Plastic Surgery: Does It Really Change Your Identity?

871 Words2 Pages

Often, there is a disconnection between the self whom we present to the world and our “true” self. Some people try to blur the line between the person they are in the inside and the person they present to others. They try to rub out their imperfections and use plastic surgery to try to become that person they think they really are. However, plastic surgery does not change one`s “true” self. Many people today feel insecure about their bodies. They feel that people will judge them more if they have a crooked nose or eyes that are too close to each other. Some get liposuction if they feel too fat or breast implants because they think it will make them more attractive to the opposite sex. These people who do not feel happy about the way their bodies portray themselves to others often feel that way because, according to psychologist Alan Feingold, “Physically attractive people often receive preferential treatment and are perceived by others as more sociable, dominant, mentally healthy, and intelligent than less attractive people.” (Feingold, 304-341) The individuals who think they are ugly can transform themselves from “ugly ducklings” to “swans” by using plastic surgery. Does having plastic surgery actually make the patients feel better? Studies have shown that people report having increased fulfillment with the body part they had the work done on. The short-term effects were that people felt better about themselves. However, results are more mixed for whether plastic surgery boosts the patients` long-term self-esteem and their quality of life in the long run. A study done by David Sarwer, another psychologist, found that after receiving cosmetic surgery, “as many as 90% of patients report satisfaction with their surgical outcome.... ... middle of paper ... ...atures which cause comment or make them feel self-conscious." She also says, "They also want their physical appearance to be more in line with their personalities and feel that they want all the bits of their bodies to match." (Dittmann, 30) When the person that got the surgery, thinks his or her “new” body fits their actual personality, most of the time, it does not fit them completely. They have to keep getting surgeries to obtain their perfect “bodies”. One can try to present oneself to the world in a different way than he, or she actually is like. Having too much plastic surgery can lead to an identify crisis, wherein the person does not know who he or she is anymore. Inside, that person is still the same yet does not know what body they truly want. In essence, it is the bodies themselves that change, not the personalities or the “true” self of the individual.

Open Document