Refresh your face, enlarge your breasts, correct the shape of your nose… Plastic surgery gives you the chance to reshape your body to your liking. What makes the bravest take advantage of it?
Like yourself more
Our self-esteem largely depends on how much we like ourselves. The admiring or simply interested glances of other people give us self-confidence. A recent study conducted by psychologists at Georgetown Medical Center showed that the effect of a successful operation transforms a person, makes him more attractive to others.
Volunteers were shown photographs of women’s faces before and after the work of cosmetic surgeons. The women in the photos taken after the procedures were rated not only as more beautiful in appearance, but also as more pleasant and friendly. Please note that we are only talking about photographs. Surgery can harm facial muscles and make the face less mobile. Then it will rather repel, giving the impression of a mask.
It is also important how realistic our requests are. German psychologists from the Ruhr and Basel Universities came to the conclusion that the changes made were positively assessed mainly by those people who wanted moderate changes. Psychologists compiled a questionnaire that included both open-ended questions and a list of intended goals, among which were such clearly unrealistic ones as “this will solve all my problems” and “this will make me a different person.”
“Only 12% of those surveyed made unrealistic demands on operations,” the authors of the study say. – And it was they who were expected to be among those who had psychological problems after the procedures. On average, respondents noted more moderate and specific goals, such as “get rid of the scar”, “correct a defect”, “look better”.
Comply with standards
The network actively discussed the story of changes in the appearance of Renee Zellweger. It seemed to many that plastic surgery destroyed the zest in her, which was given to her by rounded cheeks and slightly slanting eyes. The opinions of the commentators were divided: some pointed out that the actress is free to do whatever she wants with herself. Others believed that with her gesture she “betrayed” many fans who were inspired by the example of the successful, but outwardly “non-standard” Zellweger.
According to Deborah Spar, author of Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection, this reaction betrays our confusion about the signals society sends us: “On the one hand, we are constantly told: accept yourself as you are. yes, others will love you not for your appearance, but for your inner content,” Deborah comments. – On the other hand, we also receive the opposite signal: you can change in order to feel better.
Of course, this is not at all about poor Rene, who suddenly became the object of everyone’s attention. It’s about our dependence on the signals that society sends us.”
Prejudice from others makes patients want to change themselves in order to gain more freedom.
Another example is South Koreans in the United States, among whom, on average, one in five girls has had facial surgery. Most of these operations were related to correcting the shape of the eyes or face.
“The desire to change appearance, removing some of the features that give out ethnic origin, is associated with stereotypes,” explains Ralph Millard, an American surgeon working in Korea. “Many Asian girls get treated in a certain way just based on their looks. They are expected to conform to popular notions about Asians – about their humility, modesty or eternal friendliness. Such bias from others makes patients want to change themselves in order to gain more freedom.”
Realize your fantasies
“I’m a Barbie doll in a barbie world, the plastic life is great,” says an old Aqua song. Did its authors suppose that for someone these words could become a real life credo?
Some time ago, Valery Lukyanov, “a living Barbie,” as users dubbed it, gained popularity on the Internet. It all started with her photos posted on the Web. A thin waist, combined with an impressive bust and a doll face with huge blue eyes, gave her a resemblance both to the famous doll and to the characters of Japanese anime cartoons.
If you compare the early photographs of the girl with her current appearance, the difference is striking. Many users suggested that the girl had several plastic surgeries. According to her own admission, which she soon denied, made in an Internet diary, the girl removed two of her ribs to get the thinnest waist in the world.
A person identifies himself with the image created in virtual reality and neglects the needs of his own body
“It’s not just about wanting to look prettier,” says psychologist Seth Myers. – This is a purposeful desire to change oneself in accordance with the invented – and very exaggerated – image. Moreover, this image, like the image of Barbie, primarily reflects the fantasies of men brought to the point of absurdity about the ideal forms of the female body.
According to psychotherapist Kate Ablow, it is no longer about the desire to indulge the fantasies of men, but about the rejection of one’s human “I”. “Virtual reality offers us the opportunity to simulate our lives, to play, to experiment,” Ablow reflects. “However, there is a danger here: a person begins to identify himself with the image he created and experiences neglect of his own imperfect body, its limitations and needs.
This is reflected in his emotional sphere – he replaces emotional reactions with the reactions of his “avatar”, separates himself from his experiences and, as a result, loses the ability to empathize. The real crisis in the lives of such people occurs when they face their own physical vulnerability – disease, aging and the prospect of death. Because unlike them, the real Barbie never gets old or dies.”