In my research on Plastic Surgery, I came across some rather unsettling images of woman who have become 'scalpel slaves'. -Michelle L.
12 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The woman at the bottom has been told by her doctor that she can't undergo any more surgeries or else she is risking her own life. I am wondering... how much responsibility does her doctor take in how she looks today? As her cosmetic surgeon, does her doctor really feel that every time he/she is about to operate on her, they are doing it with her best interests at heart, or is it because there is money to be made?
___
The women who participated in "The Swan" are actually not unattractive women, but were photographed in unappealing, unflattering clothes, are wearing no make up and have been purposely made to look 'ugly'.
From what I understand, cosmetic surgery business is huge in North America, and doing quite well. And like any successful business would, it's only looking to grow bigger. Subsequently, in order for the business to do well, it needs women such as the "scalpel slaves", and they have plenty of them.
For these women, cosmetic surgery is a form of drug. They are emotionally stable when they get their surgery, but they don't fully realize what they really look like and what it's really doing to them. What they want is the beauty that they once had, but they don't realize that they're pushing their beauty farther and farther away.
Why is it that this long blong haired, big breasted, small waist, blue eyes considered the epitomy of beauty??? Where did this ideal come from??? Has this idea of beauty evolved from something?? what was it??
those swan girls, i'm sure they would have looked just as good had they gone and spent an hour with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly (from what not to wear). the point is that sometimes we look like garbage and sometimes we clean up nice, with a little make up and some hot rollers all girls look like swans, it's about sytle not surgery. and also the dresses those girls are wearing don't do them any extra favors -- hello mid 90's prom dress
Here's a morbidly humourous motion design video (made by Pliex) that comletely adheres to today's obsession with false ideals of perfection and how it pertains to woman's youth culture.
For one to have to undergo the changes in appearance shows a lack of clarity of purpose as it pertains to their own security. Is it for physical, emotional comfort or reconstructive surgery? Goes back to the ideas mentioned in class, whereby the Need to have plastic surgery and Want are very different. Its a shame that someone like the woman pictured has had such experiences. Its important to realize that (in my opinion), if you truly need it, do it, otherwise it shows that beauty is only skin deep. Leroy 0
I think it's interesting how shows like Extreme Makeover make plastic surgery look like it's done miracles to make these women look beautiful. Like Michelle said, the women who participate aren't actually unattractive women. In the comparison shots, for those who have seen the show, in the beginning they're photographed without makeup, with unflattering lighting, and they are never smiling. Of course in the shots after their 'transformations' they photographed well dressed, smiling, and photographed in ideal conditions. It's a bit of an advertisement for getting surgery done to improve yourself.
There was a time when a woman removing the hair on her body was unnatural and shocking in western culture, but now I'll bet that most people who shake their heads at more drastic body modification would cringe at a woman who skipped her shaving regimen. Yet I think we can all agree that this (shaving, makeup, etc.) is a somewhat reasonable expectation of women (and to some degree men) in today's society.
The line between reasonable and unreasonable expectations of "beauty" have shifted over time, and as cosmetic surgery becomes more and more popular, I think that line is going to continue to shift. I don't feel all that shocked by this stuff. People have been altering the bodies they were born with for millenia.
I found a comment on the aesthetic problems associated with plastic surgery to reverse aging. It pretty neatly sums up my seelings about a lot of the knife jobs I see around Calgary. (Bear in mind that the source of this quote appears on that list of most desired features that Michelle posted)
" The salt-and-pepper haired George Clooney plans on aging gracefully. He told Playboy "You don't want to try to look younger because you'll look wrong. You dye your hair, you look wrong. You wear a bad toupee, you look wrong. You wear makeup to hide things, you get your eyes done, you look wrong." "
12 comments:
The woman at the bottom has been told by her doctor that she can't undergo any more surgeries or else she is risking her own life. I am wondering... how much responsibility does her doctor take in how she looks today? As her cosmetic surgeon, does her doctor really feel that every time he/she is about to operate on her, they are doing it with her best interests at heart, or is it because there is money to be made?
___
The women who participated in "The Swan" are actually not unattractive women, but were photographed in unappealing, unflattering clothes, are wearing no make up and have been purposely made to look 'ugly'.
Wow. Now would you look at that last woman. What a hottie.
- Marc R.
From what I understand, cosmetic surgery business is huge in North America, and doing quite well. And like any successful business would, it's only looking to grow bigger. Subsequently, in order for the business to do well, it needs women such as the "scalpel slaves", and they have plenty of them.
For these women, cosmetic surgery is a form of drug. They are emotionally stable when they get their surgery, but they don't fully realize what they really look like and what it's really doing to them. What they want is the beauty that they once had, but they don't realize that they're pushing their beauty farther and farther away.
-Vivian Lee
Why is it that this long blong haired, big breasted, small waist, blue eyes considered the epitomy of beauty??? Where did this ideal come from??? Has this idea of beauty evolved from something?? what was it??
-marnie leah
those swan girls, i'm sure they would have looked just as good had they gone and spent an hour with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly (from what not to wear). the point is that sometimes we look like garbage and sometimes we clean up nice, with a little make up and some hot rollers all girls look like swans, it's about sytle not surgery. and also the dresses those girls are wearing don't do them any extra favors -- hello mid 90's prom dress
Marta Gorski
Here's a morbidly humourous motion design video (made by Pliex) that comletely adheres to today's obsession with false ideals of perfection and how it pertains to woman's youth culture.
SOOO hits the mark! Definitely watch it.
http://www.pleix.net/beautykit.html
Rachel R ~
For one to have to undergo the changes in appearance shows a lack of clarity of purpose as it pertains to their own security. Is it for physical, emotional comfort or reconstructive surgery? Goes back to the ideas mentioned in class, whereby the Need to have plastic surgery and Want are very different. Its a shame that someone like the woman pictured has had such experiences. Its important to realize that (in my opinion), if you truly need it, do it, otherwise it shows that beauty is only skin deep.
Leroy 0
I think it's interesting how shows like Extreme Makeover make plastic surgery look like it's done miracles to make these women look beautiful. Like Michelle said, the women who participate aren't actually unattractive women. In the comparison shots, for those who have seen the show, in the beginning they're photographed without makeup, with unflattering lighting, and they are never smiling. Of course in the shots after their 'transformations' they photographed well dressed, smiling, and photographed in ideal conditions. It's a bit of an advertisement for getting surgery done to improve yourself.
There was a time when a woman removing the hair on her body was unnatural and shocking in western culture, but now I'll bet that most people who shake their heads at more drastic body modification would cringe at a woman who skipped her shaving regimen. Yet I think we can all agree that this (shaving, makeup, etc.) is a somewhat reasonable expectation of women (and to some degree men) in today's society.
The line between reasonable and unreasonable expectations of "beauty" have shifted over time, and as cosmetic surgery becomes more and more popular, I think that line is going to continue to shift. I don't feel all that shocked by this stuff. People have been altering the bodies they were born with for millenia.
check out this amazing website of Orlan's artwork...
http://orlan.net/
Brittany L.
I found a comment on the aesthetic problems associated with plastic surgery to reverse aging. It pretty neatly sums up my seelings about a lot of the knife jobs I see around Calgary. (Bear in mind that the source of this quote appears on that list of most desired features that Michelle posted)
" The salt-and-pepper haired George Clooney plans on aging gracefully. He told Playboy "You don't want to try to look younger because you'll look wrong. You dye your hair, you look wrong. You wear a bad toupee, you look wrong. You wear makeup to hide things, you get your eyes done, you look wrong." "
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