The global rise of aesthetic/cosmetic plastic surgery is predominately due to the influence of social media, particularly video and photo social networking apps like “Instagram” and “Snapchat”. Apps likes these have the power to influence self–perception, whether by exposing differing ideas of beauty or by more insidious ways that deal blows to self–esteem, eventually leading to disorders such as “Body Dysmorphia” (www.nanda.org). Because of the influence and omnipresence of social media, the increase of plastic surgery to look like one’s ideal self is on the rise.
Before the era of technology and social media, people would look at a magazine or picture of their favorite celebrities and use that as a reference for the procedures they want done. Now many high-profile plastic surgeons utilize social media marketing to share photos and videos of surgical procedures and final results, thereby building up massive view followings. This has translated to considerable growth in the popularity of plastic surgery worldwide. As with the constant presence of seemingly perfect celebrities in our everyday life, women are bombarded with images daily what society considers the standard of beauty. Data gathered from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons states, “Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures have increased nearly 200% since 2000.” (www.plasticsurgery.org) These procedures include soft tissue fillers, laser hair removal, abdominoplasty (tummy tucks), and Botulinum toxin type A, or more commonly known as Botox.
Many times patients may seek surgery for the sole purpose of hoping to look better in their selfies. In today’s world, the more conventionally attractive you are, the easier it is to navigate society. An entire generation has made careers of showing off their lifestyle and beauty routines on Youtube. Being in the public eye with all perfections and imperfections exposed to the world to comment has resulted in many of these influencers undergoing surgery, whether as in payment for a sponsorship or to fix body insecurities that have plagued them. Many non–invasive surgeries that won’t break the bank have become popular in today’s age, pushed by these influencers.
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In South Korea, popular beautification apps such as “Meitu” or “Beauty Plus” give the option to edit photos to one’s desired perfect physical selves. The most popular edits include whiter skin, bigger eyes, fuller lips, and slimmer faces. With South Korea being the world’s plastic surgical capital, many parents have “gifted” the option of some form of plastic surgery as graduation presents. One theory to why Koreans undergo such brutal surgeries is cultural essentialism. Asian culture is notorious for sticking to the ideals of conformity, anything that doesn’t fit in the realm of normal deals with having to gain acceptance.
As many of the health risks associated with surgery have lessened over time, the high risks of infection, According to Barry L. Friedberg, M.D., “General anesthetic (GA), the predominant choice of anesthesia for cosmetic surgery, includes many unnecessary, avoidable and potentially fatal risks to patients choosing to have surgery that has no medical reason or indication…including blood clots to the lungs, airway mishaps leading to lack of oxygen to the patient’s brain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and postoperative cognitive disorder (POCD). All of these risks can and should be avoided by having patients and doctors choose a different anesthetic technique.” (Beauty at Any Cost)
Another unavoidable disadvantage of having surgery is the recovery period. One experience belonging to my classmate Luz was riddled with complications. Luz had undergone an abdominoplasty in 2016 as a health precaution. Due to the birth of 5 kids, she realized that her stomach was never going to be the same anymore, causing her feelings of self–consciousness, but due to the fact that she was borderline diabetic because of all the weight she was gaining, she opted to have a surgery that would help her drop 60 pounds and force her to eat healthy. Normal recovery period for an adominoplasty is 5–7 days, the most being 2 weeks, although that wasn’t the case with Luz as her recovery took 1–2 months which. The procedure for her surgery required a cut from one side of her stomach to the complete opposite side. The stitches inside had ripped from one side, resulting in her needing another procedure called a scar revision.
Prophylactic antibiotics were taken yet she still developed an infection that required drainage tubing. The contusions she also developed from the liposuction were painful and also hindered her movement. Luz stated, “Although I’ve already had three Cesarean sections, it was nothing compared to getting my tummy tuck. I would never get another surgery like that and I don’t understand how others do a full mommy makeover. The recovery sucks!” In short, surgery may help relieve the pressure of fitting in and looking like one’s ideal self, but there is always the risks and complications of stressing one’s mental image and self–esteem and the physical complications of post–surgical pain and recovery.
The fear in our society is that if we do not conform, we will be labeled as different or an outsider. There has been an increasing popularity of cosmetic surgeries in the past few years. Over time, it has been more readily accepted along with becoming much more available to the common person. Women have grown up being surrounded by what major industries consider “ideal beauty standards”. With social media being prevalent in one’s everyday life, it is a major factor in decisions pertaining to deciding to have surgery and what type of surgeries people want.
