陳霈絃(961002009, Joyce Chen)
Professor Liang
English Composition 2A
Jan. 10, 2009
Cosmetic surgery, the emerging culture and its relationship with social surroundings.
The trend of having cosmetic surgery has prevailed over the world and become prosperous recently. It’s not difficult to find that our lives are gradually overwhelmed by the massive images and the commercial advertisement about the reports of cosmetic surgeries. However, how the cosmetic surgery tends to be a social phenomenon? Actually, under the influence of the intense media’s power and the change of the social values toward the aesthetic, the idea of the plastic surgery is much more acceptable and popular than before.
Generally, modern people are more conscious of the images they present in front of the public. In fact, the judgments and impressions from others mostly play the key factors which affect the way people survey themselves. Therefore, we care what other people look us and are easily affected by the majority’s opinions which dominate the orientation of the social values. That is to say, the public attitudes toward the aesthetic, however, become the standards we fit to ourselves.
In the modern times, people have more high standards about their outer beauty. Due to the importance of the beauty has been highlighted in this modern time; the pursuit of the good look gradually becomes the trend that people are crazy about. Thanks to the advancement of the technology, the cosmetic surgery becomes the popular way that offers people the chance to improve their outside appearance to be more attractive. Having a more appealing look indeed strengthens one people’s confidence and besides satisfies people’s self-appraisal. Therefore, this kind of change can explains why the cosmetic surgery becomes the emerging culture in the modern times.
Actually, under the influences of the intense media’s power and the change of social values toward the aesthetic, the plastic surgery is no longer an ordinary surgical operation. The motive for the plastic surgery has transferred from the simple reconstruction of the innate defects to the pursuit of the perfect and gorgeous looks. This kind of transformation of cosmetic surgery to some extent reflects not only the change of the social values toward aesthetic and people’s attitude toward this technology.
Over the years, the primary motive of doing cosmetic surgery is to improve people’s appearances to be more attractive. In fact, the standards of aesthetics which dominate our way of looking ourselves have the relationship with the power of self-image. In fact, the inner version of how one person looks himself accounts for some elements we survey the values of ourselves. This inner version can be called self-image. Self image is the mental picture of what we think and look ourselves from our point of views. It’s just like a mirror which reflects the way we present out and gives us the reference to conform with. In the daily lives we may be unconsciously influenced by the images which creepily stores in our minds which called self-schema. The schema is the construction of our images dominates the private sides of our minds.
In truth, the good self-image has relation with the development of one person’s mental attitudes which might indirectly lead to different out looks on his lives. One of the articles published in the journal of American Salesman called power of self-image psychology, putting much emphasis on how self-image affects the attitudes people have toward their lives. In fact, the power of self-image to some extent influences the thoughts of people in an indirect way. For instance, this article concerns that having a good self-image is one of the key elements of having a more positives life. Thus those who have greater self-images are more confident of presenting in front of the public and sometimes are more willing to take risks. It means that those who are more optimistic about lives have more opportunities of being successful than those who have poor self-images.
The text apparently supports the ideas of how great impact self-image make on human beings. In fact, people are more conscious of the importance of the self-image and know well the benefits and advantages they could receive from a better self-image. Therefore, people are trying hard to find ways to improve their appearances. Being attractive builds up a greater self-image and thus enhances the confidence people have toward their lives.
One of the series of the TV program in America has also discussed about the issue of the self-image. The topic of the clip Image and self image mainly focused on how to do with self-esteem and its relationship to our feeling about how we look-our general appearances. The author mentioned that self-esteem has to do with our appearances.
Undoubtedly the self- image really has influence on the way we survey ourselves and the attitude we have toward lives. However, the standards of how we survey ourselves sometimes not only have relationship with self-image but also under the influences of the social values mostly. The public ideas and judgments sometimes are the standards which we always identify with. As I mention before, people are getting more consciousness that the pursuit of the better appearance is much more valued than before. Thus, the images we present in front of the others are important and sometimes are the impressions we leave to the public. To leave a good impression on the others, a better appearance is definitely under the consideration. This phenomenon gradually dominates the social values. We can find that in the modern society, the physical perfection one person pursuits of is basically built up under the high standards of the appearance.
Besides the relationship, the intense media’s power and the cultural surroundings also play the important factors which affected the social values people have about self-image and the appearance. Over the years, our lives are overwhelmed by the great deal of the advertisement about the cosmetic surgery which highlights the magic effectiveness of the surgery. Moreover, by means of the prosperous media tools such as the magazine, newspaper, and the internet, people are much easily to receive the news and the massive images of the celebrities and famous idols. Actually, people maybe gradually influenced by these images and the ideas they publicize. The beauty and the fabulous features of those famous celebrities and idols are the patterns we would like to imitate. It seems that beauty has been highlighted and been viewed as the important factor in competing with others.
Indeed, the idea of cosmetic surgery is widespread in this modern time. In the article publicized in Greater Lansing Business Monthly Surgeons Enhance Patients’ Self-image points out the overall phenomenon of the cosmetic surgery. “If you do opt for a cosmetic procedure, you will join more than 10 million of your fellow Americans who had such procedures in 2005. This number represents an increase of 11 percent over the previous years and a startling 38 percent increase since 2000.” This study gives us the approximate number of the Americans who are taking the surgery. The uprising numbers show that more and more people are choosing plastic surgery as the way to improve their appearances. In the early time when cosmetic surgery is not so popular and acceptable, the only way to make oneself look more beautiful is by cosmetics. It is not difficult to find that most brands of cosmetic products claim the remarkable effectiveness after use, which appeals lots of beauty-pursuers to try.
However, as people have much higher standards about aesthetic, the make-up products are no longer sufficient for those who want to pursue the quicker way of becoming attractive once and for all. Instead, they are more apt to think of the cosmetics as the way to change their appearances which they have seldom thought of before. Therefore, this phenomenon indirectly contributes to the uprising rate of the patients taking cosmetic surgery every year. The popularity of the cosmetic surgery however represents a kind of new trend and new ideas of this modern time.
Although the pursuit of attractiveness and good identification may be the primary reason that promotes people to take cosmetic surgery, it doesn’t mean that those who take surgery are superficial. Actually, pursuing the beauty thing is a kind of human nature which is difficult to be eliminated. Having a good look is the dream of everybody’s. We all have desires to see the beautiful image of ourselves in the mirror. By doing the cosmetic surgery, we could attain what we can not attain before. The happiness and confidence which come from the satisfaction of having good-looking are exactly the human nature of making ourselves pleased.
The cosmetic surgery not only improves one person’s appearance but also enhances the confidence of one person. That’s why more and more people choose this way in order to make a big change. In this beauty- dominated society, we must indeed try hard to find the way to make ourselves look better and attractive. The host of one of the American TV series also agrees that beauty really does matter. In fact, we are living in an ideal world that we would just accept for the way that we are completely unnatural. Therefore, we don’t need to lie to ourselves that the first impression people have of us doesn’t matter at all.
Moreover, most people have consciousness that the first impression we leave in other people’s mind is really important. It is a realistic world which beauty and material enjoyment dominated all. The way we look and present decide what kind of person we are, and sometimes we would be labeled by the comments people give to us. Therefore, in order to be the focus of the attention and leave a good impression in the public, a better appearance is definitely significant and necessary.
However, the host is not telling us that a better appearance triumphs all. She is not persuading people to pursue the ultimate beauty or magnifying the importance of appearance. Instead, we should be at least conscious of some basis when presenting out in front of the public. First, the general cleanness and the smiles are the basic principles we should learn. The freshness and cleanness of a person would be the bonuses and may leave a good impression on people. Second, an appropriate dressing is also significant. It doesn’t mean that the glamorous clothes are the best choices. Instead, the clothes should complement your body shape and balance in harmony. Moreover, a good dressing can show you personal style and personality, but be care that- don’t over do it. And don’t fall into the fashion victims.
Undoubtedly, the pursuit of the beauty is a kind of natural instincts. In addition, having a gorgeous look as the famous stars is the dream of everybody. However, the appearance of a person is born with that we can not change. Nevertheless, the medical technology of cosmetic surgery becomes the way people could improve their looks they expect to have. That’s why the cosmetic surgery becomes the trend that people catch up with.
As a matter of fact, people indeed have the right to be attractive and pursue beautiful looks. However, the most important thing is that we should like our looks and accept the way we are born with. The cosmetic surgery indeed provides us the convenient method of making ourselves look better.
No matter one person takes the cosmetic surgery for the aesthetics reasons or for the construction of the innate defects; we should respect his choice and offer some appropriate advice to help him not to over pursue the beauty. Diane Gerber, the author of the book 100 Questions and Answers about Plastic Surgery says that “You should be able to clearly define your desire to improve aging or to enhance facial or body appearance. Others may support you in your decision, but the decision to have plastic surgery should be yours alone."
The cosmetic surgery really tends to be an emerging culture in these recent years. Apparently, from the above study of the relationship between the cosmetic surgery and the social surroundings, we can find that the self-reflection, the social values about the aesthetics and the popularization of the media all influence and change people’s attitudes toward the cosmetic surgery. The higher acceptance of this new medical surgery represents a kind of revolution of the traditional attitude toward cosmetic surgery. Definitely, this technologic surgery really provides modern people with a convenient and quick way of changing the appearance and even the attitude toward life.
References
Whittington, Jane.(2006,December 1). Surgeons Enhance Patients’ Self-Image. Publicized in Greater Lansing Business Monthly [Electronic version], from http://www.allbusiness.com/health-care-social-assistance/ambulatory-health-services/4059428-1.html
American Salesman.(2003,May 3).Power of self-image psychology[Electronic version], from http://www.allbusiness.com/sales/526958-1.html
Nicole Porter.(2006,September 8).Be Yourself.[Eletronic version], from http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4574935-1.html
Alkistis TV.(2007).Image and self image,from http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=UI5Uy1lWUPQ
Diane Gerber,& Marie Czenko Kuechel(2005). 100 Questions and Answers About Plastic Surgery.
“Self-Image” In Wikipedia Encyclopedia. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_image
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