The Feminizing of Eating Disorders and Cosmetic Surgery - Research Paper Example

? The Feminizing of Eating Disorders and Cosmetic Surgery Affiliation: Introduction Feminizing of eating disorders to achieve a thin body and cosmetic surgery to perfect genetic flaws is spreading to the rest of the world. According to researchers in the U.S, plastic surgeons indicated an increase of 288% of cosmetic surgery procedures done to women as from 1997 to 2002 (Swami et al., 2008). They further explain that 22,041 cosmetic procedures were recorded by U.K plastic surgeons in 2005. In Austria, 40,000 cosmetic procedures are recorded annually with about 15% rise each year (Swami et al., 2008). The demand for plastic surgery globally is on an upsurge because of disposable incomes, loss of stigma and cosmetics surgery advances due to technology. On the other hand, eating disorders continue to affect both teenagers and young adults worldwide. In the U.S, women subject themselves to unhealthy eating habits such as starving to achieve the desired beauty by the modern society (Gimlin, 2000). Anorexia is one of the deadly eating disorders related to beauty that contributes to the high mortality rate in the U.S. Doctors treat patients that are suffering from anorexia and bulimia have 50% recovery rate while the remaining percentage develops chronic condition as side effects of the eating disorders (Ward, 2005). Cosmetics surgery achieves the standards of beauty in the modern society. Mainstream media play a chief role in reinforcing the modern standards of beauty as shown in advertisements and the entertainment industry. Eating disorders arise due to the modern standards of being thin, which shows the image of beauty. Older women choose cosmetic surgery to disguise their ages and look like young adults. Thesis Statement: Women in the modern society achieve an ideal form of beauty enhanced by mainstream media by undergoing painful cosmetics surgeries, developing eating disorders to become thin, and to sustain youthful looks in old age. Ideal Standard of Beauty The ideal standard of beauty originated from the American society after World War II. Women in the postwar U.S. were restricted to domestic occupation of nurturing children and satisfying the needs of their husbands. An advertisement showing a thin, blonde and beautiful woman with full breasts created a nation-wide revolution in American homes. Women dyed their hair blonde, bought slimming pills and wore extravagant clothes. All women wanted to look beautiful and own a house with a convoy of neat cars while staying at home. This tradition was carried by generations to the modern society where development of technology led to the advancement in the cosmetics surgery field. Women in the modern society enhance their looks through reconstructive surgery, face-lifts and enhancement of body parts (Swami et al., 2008). Many people are born with freckles, skin diseases and in different races, but cosmetics surgery improves their appearance. Cosmetics surgery corrects these genetic flaws that do not adhere to the modern standards of beauty. There are women who are born with full lips, large noses or round faces. Cosmetics surgery corrects these flaws for women because people judge each other on the basis of appearance. People consider superficial beauty in women as the only notable aspect of femininity rather than skills, personality and gender equality in achieving set goals. People do not assess women in terms of power or status but by the size of their bodies, their shapes and complexion. Cosmetics surgery advances to a new level of restructuring body parts to achieve the ideal standards of beauty. Women undergo breast, hips and gluteal mass enlargement to look attractive. Beautiful women get favors from men and envy from other women who lack the ideal beauty. In the contemporary society, women seek either beautiful or knowledge but not both. Beautiful women get everything from the opposite sex but normal women that walk with natural beauty work hard to achieve the same things. Media’s Role in Reinforcing Modern Beauty Mainstream media affect teenagers globally because of the ideal beauty standard it reinforces. Women on television screens look thin, fair skinned and have enormous breasts (Swami et al., 2008). These images are imprinted in the minds of most teenagers who try to emulate the ideal beauty that the modern society sets for women. Advertisements comprise extremely attractive women that have sex appeal to promote products and services. Companies and organizations use female celebrities that adhere to the standards of ideal beauty when selling cosmetics products. Target consumers are led to believe that they will become as beautiful as the celebrities after using the cosmetics products manufactured by these companies. Ordinary women in local or international advertisements do not attract the attention of consumers in the U.S, U.K and the rest of the world. Attractive women advertise some products that have substantial sales and profits. American consumers purchase clothes and foods that their favorite and attractive celebrities advertise. This is not because they prefer the product to other alternative products on the shelves, but because they are loyal to the beautiful women on the packages. The modern society is under the influence of movies particularly from the West. America is the largest producer of movies for entertainment. Producers and directors of movies want to win both local and international awards for their creativity. Movies sell because of thin, erotic and beautiful women who take the roles of strong women that are defined by their superficial appearance. Different movies have different themes, but the same ideal standard of beauty remains the same throughout the entertainment industry. Ordinary people do not improve network rates because consumers from different parts of the world are accustomed to the American beauty. This beauty is emulated by other women in different parts of the world. Erotic and modern fashion pictures in magazines also affect the way women change their appearance to look beautiful. America’s music industry portrays women as objects of men’s desires to convey different themes. The women in music videos are thin, fair skinned and have beautiful faces to attract target groups of their music. African American women in music videos wear lingerie, short skirts and tight denim that flaunt their beautiful body shapes. Many women that view such videos are inclined to achieve such beautiful standards through cosmetics surgery, breast and hips enlargement and finally purchase trendy clothes that display the body shape. Liposuction is a cosmetics surgery that removes excess fat from the body to attain a firm body. Many women in the modern society prefer liposuction that is expensive as compared to strenuous exercises that take a longer period. Liposuction is quick and easy way out for women to lose weight within few months of recovery. Eating Disorders to Lose Weight Eating disorders are among the top causes of mortality in the U.S and U.K. Watching videos and images from mainstream media mostly affects teenagers. Women want to starve themselves to achieve the ideal standard of beauty (Ward, 2005). A case of eating disorder that turns into a fatal condition is anorexia. Teenage girls who are suffering from anorexia fear of becoming fat and seek to enhance thinness, which is the first aspect of modern beauty. The first step of achieving beauty to look like size zero models is to lose weight. Women harm and starve themselves for not living up to the standards of modern beauty. The punishment women undergo to achieve beauty leads to death and chronic conditions that are irreversible. Thin celebrities and fashion models act as comfort and justification for poor eating habits that get rewards in the form of a thin body. Women who do not have thin bodies believe that they have faulty bodies that deflect the meaning of beauty in women in the West (Ward, 2005). Bulimia is also an eating disorder that causes teenage girls in the West to achieve a thin body shape. The women who suffer from bulimia eat food but later vomit all the food to maintain a thin body. Praise and worship is an aspect of ideal beauty in the modern society. Women who are thin continue to subject themselves to eating disorders that have dire consequences. This is because of the praise they receive from the opposite sex and envy from women. Old Women Sustain Youthful Looks Ideal beauty is affecting baby boomers in refusing to age gracefully in the modern society. Society has set an ideal standard of beauty for all women including older women. Older ladies in their fifties undergo cosmetics surgery by using anti-wrinkles in the eyes and forehead (Gimlin, 2000). Some cosmetics surgeons use Botox for temporary anti-wrinkles, but there are permanent methods of removing wrinkles from the visible face. Marriage in the U.S is becoming obsolete, which means that women in their forties and fifties have disposable incomes and fewer dependents. Cosmetics surgery in the U.S is expensive because of improved technology, advanced skills and high demand. Older women undergo eye-bag removal and hip augmentation to find for a new purpose for life. Older women that look and dress like youths relive their past by performing activities that would otherwise limit their actions if they were viewed as old and conventional women (Gimlin, 2000). Texture and appearance of an older women’s skin is essential in seeking approval from the modern society that admires and respects beautiful women. Women in the West have a significant socio-cultural pressure to achieve the ideal beauty of both sexual and physical attractiveness. Older men do not have the same kind of pressure as women. This is because society rates men on the basis of power and status. Lower self-ratings, body dissatisfaction or self-esteem in relation to both sexual and physical attractiveness leads older women under the surgical knife (Gimlin, 2000). Some women try to keep their youthful bodies by exercising and dieting but due to age, their faces form wrinkles. Older women use cosmetics surgery to justify their need to look young. This is because they deserve the youthful face that corresponds to the hard work to maintain an ideal body shape. Conclusion The ideal beauty that women in the modern society struggle to attain leads to painful cosmetics surgeries and eating disorders that might lead to death. The media play a chief role in enhancing the ideal standard of beauty set by the modern society through the display of pictures and videos that depict thin beautiful women. Older women want to sustain their youthful bodies, firm shapes and beautiful looks. The future of cosmetics surgery and eating disorders to attain the ideal beauty in the modern society continues to grow with development of medical technology and social life. Psychological stability in individual minds is the best solution for cosmetics surgery and eating disorders to attain a set standard of beauty that most women cannot achieve. Superficial beauty will be enhanced with every improvement, but psychological stability ensures that individuals develop emotional intelligence to handle socio-cultural pressure. Organizations that advocate women’s emotional stability, inner peace and independency, will formulate and implement appropriate measures for health promotion. Aspects of health promotion include personal health, physical health, psychological and spiritual well-being. References Gimlin, D. (2000). Cosmetic surgery: Beauty as commodity. Qualitative Sociology, 23(1), 1-23. Swami, V., Arteche, A., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., et al. (2008). Looking good: Factors affecting the likelihood of having cosmetic surgery. European Journal of Plastic Surgery, 30, 211-218. Ward,K. J. (2005). “I Love You to the Bones”: Constructing the anorexic body in “Pro-Ana” message boards. Sociological Research Online, 12(2), 1-14. Read More