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The negative impact of beauty standards
Effects of media on perceptions of body image
Effect of plastic surgery
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The plastic surgery industry is a billion dollar industry that is taking over society and seeping into our lives through many different ways whether we realize it or not. The pressure from the plastic surgery industry affects people on many different levels such as psychological, economical, and social. Plastic surgery is wrong and unnecessary in society today; it does more damage than good. Damage that goes unnoticed and is often overlooked. Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors. (Merriam-Webster). The psychology behind why this industry is a booming one is because people feel pressured to get it. The media is throwing images of perfect people at us on a daily …show more content…
Daily we are exposed to different forms of media flaunting photo-shopped images of models. When people see these images it can lead to dissatisfaction with their own bodies and appearances. Resulting in many people having low self-esteem, which they think can be fixed by undergoing plastic surgery procedures. (Teens and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery). Studies have shown that there are some negative affects after undergoing plastic surgery. The affects are most likely to occur in individuals who had unrealistic expectations about the surgery, or had a background of depression and anxiety. A few studies have shown a connection between suicide and dissatisfaction with their surgery. Three studies on the connection between the two have found the rate of suicide to be two to three times higher. (Plastic surgery: Beauty or Beast). Psychologists say that the cultural pressures are so strong and so unrealistic with how men and women are supposed to look that they are working to figure this problem out and searching for a solution to make sure people are not harmed by this. People need to work to understand that plastic surgery is not …show more content…
Because society judges those who get plastic surgery. Even though we are pressured by society to look a certain way making alterations to our bodies is frowned upon. When someone gets a surgery done to enhance their appearance it is condemned and they seem shallow or vain to others because looks are so important to them. People who undergo drastic procedures are putting themselves at risk of becoming the subject of gossip amongst their peers or social circle. For example when a celebrity gets a plastic surgery procedure done the media is all over it, writing harsh articles criticizing them for it. When you go to the grocery store you see many tabloid magazines about celebrities having plastic surgery. Undergoing a plastic surgery procedure can also cause damage within the family. Children who see a parent or member of their family have a surgery done can develop a distorted view of their own bodies. Plastic surgery procedures can also affect people in the romantic aspect of their lives. Men can misinterpret a woman’s motives for have a surgical procedure done; they might think it’s to attract other men. Statistics have shown that more relationships fail after one partner undergoes a physical surgical change. (The Hidden Damages Of Cosmetic Surgery). Some people can become addicted to
In today society, beauty in a woman seems to be the measured of her size, or the structure of her nose and lips. Plastic surgery has become a popular procedure for people, mostly for women, to fit in social class, race, or beauty. Most women are insecure about their body or face, wondering if they are perfect enough for the society to call the beautiful; this is when cosmetic surgery comes in. To fix what “needed” to be fixed. To begin with, there is no point in cutting your face or your body to add or remove something most people call ugly. “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” explored the desire of human to become beyond perfection by the undergoing plastic surgery. The author, Camille Pagalia, took a look how now days how Americans are so obsessed
Some people would think that mass media glamorizes the concept of plastic surgery since many people especially celebrities are doing it. But mass media also send the message that going under the knife has major emotional psychological and health setbacks.
...ters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s body image by cosmetic surgery. These articles about appearance are damaging because it leads to seriously unhealthy lifestyles that women and teenagers think they need to look beautiful. In addition to that, Teen Magazine published in 2003 an article saying that children from age 6-12 have been on a diet and are now considering plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery sends the message that the prejudices some people have about appearance are valid, which is very wrong.
Plastic surgery is an interesting cultural phenomenon. It is a very controversial subject that many people are fascinated by. Sociologists today use the three theoretical perspectives, conflict, functionalist, and interactionist theory to understand the range of issues and phenomenon in societies. In this paper I will present a sociological analysis of plastic surgery with a brief history on the subject matter.
The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.
Because plastic surgery blends in public too much, it actually affects people’s lives too much nowadays.
My research paper will explain the benefits of plastic surgery. People often have a lot of doubt when it comes to plastic surgery, but it can actually have many positive attributes, both physically and psychologically such as improving one’s health, lifestyle, and confidence
Plastic surgery is not a new field of medicine. Traditionally, plastic surgery dealt with fixing abnormalities of the body, but recently people are enjoying the luxury of plastic surgery simply because they are not happy with their appearance. People make appointments with plastic surgeons for procedures such as rhinoplasty, liposuction, tummy tucks, face lifts, and most commonly breast augmentation. These people look forward to desired results from such procedures without considering the risks. Many risks accompany plastic surgery, but they are rarely discussed in the media. Death is even a possible conclusion of the surgery. Why would people subject themselves to such conditions as having their face swollen for weeks, barely being able to walk, and the excruciating pain that comes after they awaken from surgery? Even more important is the question, why are teenagers becoming more and more eager to get plastic surgery operations performed on themselves?
The top most entertainment in Magazines could be putting society at risks. Photoshopping or image software editing of models or celebrities for publication are creating debates of issues with an unrealistic body. Although models are edited for entertainment purposes, they should give warnings that explain photoshopping because it causes eating disorders, creates false body images to humans and influences models to meet measurements.
Some people’s obsession with plastic surgery is obviously getting out of control. It starts with only getting one thing fixed or corrected but then quickly escalates and before you know it, a face that once was all-flesh turns into plastic. According to a study conducted by Nigel Mercer (2009), “The number of official cosmetic surgeries has more than tripled to 34,000 since 2003”. The two reasons why plastic surgery should be banned are because of its high health risks, and because of the additional pressure it puts on people to look picture-perfect.
...ltural causes of it. The media can easily influence people’s perception of the world and create negative or positive ideas that contribute to the formation of thoughts and opinions of what is considered beautiful. Only five percent of the women in the United States have the “ideal body” advertised to the public through the media. When woman learn about these stereotypes of beauty and how they are viewed, they may then see themselves differently and further change their eating habits. They may feel differently about themselves, which will alter their self-confidence. After conducting several studies a shocking eighty-one percent of ten year olds feared of becoming fat! “Of American, elementary school girls who read magazines, 69% say that the pictures influence their concept of the ideal body shape. 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight.” (Martin, 2010.)
Largely due to media, cosmetic procedures are on the rise as a magical fix for physical discontent. From 2003 to 2004 cosmetic procedures (surgical and nonsurgical) have risen 22%; lip fillers alone have increased by 115% in 2004 (Schneider). While shows provide content about the surgery itself and the results, many are still unaware of the dangers of individuals with mental disorders seeking out cosmetic surgery. A study has shown that nearly half of those eligible to get cosmetic surgery have/show signs of a mental illness (Golshani, Mani, et al.). A prominent mental illness that drives people in the direction of cosmetic procedures is Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a mental disorder that causes one to obsess over
“According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, between 1992 and 1999, the number of cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States and Canada has risen 175%. Several types of surgery have seen an even more dramatic increase: liposuction has increased 389% and breast augmentation has increased 413%.” (Holliday and Elfving-Hwang 2). Blinded with this desire to have a more prominent nose (rhinoplasty) and “double-eyelid” eyes (blepharoplasties), both men and women willingly spend thousands of dollars to have surgeons operate on their otherwise healthy bodies. Even though the majority usually can afford to spend such a great amount of money, plastic surgery can easily become addictive. Most patients have high expectations of the outcome of their operations. Nevertheless, even the best surgeon in the world is unable to replicate Angelina Jolie’s lips. As a result, a lot of them report being disappointed with the end product. This dissatisfaction then “leads them to continue to seek other operations in order to heal their damaged bodies, and frequently their minds. This practice, unfortunately, may be encouraged by other cosmetic surgeons, who promise to ‘fix’ the mistakes the other surgeon caused” (Poupard). This vicious cycle never truly ends. Even people who are satisfied with how their
In the human society the physical is very important. More, it is based on the appearances. The cult of the beauty and the physical perfection is very attended. Women and men always try to change or cover their faces with make up or even wear oversized clothes to hide their bodies because they feel uncomfortable showing it, and due the development of medicines, it gave people the hope and the opportunity to change what they don not like about themselves. Plastic surgery has first shown up in the 20th century, and since then the use of these surgeries has been evolving and progressing. At the very beginning, plastic surgery was for people who had been disfigured, for instance during the First World War or for serious motivation cases. Nowadays,
red the real meaning of plastic surgery? Do you know when plastic surgery was first developed? Despite the consensus that plastic surgery involves surgery done using plastic or artificial materials, plastic surgery is actually derived from the Greek word “plastikos”, which means “to mold or shape” whereas “surgery” is obtained from “kheirourgos”, “kheir” being “hand” and “ourgos” being “work”. It dates back to as early as 600 BC, when a nose was reconstructioned by a Hindu surgeon using a piece of cheek because it was damaged in battles or caused by punishments as slaves. However, the idea of beauty has been distorted in which one believes to obtain would require the help of an approach that is not necessarily needed. In today’s society, a person is being pressured into looking a certain way in order to be called beautiful. With the media and the Internet highly influencing consumers every day by presenting picture perfect celebrities with smooth skin, perky chests and bottoms on television, it is likely that the media would hold an effect on the persuadable youth who are healthy with no defects but yearns for the unattainable. Surgical makeover shows such as Extreme Makeover and The Swan showing back-to-back episodes of a group of “ugly” women given a gift to look and feel beautiful has shown how many people in society lacks the self-esteem and confidence. For them, it is to undergo plastic surgery. It is no surprise that in the annual report entitled “Global Aesthetic/Cosmetic Surgery Procedures Performed in 2011”, United States ranked first among countries performing breast augmentations.