Hi, I am currently a third year student at the University of Leeds and am working on my final project. I have decided to develop a campaign dealing with the pressures on modern women, and have decided to focus on cosmetic surgery. The media industry has had a huge impact on the way women see themselves and has promoted unrealistic images of the female form which women strive to become. I would find it very useful if you could give me your opinions on the topic. For example: Have you ever considered cosmetic surgery? How do programs such as 10 years younger/Extreme makeover make YOU feel? Is cosmetic surgery the key to confidence in today’s society? Rather then image/appearance what other elements boost your confidence? If an event were arranged in celebration of women and their natural bodies, which form do you think would be most successful? (e.g. cancer research has the race for life) All comments would be helpful, thank you for your time in advance.
When I watch those progs, I sometimes feel annoyed that they are described in such negative terms before they have the make-over, and then afterwards given so much praise. It's as if they have somehow become a 'better' person, more worthy of respect.
It is annoying, and yet our self-esteem does seem to be affected by how we look (for many of us).
I think men feel pressure to conform to certain standards as well, though not as much as women.
Would I consider it myself? Yes, I'm having a nose job soon - not to look younger, but to improve my appearance.
Thank you for your comments, all have been valuable. I would like to quote some of these comments, with your permission. So if you don't mind, could you inform me of your where you are from, and which age range you fall into. 18-25 25-35 45-55 55+ Hope thats ok.
I think that the media places too much emphasis on being 'perfect', and it presents cosmetic surgery as too much of a quick-fix: there's pressure on women to conform to an 'ideal' and cosmetic surgery is presented as the perfect solution to all their problems. You see loads of women on TV or in magazines saying things like 'I quite like the idea of bigger boobs' etc: its MAJOR surgery, but they seem to forget this. There's risk of infection, even death; in my opinion it should be a last resort and not taken lightly. I think too many people don't see it that way: it isn't 'I'll try a diet and exercise to slim down and tone up' it's 'I'll have liposuction and a tummy tuck'
If someone has real issues about themselves to the point where its really getting them down and affecting their confidence then I'm all for cosmetic surgery; no-one should have to suffer if there's a possible solution. But I do think people should try to build up their confidence in other ways first: focus on their good bits, have a make-over or something.
I'm considering mesotherapy (injections that dissolve fat) on my chin next year. It's not strictly surgery and is very straightforward with very little risk. I have excess fat on my chin which really does get me down: I hate photos. I'm slim already so I can't diet to get rid of it without ending up looking skeletal (and damaging my health)
In the future I would consider more serious surgery if I had issues that were really affecting me. For example, I think my boobs are one of my best features at the moment; I'd be devastated if they sagged a lot after I've had children. But if I considered major surgery like this it'd have to be because I REALLY felt I needed it
At the moment I'm pretty happy with what I've got and I refuse to be swayed by media ideals. No-one's perfect; we should try to be happy with our natural bodies instead of wanting to change them all the time. Especially when the process of changing them can be potentially so dangerous
I have nothing againt platic surgery ,it can be life changing for someone ,the only thing that I dont like is when someone gets obssesive and wants everything about themselves changed, for instance a new nose or a facelift can give someone confidence and I for one would say -go for it.
