Cosmetic surgery and feminism

No one will admit to it for pure vanity though

I will

None of my friends had noticed or said anything, none of my family said anything, I didn’t like the way i looked so i sorted it

BUT i do think that it can be addictive and doesn’t necessarily’fix’ other issues

And yes, some people absolutely do come up with excuses as to why the ‘need’ it when really they just want it

Human beings are social creatures, and it is is inevitable that they will care to some extent about their appearance. Social life is all about presentations of the self.

I've long considered breast reduction/lift surgery, but have been too scared to proceed, because of the idea of slicing and cutting, and scars etc. The reason I'd want this surgery would be primarily for aesthetic reasons ( although bra straps that leave marks and dig in etc would be another reason), as I think clothes would sit better, and I'd feel more confident in my body. It is a pain in the arse having to think about my breasts whenever I choose or try clothes on.

I'm too old for the male gaze, but my own sense of aesthetics is important to me.

OMG the typo's sorry

I've had corrective surgery on my eyes three times in my lifetime to correct a squint

The first time as a child it was done for medical reasons, they hoped to ensure I grew up with binocular vision, unfortunately that wasn't a sucsess, I then had a further correction as a teenager for cosmetic reasons and again in my late 30's after two children had caused my squint tp become really pronounced again

The squint was very noticable both times I had it corrected and it affrected my self esteem and still does, I have this terrible tendancy to not enjoy eye contact as I am self concious about it.

Where would you draw the line ?

(Both my corrections were carried out by the NHS btw)

I agree that certain cosmetic procedures are necessary eg for restoring burn scars or other body damage but for vanity it becomes "problematic".

For a start it's only available to wealthy people so even if everyone agreed cosmetic surgery is great, there's a huge class divide. In fact the crux of it to me is that you end up with wealthy women looking "beautiful" and "lifted" in the "right way"
(apologies for all the speech marks it's just I'm not fully on board with the notion of beauty standards in the first place)
Then everyone else looks basically natural so then the fact you're poor stands out a mile because you don't have a Botox face.

I think that while it isnt a feminist action in itself, I think that plenty of really active feminists might consider it in the same way that they might wear lipstick or colour their hair. I guess it depends on all sorts of variables. I certainly dont think it makes you lose your feminist card

No one will admit to it for pure vanity though

It will "help their mental health", "enable them to feel confident to live a normal life"
Often whilst not addressing the underlying issues around expectations of female beauty. Which are so deeply entrenched in some people that it does affect their mental health

And it feeds the capitalist system so it's hard to remove the pressure to look good which comes at you from all angles

And men don't do it much yet, but like face creams and slimming aids, the industry will target them at some point when they reach market saturation

I think it's a symptom of a far deeper problem. Women feel they need to adapt, adjust, alter themselves because the patriarchy and rape culture is so overwhelming and impossible to escape.

Take a look at how many (few) men feel a need to have cosmetic surgery, and there's your answer.