a nip here, a tuck there...

it appears beauty is no longer in the eye of the beholder, but in the hands (and abilities) of cosmetic surgeons these days...

i was listening to a program this morning about the latest cosmetic surgeries that people are 'voluntarily' undergoing… body decoration has been part of many cultures throughout the centuries, but in a society obsessed with looking young - and with the technology and surgical techniques available - decoration has been displaced by bodily mutilation at the hands of overly eager surgeons - every single part of our body needs to undergo some sort of augmentation, reduction, lift or tuck (mutilation by any other name!!!!)

dimpleplasty and toe shortening surgery are the latest trends - but there are so many other procedures:

• botox

• blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)

• breast augmentation

• breast lift

• breast reduction

• brow lift

• buttock augmentation

• buttock lift

• chemical peel

• dermabrasion

• face lift

• facial implant

• injectable fillers 

• sclerotherapy (injection with solution to collapse spider veins)

• forehead lift

• arm lift

• hair replacement

• intense pulsed light treatment

• laser hair removal

• laser vein treatment

• laser skin resurfacing

• labiaplasty

• labia majora augmentation

• mons pubis reduction

• re-virgination

• g-spot amplification

• vaginoplasty

• penile augmentation

• liposuction

• mentoplasty (chin surgery)

• chin reduction

• microdermabrasion (skin rejuvenation)

• neck lift

• otoplasty (ear surgery)

• rhinoplasty (nose surgery)

• rhytidectomy (face surgery)

• thighplasty (thigh lift)

• thread lift

• tummy tuck

according to the cosmetic surgery directory “… cosmetic surgery is performed to improve your appearance and self-esteem. Cosmetic surgery involves reshaping parts of the body that are otherwise functioning properly.”

so, they’re doing it to improve our appearance and self-esteem hey… making billions of dollars isn’t their prime incentive… creating the illusion of easily attainable perfection and then peddling it to a public already bombarded by a constant visual barrage of 'beautiful people' definitely affects people’s perception of themselves, creating negative body images and low self esteem - then comes the perceived need to alter (mutilate) themselves to look 'normal' – the abnormal becomes ‘the norm’ and our physical diversity erodes - while their bank balances grow…

with more procedures specifically targeting them, womyn have been the major victims of this industry for a long time - but more and more men are going 'under the knife' in their quest to fit into this youth obsessed world... and sadly more and more teenagers feel the pressure and are succumbing to the false notion that changing their looks will change their lives...

"A recently discovered syndrome (hyper-aesthetic syndrome to be exact) has left youths as young as 16 wanting to look as good as they possibly can in a bid to emulate the brushed up and seemingly perfect celebrities in the glossy magazines that they pour over on a day to day basis.

Up there on the list of highly sought after procedures is breast augmentation (breast enlargement surgery), liposuction, rhinoplasty (nose surgery) and even tattoo removal." read more here

invasive surgery has the potential to go terribly wrong - surgeons aren't infallible - actually some are downright incompetent and shouldn't be allowed to touch a scalpel - there are many personal tales of destroyed bodies and lives easily found online...

and then there are those such as jocelyne wildenstein and actor mickey rourke who became addicted to the procedures and lost themselves in the process... 

but the 'nip'n'tuck' brigade is not alone in creating an unattainable image… the media, the cosmetics and the fashion industries have been complicit in the perpetuation of the beauty myth for decades  – the misogynistic profiteers and 'myth-makers' have a vested interest in maintaining the view that real womyn are somehow lacking and totally without appeal... if you don't have surgery, you at least need to mask your face with makeup, dye your hair, wax and pluck your body, change your natural smell with deodorants, perfumes and vaginal sprays, wear shape-changing clothes and top it all off with crippling shoes… no money to be made in people being natural - natural's just not acceptable!

and let’s not forget the heinous experiments performed on animals in the laboratories of the cosmetics companies - the violence and death attributable to the fashion industry - cruelty for the sake of 'beauty'… this is a subject that deserves to be explored in depth… so that’s for another post... but a question to ponder - are the products you use cruelty-free?

after viewing a slideshow on animal testing on the unleashed website i was dismayed at my ignorance of the cruelty of the american tobacco industry (the home of marlboro, camel and many other popular brands) which continues to experiment on animals - i'm also horrified that i unwittingly supported this industry by smoking marlboro for years - i  had however cut down my consumption of this brand over the last few months - although i still bought the occasional pack to intersperse with drum (and use in a mull) - no longer an ethical or moral choice for me...

apparently american spirit, who broke ranks with big tobacco and became the first-ever cruelty-free cigarette in america, is available in australia - now, i just have to find a supplier... but i am getting used to smoking tobacco again - drum yellow - it satisfies my addiction and it's british - "since 1995 no animals have been used to test tabacco or tabacco products (in the UK)"....

of course i could give up - then i'd just have to get used to smoking 'unadulterated' dope - unfortunately that won't help with the stress levels at work - i can't just 'nick out' for a quick joint!!! but as that's not part of my psyche at the moment drum is my 'poison' while i continue to need nicotine...