Plastic Surgery: Power, Coercion, & Colonialism
Cosmetic surgery has grown tremendously since it was World War II, when it was first used to help injured soldiers reconstruct their damaged bodies. Over the years, more and more people, mostly women, have been getting plastic surgery for fact that they don’t feel beautiful enough. Kathryn Pauly Morgan points to the rise of woman getting plastic surgery and how women 's bodies have become seen as a representation of how woman should look rather than embracing women for who they truly are. A lot of these ideals are being spread throughout the world through plastic advertisements that make woman rethink their bodies. This has had a massive effect on South Korean women, where they see ads for chin reduction, breast implants, and eye augmentation. This is a problem because due to the fact that plastic surgery exists within a power dynamic where women 's bodies are used as a colonialist tool and are the social construction of gendered ideals. The South Korean ad shows a before- and - after shot of a South Korean woman. In the before shot, the woman has a elongated chin, flat nose, small lips, and small eyes. Shes has a label above her: “Good Girl.” The after shot is one where the same girl has had her chin reduced by a very noticeable amount, her nose has been reconstructed to make it more prominent and sharp, her lips have clearly been enhanced with some sort of filler, and her eyes are now larger. The label above this girl is what one might expect: “Beautiful Girl.” This shows that the culture in South Korea is very based on what you you look like rather what you have done. The title of the “Good Girl” represents the fact that society would label this girl to be “homely” looking, she 's going to stay out of trouble, follow all the rules, and live a dull life. But the “Beautiful Girl” has all the options and opportunities in the world! She can go anywhere, be anything she wants to be, because with some cosmetic surgery, she doesn 't have to be someone who isn 't recognized; she can someone who matters. This ad raises a few problems, however. The first is that with plastic surgery, you 're saying that who you are before surgery isn 't good enough for society, so you obviously need to change. Most of that pressure comes from the United States, who have positioned themselves forcefully as those in a position of power. North American white women have been upheld by a patriarchal, colonialist society as the standard for beauty for all women. This has been going on and evolving for generations. White American actresses have had their faces posted in beauty magazines, ads embracing beauty products, and commercials of their “perfect” …show more content…
The women has made the decision that she isn 't good enough for society and seeks the help from those that have the skills to make them “beautiful.” The surgeon now holds not just her life in (most likely) his hands, but also holds the tools to make this woman more “attractive” by social norms, her future confidence within herself given by the surgeons work, and the opportunity for this person to find love. As Morgan stated “And now we are coming to know the knives and needles of the cosmetic surgeons—the knives that promise to sculpt our bodies, to restore our youth, to create beauty out of what was ugly and ordinary.” The surgeon 's role is important because not only is this person the one who has to complete these extensive and difficult procedures, they’re also the ones who have “the magic wand” to physically transform (or conform, however you see it) a person social life overnight. Then when women finally have the approval of their male counterparts after having plastic surgery done, this whole system of surgeries must be continued every few years in order to maintain the appearance and still compete with younger woman. It’s the vicious cycle of the constant search for worthiness and approval from society to say that you 're finally
Cosmetic surgery has grown tremendously since it was World War II, when it was first used to help injured soldiers reconstruct their damaged bodies. Over the years, more and more people, mostly women, have been getting plastic surgery for fact that they don’t feel beautiful enough. Kathryn Pauly Morgan points to the rise of woman getting plastic surgery and how women 's bodies have become seen as a representation of how woman should look rather than embracing women for who they truly are. A lot of these ideals are being spread throughout the world through plastic advertisements that make woman rethink their bodies. This has had a massive effect on South Korean women, where they see ads for chin reduction, breast implants, and eye augmentation. This is a problem because due to the fact that plastic surgery exists within a power dynamic where women 's bodies are used as a colonialist tool and are the social construction of gendered ideals. The South Korean ad shows a before- and - after shot of a South Korean woman. In the before shot, the woman has a elongated chin, flat nose, small lips, and small eyes. Shes has a label above her: “Good Girl.” The after shot is one where the same girl has had her chin reduced by a very noticeable amount, her nose has been reconstructed to make it more prominent and sharp, her lips have clearly been enhanced with some sort of filler, and her eyes are now larger. The label above this girl is what one might expect: “Beautiful Girl.” This shows that the culture in South Korea is very based on what you you look like rather what you have done. The title of the “Good Girl” represents the fact that society would label this girl to be “homely” looking, she 's going to stay out of trouble, follow all the rules, and live a dull life. But the “Beautiful Girl” has all the options and opportunities in the world! She can go anywhere, be anything she wants to be, because with some cosmetic surgery, she doesn 't have to be someone who isn 't recognized; she can someone who matters. This ad raises a few problems, however. The first is that with plastic surgery, you 're saying that who you are before surgery isn 't good enough for society, so you obviously need to change. Most of that pressure comes from the United States, who have positioned themselves forcefully as those in a position of power. North American white women have been upheld by a patriarchal, colonialist society as the standard for beauty for all women. This has been going on and evolving for generations. White American actresses have had their faces posted in beauty magazines, ads embracing beauty products, and commercials of their “perfect” …show more content…
The women has made the decision that she isn 't good enough for society and seeks the help from those that have the skills to make them “beautiful.” The surgeon now holds not just her life in (most likely) his hands, but also holds the tools to make this woman more “attractive” by social norms, her future confidence within herself given by the surgeons work, and the opportunity for this person to find love. As Morgan stated “And now we are coming to know the knives and needles of the cosmetic surgeons—the knives that promise to sculpt our bodies, to restore our youth, to create beauty out of what was ugly and ordinary.” The surgeon 's role is important because not only is this person the one who has to complete these extensive and difficult procedures, they’re also the ones who have “the magic wand” to physically transform (or conform, however you see it) a person social life overnight. Then when women finally have the approval of their male counterparts after having plastic surgery done, this whole system of surgeries must be continued every few years in order to maintain the appearance and still compete with younger woman. It’s the vicious cycle of the constant search for worthiness and approval from society to say that you 're finally