Cosmetic Surgery

9 Pages 2342 Words

The Globalization of Cosmetic Surgery

At what lengths do people go through to fit into a certain look or “beauty” that society dictates? From very early on, people have been transforming themselves into what is thought as beautiful at the time or what is desired in certain societies and cities. Much like many other ideals of a city this idea of vanity is very much a part of the lifestyle and effects the way the people in that city sees themselves and others. This is very evident in the lifestyle of women, although men endured these vanities as well. Much like the corset worn by women of the west and foot binding of the east, in today’s global city one of the most popular ways to look great and fit in the city life is cosmetic surgery. From its popularity in Los Angeles, California to Beijing, China, cosmetic surgery has become a multi-billion dollar industry going global. Does beauty always have to come with a price?
What are people willing to pay to feel like they fit in? As we see in our history and in the present some people would go to any lengths. Some might see it as “rational” behavior for their desire to look a certain way, while others may disagree. On the one hand does it not seem “rational” to want to look the way society feels as beautiful and to want to be accepted? Fashion has dictated many throughout the years, it is the one thing in the city that is not held to be law but at the same time many look to it and follow it to fit in and viewed as “rational.” Author Christine Rosen even goes as far as calling plastic surgery “Vanitus Democratus.” She explains plastic surgery as a valuable commodity that is “unfairly distributed.” In a world where we are judged upon our looks, having the freedom to be able to change it is “liberating.” (Rosen, Christine)
During the early 1920s a young fashion designer and a well known plastic surgeon had created a buzz about the case of “the am...