Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

body modification

If you’re a New Yorker, you know that it seems that one in five has had some sort of cosmetic surgery; or at least, it looks like that. Ads for tummy tuck doctors are just as common in the subways as ads for dot.com companies. And the body ideal here is definitely below the North American average. If you want to trade in your natural appearance into some more conventionally perfect one, and you have money (as plenty of Manhattanites do), body Laser hair removal, nose jobs, hair implants, liposuction, silicone injections, eyelifts, facelifts and more are at your disposal. Just pick one.

Body modification: so many go to lengths to do it. It’s one thing to get LASIK surgery because your prescription can’t accomodate contacts, or to get facial reconstruction after a bad burn, or to get a precancerous mole removed. Though I’ve preached endlessly against the dangers of trying to squeeze your body into some prefabricated, unattainable current ideal shape, I have to do some more: against cosmetic surgery and other pseudomedical vanity trips.

Now, I know that certain careers all but require cosmetic surgery these days as professional recertification. But even movie stars should think about the costs. Many people say that cosmetic surgery gives them confidence in their middle age, and I know it’s easy for me to completely denounce the practice, as I’m only twenty and wrinkle-free. But, in my opinion, cosmetic surgery and enhancement is not only dangerous and costly: it’s hypocritical — and it shows a definite lack of confidence with the self beneath your skin.

Here are some great anti-body modification sites and articles: Cosmetic Surgery: The Hidden Dangers. An award-winning article from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

body (i)con. See Body Modification for pertinent facts.

Foodplay Productions. An educational resource dedicated to teaching kids about food, its benefits, and their nutritional needs. Growing up with this information, you won’t need liposuction, let alone want it.

And for the gallery of offenders, it’s alarming to notice how an Internet search of “body image” will yield countless links to cosmetic surgeons, like one who “specializes in enhancing facial and body image, including breast augmentation, liposculpture, and laser surgery.” Just check out the title — and the bad music: A Perfect Image: helping personal image through electrolysis and permanent makeup. What?!

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