The Medicalization Of Feminine Beauty
As of society today, Western American beauty has set high standards for women to look a certain way. The medicalization of feminine beauty refer to the issues of the social standards of beauty and how it became the subject of a medical treatment, seeking help from medical professionals. (Merianos 2013). Plastic surgery is the validation of this medicalization, which is related both to physical and social aspects of a person. The physical aspect is that one can alter their visible outlook of themselves, and social aspect is that it proposes a social model of the ideal body that goes beyond the one inherited from the biological parents (Suissa, 2008). The expectation put onto a person's appearance and beauty patterns heavily relate to a variety of phenomena, such as anorexia, that result in either excessive amounts of hard exercise or aesthetic plastic surgery (Neto 2015). This intimidating process intrigues many women to undergo cosmetic procedures, which are readily available these days, to change their own appearances. Not only do these surgical procedures alter the look of a person, but it also enhances ones' appearance, confidence and self-esteem (Merianos 2013).
How it began
Back in the the XVII and XIX centuries, beauty lied within pure values of Catholic morality, and physical appearance was seen as a gift that should not be altered with (Neto 2015). But slowly graduated towards the 50s, the plastic practice started to become an interest. Within cosmetics and the diet industry, their markets had a significant increase (Neto 2015).
Since the 2000s, plastic surgery numbers continued to rapidly grow. According to the American Society For Plastic Surgeons, more than 8.7 million aesthetic procedures were done in 2004.
Liposuctions
- A type of cosmetic surgery that removes fat from the human body in attempt to change its shape
- 320,000 were carried out in 2004
- the number of procedures increased to about 412%
Breast Implants
- A prosthesis is used to change, shape and contour a women's breast
- 254,000 were carried out in 2004
- the number of procedures increased to about 657%
- 3.841 surgeries of breast implants in girls under 18 were carried out in 2003 in the USA
Medicalization of Beauty in the Media
In American society, their marketing strategies enhance certain idealized standards of beauty for women that sways a certain body image which can only be achieved by undergoing surgery (Merianos 2013). The media plays a huge role in the influence of medicalization. Many people tend to look up to the media and and popular-culture idols to influence their desires and aesthetic concepts dramatically (Neto 2015). For example, the Kardashians are greatly idolized for their figures. Their hourglass figures, flat stomach and enhanced buttocks/ chest are what society aim to be like, which therefore undergo plastic surgery.
The Problems with Medicalization
Although plastic surgery is seen as a glorious measure that medicine has done, many negative side effects come along with it. For some people, plastic surgery can make them feel like they will never be good enough. People will tend to obsess over every little detail about themselves and continue to transform their outlooks. It can become addictive due to the combination of reaction of personal suffering and contextual social demands (Suissa 2005). But to become addicted to something a certain psychosocial condition must be triggered, which can lead to dangerous outcomes. Considering the case of Hope Donahue, to deal with her low-self esteem she had gone through seven surgeries beginning at the age of 22. Not only was she completely changing herself, but she had to steal and earn money in unrighteous ways (Donahue 2005). While the wrong reasoning's for surgery account for problems, the justification that "medicine" will solve the social issue of beauty is an issue too. There are many cases where body dysmorphia occur, which is a disorder that misperceives the expectation and reality of someones body (Aouizerate 2003). For example, someone who sees themselves as obese is in reality suffering with underweight.
Cosmetic Surgery around the world
Case Study of Ethnic Vietnamese-American Women
While the United States have increased the amount of surgical procedures, the Asian community has done so as well. Standards of beauty and status for minority groups are fond of mimicking physical features of dominant groups (Sarwer, 2005). Many of these minority groups favor to change their looks to feel a part of the majority groups, in some ways this was seen "as a step towards a modern version of ethnic cleansing for people of color" (Boras 2007). Depending on one's culture, their altering ethnic features differ too. For example, eyelid surgery and nose re-shaping is very common among Vietnamese women. Studies show that Asian women revise their appearance to eliminate internalized racism and integrate into acculturation.
Conclusion
What society has defined as beauty is very far-fetched. To improve our society and culture, the media should take positive steps in the expectation for beauty. Media plays such a big role when defining feminine beauty, that next time they advertise anything women related, they should carefully think about what is to be presented. More advertising should be done as the Dove campaign has, the quest of "Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty". They have presented a campaign where interviewed women are happy about what shape and size they are, and that society should feel the same way. At the same time, famous icons and stars should be continuing to express different positive body images. There should not always be that one look that everyone wants to be like. If society tells society that they should be satisfied with they way they look, then society will be and a decrease for the medicalization of feminine beauty will decrease.
Citation
1. 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.
2. Merianos, A. L., Vidourek, R. A., & King, K. A. (2013). Medicalization of female beauty: A content analysis of cosmetic procedures. The Qualitative Report, 18(46), 1-14. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1505317676?accountid=14656
3. Neto, Paulo Poli. and CAPONI, Sandra N.C.. The medicalization of beauty.Translated bySilvana Polchlopek. Interface (Botucatu) [online]. 2007, vol.3Selected edition [cited 2018-04-09], pp. 0-0 . <http://socialsciences.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1414-32832007000100005&lng=en&nrm=iso>.
4. Pham, T. Thao. The Medicalization of Ethnicity in Vietnamese-American Women: Cosmetic Surgery and Hybridization. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 22, p. 92, sep. 2014. ISSN 2039-2117. <http://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/4315/4219>.
5. Suissa, A.J. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2008) 6: 619. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1007/s11469-008-9164-2
Boras, S. D. (2007). Cosmetic Body Alteration and the Hymenoplasty Procedure: the Intersection of Culture, Technological Embodiment, and the 'Plastic Body'. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag Dr. Mueller e.K.
Donahue, H. (2005). A beautiful stranger: A memoir of an obsession with perfection. New York: Penguin Books.
Sarwer, D. B., Grossbart, T. A., & Didie, E. R. (2003). Beauty and society. Semin Cutan Med Surg, 22, 79-92.