choosing it, I was absolutely speechless. All that came to mind were the women around the world who still have their genitalia mutilated, chopped and sewn shut, all for presentation to a man. I would never compare the suffering of those women with anyone who has access to the “luxury” of plastic surgery. I will, however, point out the sickening similarity of mutilating the female body in order to meet a society’s ideal for perfection.
Labels: beauty rituals
posted by Christi Nielsen at 10:35 AM
12 Comments:
We all mutilate ourselves to some degree to conform to society. That's why anarchy rules.
I totally agree with your post and I have just recently found your blog and I am very much enjoying it.
Christi, you never fail to astonish me with your insight, or with the way you present your insight. You are a voice of reason in the insane tidal wave of hype that threatens to completely destroy us. Keep speaking, keep posting. We're listening.
Thank you for bringing this article to my (our) attention! I actually saw this headline when I checked New York Times (I like looking at the most emailed list) but it didn't grab my attention enough to read it. Skinny knees?? What?
Coming from a person who is strongly against liposuction and other types of plastic surgery, this disgusts me greatly. This paragraph from the article pretty much sums my feelings:
But some sociologists and medical ethicists say that using liposuction — which can cause complications ranging from infection to death — for such tweaks raises profound questions about the increasing risks cosmetic doctors and patients are willing to take in the name of perfection. They say these microprocedures may signal a shift in beauty standards in which people come to regard the body the way they do their cars or kitchens: as an object able to withstand never-ending renewal and modification.
The fact that plastic surgery tends to commodify the body is the most disturbing part to me and why I am so against it. Still, sadly, I am not surprised. One girl I talked to at work says she's against it BUT she wouldn't mind getting her butt lipo because it won't seem to go away w/ exercise. Another girl says she wants a nose job, etc. When I think her face looks fine, and quite nice! It's just unbelievable how many people would want to perfect their bodies in the most magnified sense of insecurity...
And as for "bra fat", uh, stop wearing the wrong size bra??
As a side note, unrelated, I know I've been following your blog for quite awhile now (since the beginning??) but I just want you to know I always enjoy it and love your work! I wasn't quite sure what to expect from your blog at first but it has come to evolve as a dialogue for not just "becoming skinny", but just acceptance for your body, and critiquing the culture we live in to help foster this mindset of being skinny. I love it, it's exactly what I like reading about, and the types of issues I like to analyze... Keep it up!
I can only shake my head. Really, I'm speechless.
I totally agree, and am so glad to see someone else who is not only concerned about this, but also speaking out. I'm especially disturbed about the way young girls think about how they should look and why. Have you seen some of the kids' shows?? Unbelievable!
this doesn't surprise me at all. i just wonder how long we, as a society, are going to put up with this kind of garbage before we say enough is enough!
thanks for bringing this to attention. we need to be reminded of the absurdity of trying to obtain "perfection." keep up the good work! :)
"BUFFALO HUMP"? The saddest thing is that this kind of "microliposuction" is for people who are SO focused on the external that they stare in the mirror looking for flaws to fix.
I don't remember where I read this, but it said that whatever you focus your attention on expands: ergo if you focus on your flaws, that's all you see -- when you focus on the good things you get good and grateful (and a little humble) and your perspective goes out farther than say, your ankle fat.
Having done BOTH I totally prefer to focus on the good stuff. Why torment myself over my slightly larger left eye, my bizarre scars, my goofy birthmark on the small of my back and my flappy upper arms?? I'm 38 and have really LIVED this life, my body shows the wear and tear.
Does this mean I am going to wear muumuus and stuff oreos in my face? No, I want to work toward a healthy weight. There's nothing wrong with accepting parts of me while working toward a better me.
I worry about the world my sweet baby nieces are going to inherit.
I am also speechless, but not surprised. It seems the path to perfection uncovers infinite imperfections. Great work, as always.
I think my eyelids are too fat, I wonder if I could get them to lippo the fat out of my eyelids...
It makes you realise that plastic surgery has nothing to do with looks. It is about achieving a perfection that does not even exist.
It's really easy to judge people and their reasons for having plastic surgery. This is a bit of a reminder that losing weight and/or being Very Thin in the eyes of others doesn't necessarily rescue a person from what she sees in the mirror.
I recently had a medial thighplasty to remove what I thought would be a large amount of extra skin from my inner thighs. The surgery was painful, the recovery difficult. I found out later that the total amount of skin removed was about 2 cubic centimeters from each inner thigh. I see no difference whatsoever.
In my own eyes, I still see Awfulness. Hugeness. If you were to look at me, you'd see probably a very thin woman now (after a 200 pound weight loss) and possibly think the same things about me as you do of these others "mutilating" themselves.
In reality, no matter how much you weigh, it comes down to how you see and feel about yourself. Few people ever see themselves the way others do.
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