The Beauty Myth, Essay Example

Thesis

Society encourages women to believe in “the beauty myth”—that their lives will be “perfect” if their bodies achieve social standards of physical perfection. This essay addresses the pressures American society places on women to transform their bodies so they can maintain their self-esteem and status in society and the impact those physical transformations can have on them, specifically the growing obsession for plastic surgery to transform physical bodies to a cultural ideal.

Introduction

In August 2008 a report was released by the YWCA that indicated that the American obsession with beauty in young women poses a serious health risk.  The group report claims that the pressures placed on young women cause distress, challenge confidence and may lead to mental anxiety issues.  This report said, in part, “The pressure to achieve unrealistic physical beauty is an undercurrent in the lives of virtually all women in the United States, and its steady drumbeat is wreaking havoc on women in ways that far exceed the bounds of their physical selves” (YWCA, 2008, p. 2). The problem relates to how social pressures determine the lengths young women will go in order to achieve impossible beauty objectives. This includes running into debt for expensive beauty treatment and products, undergoing plastic or cosmetic surgery, undergoing too strict a diet regime that leads to cases of anorexia.

Dr. Carla Rice stated in the article “Transforming Our Bodies” that we have predefined ideas about how we—especially women—should look. “Traditionally, the word body image conjures up images of fat and thin, size and shape, dieting, and eating disorders. But, how we feel, what we do, and who we are inside our own skin encompasses much more than that” (Rice, 2010). This problem is one deserving of serious consideration.

Analysis

It is important to recognize that it is not only young women who feel the pressure to conform to social standards of beauty, but women of all ages.  A lot of Americans are concerned about the visible signs of aging and the loss of youth and beauty. This is particularly prevalent among the more affluent socialites of American society. We no longer have to suffer the visible marks and effects of aging when the options of affordable cosmetic surgery are there to help us. The Mayo Clinic, in “Skin Deep: The Psychology Behind Plastic Surgery” points out that, “Plastic surgery has experienced a boom of over 700% in the past decade” (Mayo Clinic, 2007). As people age they tend to be concerned with the appearance of aging and seek remedies in order to sustain a youthful appearance The compulsion for many women is so strong that they ignore the potential risks of surgery (any surgery!) and proceed in a number of surgical enhancing routines that will help maintain their youthful appearance and beauty.

It might be argued that this obsession for plastic surgery arises from a strong sense of vanity. The Mayo Clinic, in “The Psychology Behind Plastic Surgery Decisions” points out that actually “Body image dissatisfaction is often associated with decreased self-esteem, self-confidence and psychological well-being” (Mayo Clinic, 2007). It is not only the more affluent elements of American society who feel obsessed with demonstrating their ability to both look young and remain attractive. It is a measure of the pervasiveness of this beauty-at-any-costs pressure that some even see this as a class distinction in terms of, “I have the money and wealth in order to do this and as such it sets me aside from less socially acceptable classes of people”—i.e. beauty has become a mark of class distinction.  In this regard you see a large mainstream of this type of behavioural activity in the state of California and those involved in the media industry like television and motion pictures.

Yet there are many psychological issues behind this obsession in addition to that of pure vanity.  There are the issues of loss of self-esteem, loss of confidence and a fear of facing the natural consequences of life. Acceptance in social groups is dependent on physical appearance for women. Such basics as finding a mate and getting a job are all strongly influenced by outward appearance, sometimes to the detriment of inner qualities of personality and job skills.  While we all grow old and eventually die, the fear of rejection is prevalent in a highly competitive, capitalistic society.   For those who have cosmetic surgery it can impact both personal self-esteem and quality of life.

American women, socialites or not, are brainwashed into an overwhelming desire to remain beautiful.  It makes a social statement about themselves, the society or affluent groups to which they belong, and underscores their affluent position in American society today.  Women who do not achieve acceptable standards of beauty are often marginalized. Many studies have shown that more attractive women tend to receive more job offers and more promotions—they may even get higher salaries than women who don’t meet current standards for beauty.  This is a powerful motivator, acknowledged or not, for women to physically modify their bodies to achieve socially accepted standards.

Yet in a recession few ordinary Americans can afford the bills of expensive plastic surgeons and some would argue that even the poor and less socially affluent have the right to remain beautiful.  This is seeing to happen in more neo-liberal societies like Brazil where ordinary people are being provided with the opportunity to indulge themselves in cosmetic

There is no doubt that a certain amount of vanity exists within the female gender and this can be translated to the amount of breast implant surgery and cosmetic surgery in this area. The craze started with people like actress Pamela Anderson from the Baywatch series and the need for breast enhancement.  The latest actress is Renee Zelwegger to have similar treatment. Plastic surgery really consists of two types:  cosmetic and reconstructive.  Cosmetic surgery has the goal of improving the look of certain parts of the body in order to improve self-esteem and outward appearance.  This appeals to both genders and may include such items as nose jobs, face lifts, tummy tucks, lip enhancement, breast reduction etc.  Reconstructive surgery is rather more drastic and looks at reconstructing abnormal structures or those damaged through accident, assault, or disease.  .

There are a number of common procedures in plastic surgery. For example, rhinoplasty is a surgery on the nose, either to improve its appearance, or to improve breathing and appearance.  An ostoplasty is surgery on the ears to correct problems that may be theresult of birth defect or result of an accident. This surgery can be designed  to improve hearing ability or as a cosmetic improvement.  A blepharoplasty is surgery on the eyes to reshape them and thus give a better appearance. The common term face lift refers to surgery on the face to deal with sagging skin and elimination of wrinkles. A tummy tuck is surgery on the tummy. It is often used after pregnancy or after major weight loss to get rid of excess fat and sagging skin. Liposuction removes excess fat from just under the skin, much like vacuuming the excess fat away.  Finally, breast surgery covers both breast implants (enlargement) and breast reduction procedures.

As with all surgical procedures there are certain risks associated with such procedures,  including possible side effects from anaesthesia or the surgery itself.  Although women are the majority of recipients of cosmetic surgical procedures, primarily because of the pressures that society imposes upon them to look good, nevertheless men are now turning increasingly towards this as they achieve more spotlight celebrity status and are concerned about their appearance in society and social functions

Cosmetic surgery in the U.S. is expensive but people are now considering alternative treatment centers overseas.  One of the rising stars in this respect is India where they offer high quality medical care at a fraction of the price in Europe or the USA.  In recent years this has seen a vast amount of people going to that country for medical procedures.

Nevertheless, the focus of the mainstream media today is aimed at the more affluent female customer and the need to retain—or obtain—a charming, youthful appearance to be accepted in modern society.  While some men have been impacted by this, women are the more frequent media targets.  This illustrates how easy it is for the media to become manipulative and change people’s perspectives.  It essentially channels them unattainable ideals and the concept of self-mutilation as a psychological means of expressing the need for self-improvement. Celebrities seem particularly vulnerable in this respect.

Why do affluent Americans resort to cosmetic surgery in an effort to retain beauty and youth?   There are a number of reasons for this. One important reason is the perception that surgery generates improved social status.  Since “beautiful” people are considered more desirable in a beauty-obsessed culture, physical beauty translates into higher social status in many people’s minds. This also leads into the sense of insecurity, particularly as people age, where there is a fear of being rejected by others, or a fear of being sidelined socially or professionally because of competition from other, younger (or younger-appearing!) people.  Another important reason for turning to cosmetic surgery is the effect of simple vanity, the need to impress others and look beautiful and youthful in front of others.  While simple vanity might drive a woman to an eye-lift or a tummy tuck, it can move into the stage of an obsession. Some noted celebrities have taken their plastic surgery to obsessive heights, and an actual psychological problem. Michael Jackson and Joan Rivers may fall into this category with a constant obsession for plastic surgery. Retaining sexual attractiveness may also be a strong motivator for surgery, since it is perceived that surgery can keep a person attractive to potential mates, thus being able to find or keep mates. Yet another factor may be sociological due to the constant, increasing need to be accepted by others in a society that values physical beauty over skills, personality, or other attributes. Finally, simple self-esteem and lack of self-confidence may be the underlying cause. Women in particular may feel they need to be “perfect” like the models and actresses they see in magazines and on the screen.

Relevancy

Most women today see beauty as a means of social acceptance and this becomes more intense in the more affluent groups of social society.  It is an expression of self-confidence, being in control and being socially acceptable in a peer group.  The ability to have cosmetic surgery is no longer in the domain of the super-rich and has now become more affordable to the general public. Pitman reports that the YWCA report, “Beauty at Any Cost” is also emotionally hazardous to women and girls. He claims, “this obsession is also impacting economic well-being, as well as interpersonal relationships of women and young girls” (Pitman, 2008). He also quotes Dr. Lorraine Cole, the YWCA CEO as saying, “We believe that the obsession with the idealized beauty and body image is a lifelong burden that takes a terrible toll on all young girls and women in this country” (Dr. Lorraine Cole, as quoted in Pitman, 2008).

The prices of cosmetic surgery tend to vary between different States and the quality of the surgeon you assign to carry out the procedure. Simple or relatively straight-forward procedures may cost anything between $2,000 to $5,000. Facial implants can vary in cost from $6,000 to 15,000 and a nose job between $3,000 to 8,000 all depending upon the procedure and the surgeon. So despite costs being more affordable to a wider range of people, nevertheless such luxuries are still pretty well in the domain of the more affluent members of Society.  It is also important to thoroughly research the medical practitioner who is going to conduct the surgical procedure.  Perhaps one of the worst reported cases is the cosmetic surgeon who carried out silicone injection treatment to Priscilla Presley and Lionel Richie’s wife.  The person from Argentina was not even a qualified medical practitioner and was subsequently sent to prison.

Edmonds reports that this has moved out from the U.S. to be a problem in other countries too. Specifically referring to the U.S. perception of beauty as exported to Brazil, he claims, “plastic surgery also incites the consumer desires of people on the margins of the market economy and mobilizes a racialized ‘beauty myth’ (a key trope in national identity) in marketing and clinical practice” (Edmonds, 2007, p. 363).

America’s obsession with beauty reduces women to physical objects—not merely “sex objects” but objects whose only (or main) attribute is their physical appearance. For any woman who does not meet the current, ever-changing standard of beauty, this demeans them and reduces their self-esteem and their ability to navigate society. For those women who do happen to have “beauty” as one of their assets, it forces them to obsess over preserving and enhancing that beauty in the face of attacks from age, accidents, and/or illness.

It is important from a feminist perspective to begin to look past the outer wrappings of ourselves and other people, and focus on more important issues. The questions we should be asking about other people aren’t ones of what they look like. Instead they’re questions like: What is their character like? Are they kind and generous? Are they smart? What are they like as individuals, rather than do they conform to an ever-changing cultural concept of “beauty.”

Personal Feelings

Keeping fit, and maintaining a reasonable personal body mass is important to a person’s health. More than this, however, it is also important in both self-esteem and maintaining confidence.  Nevertheless, it can be taken too far when it comes to the idea of diet and untested medications that may have devastating—even fatal!—side effects or generate other health issues.

The price of being beautiful is too high. No one can meet cultural standards that derive from air-brushed photos and artfully lighted situations. It’s important not to base one’s self-esteem from how well you match a social norm. Equally, it’s important not to judge others solely from their physical appearance.  No doubt some judgments about others are inevitable: a person who is filthy, dressed in dirty clothes, will be judged differently from a beautifully groomed model. Nonetheless, appearances really are only the surface of the person, and while automatic instant reactions may not be entirely suppressed, it is important to look past that and see the person behind the mask.

It is a question of balance. A healthy body is more important than a beautiful one. This is best achieved by taking regular exercise, eating sensibly and not depriving yourself of youthful pleasures just for the sake of outward image.  Development of personal character, intelligence is equally important.  Perhaps an old adage applies here: “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

References

Edmonds, Alexander. ‘The poor have the right to be beautiful’: Cosmetic surgery in neoliberal Brazil.” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (2007): 363-381.

Mayo Clinic. Skin Deep: The Psychology Behind Plastic Surgery. 27 September 2007. Web. Retrieved 19 August  2010 <http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/skin-deep-the-psychology-behind-plastic-surgery-221627.html>.

Mayo Clinic. The Psychology Behind Cosmetic Surgery Decisions. 11 July 2005. Web. Retrieved 20 August 2010 from: <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/27238.php>.

Pitman, Simon.”Cosmetics Design : US obsession with beauty poses health risks, report says.” 19 August 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2010 from:  <http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Products-Markets/US-obsession-with-beauty-poses-health-risks-report-says>.

Rice, Dr Carla. Transforming our bodies. 2010.Web. Retrieved 7 November 2010 <http://carlarice.ca/publications.html#Journal>.

YWCA. Beauty at any cost. August 2008. Web. Retrieved 5 November 2010 from: http://www.ywcatriangle.org/atf/cf/%7B711d5519-9e3c-4362-b753-ad138b5d352c%7D/BEAUTY-AT-ANY-COST.PDF