Medicalization of Beauty

Medicalization is when something is viewed or treated as a medical problem, often times unnecessarily. In the majority of Western and Non-Western societies, beauty is valued greatly. More attractive people are more likely to get employed, make more money, and find more attractive and wealthy spouses than people who are less attractive.1 Because the simple fact of being attractive leads to benefits in nearly all facets of life, not being beautiful essentially causes someone to inherently be at a disadvantage compared to someone who is beautiful. The effects of beauty are much more apparent for females, so in these societies where beauty is emphasized, there is more pressure on women to be beautiful if they wish to live a more fulfilling life. The medicalization of beauty occurs when this lack of beauty in one's eyes is treated and viewed as an illness, and through the powers of cosmetic surgery, beauty is altered on a physical level.

Origins of Beauty: Then and Now

The standards of female beauty have changed dramatically over the years. In the 17th and 19th centuries, women served primarily to bear children and be a good wife, so the characteristics of beauty at the time were in line with the function that women served. These characteristics were all associated with maternity, meaning a beautiful woman had a large and round body with big breasts and hips. In the late 19th and early 20th century, beauty wasn't judged in terms of physical characteristics, but rather in terms of adhering to terms of purity and cleanliness, valued greatly by Catholicism at the time [2]. From the late 20th century to present day, the standards of beauty have changed again and large breasts, a flat stomach, firm buttocks and a pretty face are the cornerstones of what makes a woman beautiful.

The Patriarchal System & Medicalization of Beauty

Western European societies are rooted in patriarchy.The patriarchal system is significant to medicalization of beauty because patriarchy is based on men holding primary power within a society. The patriarchal system is based on control of women, including their bodies. In this system, women's health is in the hands of "experts", which are male. Through rhetoric of health and illness, playing on fears and insecurities of women, the plastic surgery industry grew fast and continues to today. Women are manipulated through media, to feel that they need to change themselves in order to be "healthy". There are enormous profits to be made by the beauty industry; it is in big business best interests to distort women's self perception.

Cosmetic Surgery

A physical change caused by a social problem"

Modern science allows cosmetic surgeons to alter the appearance of any body part containing flesh and skin; the body parts most often performed on are the breasts, buttocks, stomach and parts of the face like the lips and eyes. From 1992 to 2003, there was a 657% increase in breast implant procedures and a 412% increase in liposuction procedures[2]. To gain a better understanding of just how prominent cosmetic surgery has become, there were over 250,000 breast implants and 320,000 liposuctions performed in 2003 just in the United States. Women who undergo cosmetic surgery primarily do so because they feel that they don't adequately live up to the standards of beauty set forth by society. Persistent reminders of the benefits of beauty in media, such as Hollywood films, cause women to constantly worry about their appearance. In severe cases, an obsession with one's perceived bodily flaw can lead to a disorder known as body dysmorphia[3]. For people with this disorder, even with several cosmetic surgery procedures they will still feel that their body is flawed in some way, even if no one else can recognize this flaw.

Cultural Differences

Getting cosmetic surgery done in South Korea is unsurprising, to say the least, as nearly half of all women in their twenties will undergo the procedure. The high rate is unsurprising for two reasons, one of which is that there are less regulations in South Korea, meaning there are some doctors specializing in other fields performing these procedures. The other reason is that cosmetic surgery can be viewed as a good investment, because the mentality is that looking more attractive will yield a wealthier husband in the future. In other parts of the world, like in Venezuela and Argentina, cosmetic surgery runs rampant and is even free under some circumstances, which explains why beauty is so valued there. [3]

References

1. Hamermesh, D. S. (2011). Beauty pays: Why attractive people are more successful. Princeton University Press.

2. Poli Neto, P., & Caponi, S. N. (2007). The'medicalization'of beauty. Interface-Comunicação, Saúde, Educação, 11(23), 569-584.

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