ARE YOU happy with the way you look? Is your nose too big? Your breasts too small? Your stomach too round? Would you consider plastic surgery as a way to improve your appearance? Would you consider Botox to make you look younger? If so, you are certainly not alone.
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 11.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2006. If you are a woman, you are probably even more willing to go under the knife, as women accounted for 92 percent of all procedures last year. Since 1997, surgical procedures have increased 123 percent, while non-surgical procedures have increased an astonishing 749 percent.
It is not surprising, then, to learn about Sherrell J. Aston M.D., otherwise known as the "Facelift King." A graduate of the University Medical School and a resident of New York City, Aston has become the poster-boy for the wonders of plastic surgery. Fabulously wealthy and famous, he has no problem justifying our culture's obsession with plastic surgery. And although he cannot be blamed for the rise in cosmetic procedures in this country, we must be held accountable for the growing mania to fix anything and everything we perceive as "ugly" on our bodies.
Botox has been around for a few years now. Though at first it was viewed with suspicion and fear, it is now considered commonplace, so much so, in fact, it is even offered in malls. While at one time, it was just a strange drug that was rumored to "reduce the activity of the muscles that cause those frown lines between the brows," now it is a household name. The Botox Cosmetic Web site states Botox has been approved for everyone ages 18 to 65. But, who would consider getting Botox at age 18?
It is not necessarily that many 18-year-olds are getting Botox today but, rather, that 18-year-olds are already starting to consider getting Botox in the future. Ask your friends if they would get Botox in 20 years, and many will answer with a, "Sure! If I have wrinkles, I'll go for it!" Without even knowing what they will look like in 20 years, many individuals assume they will need not only want, but need Botox. At one time, many desired cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance. Now, it appears cosmetic surgery is done purely out of expectation as well.
The Facelift King himself is not a big fan of Botox; but he is a fan of the facelift. Pioneering a special method called the FAME method (Finger-Assisted Mylar Elevation), Aston is able to reposition not only the skin of the face, but the soft tissue beneath it as well, creating a very natural look. He does not see a problem with the desire for cosmetic surgery or even with operating on his own twin daughters in the future, currently age 3. As he told The Observer, "If one of them had a nose that was too prominent or too wide or whatever, I would certainly, er, want her to do that." He, like many Americans, sees cosmetic surgery as a part of everyday life.
If you don't like your nose, just get a nose job. If you think your breasts are too small, just make them bigger. And if you think you are fat, just get liposuction or gastric bypass surgery. Cosmetic surgery has become yet another symptom of our diseased culture, as we become more and more reliant on quick fixes and extreme measures to make things work.
I do not dislike cosmetic surgery because it produces artificial results. I dislike cosmetic surgery because of what occurs after the results. If you decide to get your nose done today, what will you decide to change tomorrow? No one can truly be content with his or her appearance if he or she believes it is entirely changeable. Though an individual may not like his or her nose, without cosmetic surgery as an option, he or she will learn to live with it. But if an individual does not like his or her nose and gets a nose job, what is to stop him or her from then getting liposuction, a tummy tuck or an eyebrow lift? If we start viewing our physical appearances as moldable objects, we will never be happy with the way we look.
Sometimes you hear women joke about getting boob jobs, telling others to feel their breasts because they "paid good money for them!" The idea of paying for body parts is unnerving enough, but the idea of not even have a possessive feeling for one's body parts is even worse.
When you get work done on your body, you lose sole possession of it as well. It becomes someone else's canvas, a lump of clay that will never be perfect. Until we recognize the beauty in our imperfections, this disease of insecurity will only keep infecting others.
Lindsay Huggins's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at lhuggins@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
BURSTEIN: Federal workforce cuts target Virginia — and Youngkin’s response falls short
By Carly Burstein | 6 days agoForcing employees to choose between uprooting their families or losing their livelihoods is not just callous — it is economically reckless.
HUYNH: Virginia’s proposed ‘whippets’ law is laughable
By Viet Huynh | May 1, 2025As people continue to be harmed by nitrous oxide abuse, Virginians will see this new law as the ineffective, ultimately harmful policy that it is.
EDITORIAL: We can demand more of our university presidents
By Editorial Board | May 1, 2025We hope for greater transparency because for the principles of solidarity in this statement to be enacted and effective, stakeholders must be treated as partners in resistance.
