By Anjali Nayak
It’s almost dystopian. Plastic surgery is something I would find flipping through 1984, or even the Hunger Games. The very concept of being able to rearrange and assemble facial features is an innovation of the future. The question then raises, how does such practice impact the social construct of beauty?
Beauty is a subjective, everchanging concept. In the past, beauty was anyone who fit a certain criteria (namely white, skinny (but not too skinny), and young). Now beauty standards have widened, including a larger spectrum of bodies, skin color and hair. The term beautiful should be able to apply to anyone, no matter their sexual orientation, gender, or race. Therefore, I have created a new definition of beauty. Someone who is comfortable in their own skin while being their truest self.
While plastic surgery may “advocate” for beauty as one is able to fix any of their imperfections and therefore feel better about themselves, it also creates a herd mentality. As beauty norms continue to discourage the ever fragile confidence of teenagers, leading adolescents to stand in the mirror and fixate imaginary imperfections seen only in their mind. The idea of changing one’s appearance to be skinnier, or have a perfect nose, only enforces the strict beauty standards set by society. Plastic surgery is not about feeling confident, but the industry instead stems from low self esteem and non- acceptance in ourselves.
Plastic surgery also keeps beauty norms strict and conservative. Imperfections are just a consequence of the human experience, nobody is perfect. The widespread use of plastic surgery would create almost inhuman and unnatural standards one must follow to be considered “beautiful.”