Cosmetic Surgery

Initiated by:
• Ceit

Details

(Terry Gilliam's Brazil is not about cosmetic surgery, but those scenes sure were memorable) Surgery has the image of being something only safe and reliable starting in the 21st century, but we know that there has been surgery to fix health problems and personal dissatisfactions for many, many centuries. Some procedures have had cultural significance, often carrying some kind of belief that they improve quality of life with no real evidence of such. Tattoos, removal of bits of skin, scarring, all have been used as markers of belonging and growth in a community. Now in the developed world, they are mostly markers of self-expression (with a certain amount of belonging). Plastic surgery to fit beauty standards is more sophisticated these days, but there have always been appearance tweaks done to make at least some improvement. Possibly because of the sophistication, more and more can be done to more and more people, and there is more and more regret. https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/body-modification https://www.historyhit.com/body-modification-a-timeless-human-story/ https://fashionmagazine.com/beauty-grooming/bad-plastic-surgery-regrets/ https://www.prevention.com/beauty/a46284622/dolly-parton-cosmetic-surgery-botox/ Some procedures have not only gone out of fashion, but become controversial. Circumcision was once the default for boys born in the US, with doctors and parents laboring under the impression that is was "healthier". Now, there are organizations fighting against it as a normal procedure and promoting the idea of trauma to circumsized men. This is somewhat different from many cosmetic or elective procedures done today in that it is typically performed on babies, so the recipient has no say in what is being done or how. Even when young people are able to articulate what they want, while they are still minors many people are hesitant to support cosmetic surgeries for them, although weirdly it seems more acceptable for teens to get plastic surgery to be more attractive to others, but not simply to please themselves. There are reasons to be hesitant, but shouldn't it be for all elective surgeries equally? Anyway... https://nypost.com/2024/11/28/lifestyle/catwoman-jocelyn-wildenstein-bizarrely-claims-she-never-had-any-plastic-surgery-report/ We can argue that it's a slippery slope to allow some cosmetic surgery at the patient's request, because at the end of the day nobody is hurt by a person having things done to themselves, even to the point of mutilation. But if nobody is hurt, than why should we worry about the slope? Yes, we can speak of protecting people from themselves, but the line is not clear at all. Where are all those individual rights and liberties warriors when you need them?