With a vicious cycle between a celebrity figure meeting the scrutinizing eye of tabloids and the public for imperfections, to developing a “fix it at all costs, I must maintain my youth” attitude, it’s no wonder major and minor plastic surgeries are spiking in America. Celebrities such as Heidi Montag, who had ten procedures done in one day, are rounding out new and improved editions of themselves each year to keep up with the demand for fresh-faced youth.
“Plastic surgery is like a big elephant sitting in the Hollywood living room,” said actress Patricia Heaton.
Plastic surgery is a double-edged sword when it comes to acting. An actor gets to look younger and tighter but the trade off is that facial mobility is restricted and, therefore, the plausible range of emotion is also limited.
“Actresses have to be able to like frown,” said French actress Catherine Deneuve.
Past insecurities are amplified under the limelight and the way to combat that is to fix the result of the problem even if the root still lies within the person.
Supermodel Janice Dickinson has said she is addicted to plastic surgery, spending over $100,000 on procedures.
This was largely due to her abusive home life as a child and constantly being told she was ugly. Dickinson said one of the main reasons she had plastic surgery was because of her father. Even then the procedures hasn’t been able to stifle his voice.
Some celebrities have made their claim to fame through their ever-changing images. Jocelyn Wildenstein has reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to make her look more like a feline than a woman.
Joan Rivers’ trademark is her wit and her face, which she said has been tucked in more times than a bed sheet at the Holiday Inn.
Perhaps the most famous person to date with their many faces is Michael Jackson, who, before he died, was known widely for his morphing skin and nose rather than his music.
It is speculated that he was obsessed with plastic surgery and fixated on his nose. All of the procedures lead to his end-stage nose, a term that means there is little to no structure left in the nose and is essentially so far beyond the point of no return that the possibility of saving the nose is nill.
In the past, those who elected to get plastic surgery were considered vain. Now more people believe the procedures are to aid with self-confidence. If someone is unhappy with a certain part of the body and has been for most of his or her life, the level of self-esteem plummets and can affect many other aspects of life.
According to an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive and RealSelf.com, 69 percent of 2,148 adults would elect to have some sort of procedure done if money wasn’t an issue. Additionally, 29 percent of people would want a tummy tuck, 23 percent would choose liposuction and 13 percent would opt for a facelift.
Plastic surgery ranges from routine to eccentric. For every rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, tummy tuck or Botox injection there are also surgeries that point ear tips in a Spock-esque style.
In addition there also are surgeries to shorten the second toe if it is longer than the big toe or even tuck the pinky toe which carries high risk of nerve damage and infection in order to make fashionable shoes fit better. Why stop at a facelift when a knee lift is also an option?
Mostly everyone has some kind of issue with his or her body and some will take more extreme measures to fix the imperfection. Ultimately beauty is subjective and in the eye of the beholder.
“The ideal beauty is a fugitive which is never found,” said Rivers.
