In an effort to get closer to the generally accepted standards of beauty, we sacrifice our own individuality – lips like Angelina Jolie, a nose like Megan Fox, and now there is nothing left of ourselves. Why do clients of plastic surgeons often copy the appearance of celebrities and what else do they ask doctors for?
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, one of the popular TV channels hosted the program “I want the face of a celebrity.” In it, young people (on average from 18 to 25 years old) with the help of plastic surgery became clones of their idols.
If we analyze the stories of the heroes of the project, we can identify two main reasons that made them turn to an aesthetic surgeon. First, they were often told that they looked like this or that celebrity, and they decided to achieve even more similarity. Second: admiration for the idol and the desire to get closer to him, to get a part of his fame and his life.
Most of the participants in the TV show one way or another expected that the resemblance to the star would make them more successful, help them become famous, or at least arrange their personal lives.
Portrait resemblance to a star does not guarantee either popularity or happiness.
Indeed, many plastic surgeons have experienced such cases. “Moreover, sometimes clients demand resemblance not to a real character, but to a cartoon character, a copy of Barbie or Ken. But today such requests are becoming less and less common,” says plastic surgeon Lev Sotsky. Usually, the request “make me a face like a star” experts refuse. Indeed, in the absence of a strong similarity, such a change in appearance is too traumatic, requires many operations with long-term rehabilitation and does not guarantee a result.
In addition, when deciding to become someone’s copy, a person should be aware that a portrait resemblance to a star does not guarantee either popularity, or multimillion-dollar fees, or banal human happiness. Therefore, the best thing a physician can do for such a patient is to refer him to a psychologist.
masked man
Why are people so eager to “wear” someone else’s face that they are willing to pay a lot of money for it, endure pain and weeks of rehabilitation?
“Most often, a person does not accept his own image and appearance (and his inner “I”) because of his rejection from childhood by his parents or constant comparison with other people,” says psychologist Yevgenia Protasova, who advises patients of plastic surgeons. – You need to understand that in this case, even after a plastic surgery done in an effort to be like someone significant in the perception of this person, he still will not be happy. At least for a long time. Because such a patient does not have an internal acceptance of himself. If such things are not treated and work with a psychologist, a person will go around in circles in search of something that simply does not exist.
Most Brits who go for rhinoplasty want a ‘Kate Middleton’ nose
About 50% of patients (according to American plastic surgeons) when planning an operation are guided by one of the stars. “I can’t vouch for 50%, but sometimes stars can still act as a kind of ideal. This has happened in my practice as well. Usually, individual parts of the body or facial features of a public person serve as a standard, says Lev Sotsky. “Some want a nose like Kate Middleton, others want lips like Angelina Jolie, hips like Jennifer Lopez. And for a plastic surgeon, this can do both good and bad service in building relationships with the patient. On the one hand, with the help of photographs, the patient himself makes it clear what he likes and what result of the procedure he expects. On the other hand, it is very difficult to get an exact similarity, and often even impossible. And is it necessary? Still, the main thing is that the face and figure are attractive, and this requires harmony and naturalness.
Getting an exact resemblance to a star is often impossible at all
According to a survey conducted among British doctors and their patients, the majority of Brits who turn to plastic surgeons for rhinoplasty want a nose “like Kate Middleton”. A straight, even nose with an angle of 106 degrees is an almost ideal shape, but even it is not suitable for everyone. And many surgeons have to upset their patients by rejection.
Make me young
Another trend in plastic surgery is to regain youth, that is, your appearance at a young age. Now, when everyone can become famous with the help of social networks and the Internet, people have realized that it is better to go to success “with your own face”. And in general, why does the world need a second Brad Pitt?
“Together with this trend, the work of a plastic surgeon is becoming more complicated,” says Lev Sotsky. – After all, it is much easier for everyone to make the same lips or cheekbones than to look at the face as a whole, see the advantages and disadvantages and help a person become more attractive, hiding the flaws and emphasizing the advantages. When correcting age-related changes, only the person himself always acts as an ideal, how he looked 10-15-20 years ago. With age, people do not want to look different, they want to always remain young. They want to look younger. It is especially important for women in Russia that the face looks good. To do this, emphasizing the individuality of a person, is an art, but this trend is the future of plastic surgery.”
About the experts
Lev Sotsky – plastic aesthetic surgeon EA Clinic, member of the Russian Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.
Evgenia Protasova – Psychologist, certified IPS coach.