The Medicalization Of Beauty
Cosmetic surgery has become extremely prevalent across the globe, however; this increase in surgical alterations has specifically become more of a social norm in North America (Merianos, 2013). According to data from the Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Statistics in the United States, plastic surgery procedures have increased by 77% during the last decade (Merianos, 2013). Additionally, in 2010, there were 13 million cosmetic procedures completed, and of those 13 million procedures, 12.6 million were procedures on females (Merianos, 2013). Society's beauty standards have been encouraging women to go under the knife and receive cosmetic procedures such as breast implants, liposuction, rhinoplasty and tummy tucks (Merianos, 2013). The widespread availability of these unnecessary cosmetic medical procedures has sparked cause for concern among many individuals. Specifically, the issue of the medicalization of beauty in North America and its implications for society’s well-being.
Medicalization
The term “medicalization” [1] refers to a phenomenon in which non medical conditions are transformed into problems that can be treated medically (Conrad, 1992). In other words, society is medicalizing personal alterations in order to justify performing procedures that have no benefit to one's health (Conrad, 1992). Psychiatrists were the first group of individuals to call attention to medicalization as a legitimate problem in today's society (Conrad, 1992). One of the most prominent examples of medicalization is the medicalization of beauty, especially in females. While many other forms of medicalization exist, the medicalization of beauty is noteworthy due to the fact that cosmetic beauty should require no medical attention unless there is an instance in which a feature of one's appearance is a danger to their health. However, doctors have now coined medical terms for procedures that are strictly cosmetic and have no effect on a woman’s health (Conrad, 1992). Society has been trained to think that “flaws” imply that there is an unnatural problem with their appearance that warrants the help from a medical surgeon. Aesthetic flaws are a natural part of human genetics, however; medicalization has influenced society to believe that medical attention should be sought in order to correct one’s imperfect appearance.
Medicalization as Social Control
Medicalization can also be viewed as a form of social control [2] due to the fact that it promotes an "ideal" body that is deemed the most socially acceptable. Individuals view themselves as inferior if their bodies do not look a certain way, and are therefore pressured to change themselves to fit society's norms. Cosmetic surgery has become the ultimate outlet for people who want to look and feel ideal. As beauty has become medicalized, through cosmetic surgery, it has become more socially accepted and less looked down upon.
Due to the decline in religion, increase in individuality, and increase in the belief of science and prestige of physicians, the medical world has taken over to fill the gap in social control that has formed (Suissa, 2008). Individuals are increasingly being prescribed drugs in order to “control” certain socially constructed problems such as attention deficit difficulties, mood disorders, and behavioral issues (Suissa, 2008). With the emergence of SSRI’s and psychotropic drugs, approximately 300,000 youth individuals are considered to be “medicalized” [3]. While this is not to disregard any of these issues as unproblematic or real, doctors are very lenient in prescribing these drugs and will often do so without trying other effective methods that do not involve drugs. Prescription drugs serve as a form of social control in that they chemically coerce an individual act in a certain way or prohibit them from acting in certain ways (Suissa, 2008). Similarly, cosmetic surgery is offered to anyone who is willing to pay the price, which makes it an easily accessible form of control.
Beauty in the Media
Idealization of the Female Body
The idealization of the female body can be seen throughout history and has never been more prevalent than it is in today’s society. Women’s bodies are being used to sell items and create desire in viewers. The portrayal of these ideal bodies in mass media can make female viewers feels self-conscious about their bodies because they believe they must look a certain way. A meta-analysis on studies testing whether exposure to media can cause self-esteem issues in women showed support for this claim [4]. Many well-known brands are culprits of promoting these virtually unattainable bodies to women as the “norm.” For example, in an underwear campaign by Victoria's Secret entitled “The Perfect Body,” the ads only depicted women with the ideal body shape (Peterson, 2014). These women all have lean, long legs, a thin waist and curves, big breasts and beautiful faces. This campaign received a lot of backlash for its proposal that the “perfect body” looks specifically like the models they chose (Peterson, 2014).
Cosmetic Surgery in Females
Cosmetic surgery is defined as “surgery in which the principal purpose is to improve the appearance” (Cosmetic, 2017). Two of the most prominent types of cosmetic surgery performed on females are breast implants and liposuction. These two procedures correlate with the attributes of females that are most desired by men and idealized by popular media: a female’s breast size and her body figure.
Breast Implants
Breast implants are by far the most popular form of cosmetic surgery, which is not surprising based on the socially accepted norm that larger breasts make women more attractive (Zuckerman, 2015). In the United States, there were about 280,000 females recorded in 2015 who received cosmetic surgery for the enlargement of their breasts. In this type of surgery, women will either receive saline or silicone implants which are placed under the breast tissue or chest muscle (Center, 2015). The procedure is relatively safe, however; it is associated with multiple known risks to women’s health, especially as women age (Zuckerman, 2015). Some of these risks include problems with breast feeding, chronic pain in breasts, implant breakage, and lessened ability for the early detection of breast cancer (Zuckerman, 2015).
Liposuction
Liposuction refers to the removal of fat and reshaping of the body. Surgeons use small tubes that are placed into the skin and use suction to remove fat from areas of the body. Fat can also be suctioned out of one part of the body and moved to another, such as removing fat from one’s hips and relocating that fat into their buttocks (Liposuction, 2017). The most common areas in which the fat is removed is the outer thighs, hips and stomach (Liposuction, 2017). In terms of complications, the biggest risk factor after undergoing liposuction is gaining weight (Liposuction, 2017). Extra weight will be stored more internally, such as around internal organs instead of where the fat was removed (Liposuction, 2017).
Potential Benefits of Cosmetic Surgery
While there are many negative repercussions of cosmetic surgery, there are also some potential benefits that should be noted as well. Some studies have found that cosmetic surgery does in fact increase self-esteem and self-love in women who receive procedures. Women who undergo cosmetic surgery gain a sense of “control” over their own bodies and appearance (Merianos, 2013). This in turn has lead to some evidence of women experiencing fewer insecurities and gaining confidence in themselves. According to the study Medicalization of Female Beauty: A Content Analysis of Cosmetic Procedures, it is also found that “Generally cosmetic procedures encourage women to be proactive against having bad skin and also encourage the use of various anti-aging products to influence the body to look younger as well as increase personal wellness and identity” (Merianos, 2013). Cosmetic surgery can also serve as a way to restructure a person’s physical appearance after undergoing a traumatic injury or illness. For example, burn victims have to go through intensive cosmetic surgery after their accident. Additionally, breast implants are extremely beneficial to women who had breast cancer and had to undergo a mastectomy. The ability to receive breast implants gives women back their sense of femininity after such a traumatic experience.
Problems with the Medicalization of Beauty
There are numerous issues with medicalizing beauty and these issues are becoming more prominent as this medicalization becomes normalized. The medicalization of beauty is creating a way for women with body dysmorphia to facilitate their mental disorder in a way that is justified by "medicine". Body dysmorphia refers to a disorder in which individuals have a skewed perception of what their body looks like in reality (Aouizerate, 2003). Therefore, these individuals may see themselves as obese when in reality they are severely underweight. The DSM-IV has recently diagnosed body dysmorphia as a mental disorder, which is perpetuated by the medicalization of beauty (Aouizerate, 2003). As individuals are diagnosed with this disease, many turn to cosmetic surgery as a way to manage their issues with body image [5]. Cosmetic surgery is making it more socially acceptable for women to change their bodies due to the medical cover up. As women see other women changing their bodies, they are influenced to do so as well. Therefore, this continues to promote an unrealistic and unnatural body ideal for women, which becomes a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape from.
Citations
1. Merianos, A. L., Vidourek, R. A., & King, K. K. (2013). Medicalization of Female Beauty: A Content Analysis of Cosmetic Procedures. The Qualitative Report, 18(46), 1-14. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
2. Conrad, P. (1992). Medicalization and Social Control. Annual Review of Sociology, 18(1), 209-232. doi:10.1146/annurev.so.18.080192.001233
3. Suissa, A. J. (2008). Addiction to Cosmetic Surgery: Representations and Medicalization of the Body. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 6(4), 619-630. doi:10.1007/s11469-008-9164-2
4. Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460-476. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.460
5. Aouizerate B., Pujol H., & Grabot D. (2003). Body dysmorphic disorder in a sample of cosmetic surgery applicants. European Psychiatry , 18(7), 365-368. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
Center for Devices and Radiological Health. (n.d.). Breast Implants. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/default.htm
Cosmetic surgery. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cosmetic surgery
Liposuction. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/tf2436
Peterson, H. (2014, October 31). Victoria's Secret Sparks Outrage With 'Perfect Body' Campaign. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-perfect-body-campaign-2014-10
Zuckerman, D. (2016, October 25). Facts About Breast Implants. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from https://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/facts-about-breast-implants/