Plastic Surgery: Power, Coercion, & Colonialism
Cosmetic surgery has grown tremendously since it was World War II, when it was first used to help injured soldiers reconstruct their damaged bodies. Over the years, more and more people, mostly women, have been getting plastic surgery for fact that they don’t feel beautiful enough. Kathryn Pauly Morgan points to the rise of woman getting plastic surgery and how women 's bodies have become seen as a representation of how woman should look rather than embracing women for who they truly are. A lot of these ideals are being spread throughout the world through plastic advertisements that make woman rethink their bodies. This has had a massive effect on South Korean women, where they see ads for chin …show more content…
The women has made the decision that she isn 't good enough for society and seeks the help from those that have the skills to make them “beautiful.” The surgeon now holds not just her life in (most likely) his hands, but also holds the tools to make this woman more “attractive” by social norms, her future confidence within herself given by the surgeons work, and the opportunity for this person to find love. As Morgan stated “And now we are coming to know the knives and needles of the cosmetic surgeons—the knives that promise to sculpt our bodies, to restore our youth, to create beauty out of what was ugly and ordinary.” The surgeon 's role is important because not only is this person the one who has to complete these extensive and difficult procedures, they’re also the ones who have “the magic wand” to physically transform (or conform, however you see it) a person social life overnight. Then when women finally have the approval of their male counterparts after having plastic surgery done, this whole system of surgeries must be continued every few years in order to maintain the appearance and still compete with younger woman. It’s the vicious cycle of the constant search for worthiness and approval from society to say that you 're finally
Cosmetic surgery has grown tremendously since it was World War II, when it was first used to help injured soldiers reconstruct their damaged bodies. Over the years, more and more people, mostly women, have been getting plastic surgery for fact that they don’t feel beautiful enough. Kathryn Pauly Morgan points to the rise of woman getting plastic surgery and how women 's bodies have become seen as a representation of how woman should look rather than embracing women for who they truly are. A lot of these ideals are being spread throughout the world through plastic advertisements that make woman rethink their bodies. This has had a massive effect on South Korean women, where they see ads for chin …show more content…
The women has made the decision that she isn 't good enough for society and seeks the help from those that have the skills to make them “beautiful.” The surgeon now holds not just her life in (most likely) his hands, but also holds the tools to make this woman more “attractive” by social norms, her future confidence within herself given by the surgeons work, and the opportunity for this person to find love. As Morgan stated “And now we are coming to know the knives and needles of the cosmetic surgeons—the knives that promise to sculpt our bodies, to restore our youth, to create beauty out of what was ugly and ordinary.” The surgeon 's role is important because not only is this person the one who has to complete these extensive and difficult procedures, they’re also the ones who have “the magic wand” to physically transform (or conform, however you see it) a person social life overnight. Then when women finally have the approval of their male counterparts after having plastic surgery done, this whole system of surgeries must be continued every few years in order to maintain the appearance and still compete with younger woman. It’s the vicious cycle of the constant search for worthiness and approval from society to say that you 're finally