Changing Bodies – Should We?

The world was hit with sad news recently with the announcement from the media of the passing of the renowned comedian Joan Rivers. As well as being well known for her biting wit and outrageous routines her fondness for plastic surgery still remains a newsworthy item for people to pick over.

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Yes there are a few examples in the public eye of where people have been nipped and tucked beyond recognition however I have to wonder if the sensationalist coverage of self-improvement procedures paints a negative light on what is actually a positive sector.

Some might say that we should be happy with what we are given. Are you? I can think of half a dozen things about my body which I would change. Could I personally see myself booking any of the many treatments or procedures available these day, probably not actually however if I had a self-esteem issue which stemmed from my looks I might.

I’m a firm believer that we are on earth for a limited amount of time and that (within reason!) we should spend as much time during those years doing whatever makes us happy. Life is definitely too short to be miserable. Could a breast enlargement or reduction purely for cosmetic reasons make someone happy, yes it could.

Whether it is the media coverage or not for some “having something done”, be that liposuction, scalp micro pigmentation to combat hair thinning in men, leg vein removal (this and varicose vein removal for me folks) or any number of other procedures are seen as a bad thing, a vain thing.

Women don’t have the monopoly on having body issues. Hair thinning and baldness cause much distress to many men too for example. The NHS puts the number of men in the UK who struggle with hair loss at some time of their lives at as many as 6.5 million.
Women don’t have the monopoly on having body issues. Hair thinning and baldness cause much distress to many men too for example. The NHS puts the number of men in the UK who struggle with hair loss at some time of their lives at as many as 6.5 million.

I haven’t worn a skirt since my wedding day and that was a dress that was full length. I wear jeans and trousers all through the summer. I never bare my legs outside the home as I hate the way all of the broken veins and rather hideous varicose veins look. If you’d asked me during this year’s heat wave if I’d have something done to change that I’d have screamed “yes”.

The difference between myself and many people however is that while I don’t show my legs off being as they look blooming awful it doesn’t cause me any angst. I don’t feel I have to pull back from a group, I’m no less confident because of it, I don’t suffer from self-loathing and anyone who knows me will confirm I really don’t have self-esteem issues. Some people however do.

Should we change our body if not happy with it? Why not? Yes there are extremes reported, such as celebs that are unrecognisable after numerous procedures however when used properly and according to guidelines I firmly believe that treatments and procedures that make you feel better about yourself are a good thing.

What do you think?

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1 comment

  1. People are what they are and no amount of superficial painting and trimming (be it with a knife and fat-deep rather than skin-deep) will change that. So your dilemma seems quite false to me: unhappiness is indeed quite often a sign that people should change and desire to change is perfectly fine and legitimate, but it’s their inner core that needs changing, not just the clothes they wear or the mirror that can’t be made to hide the problem anymore. Wanting to change is fine, but avoiding actual change and just pretending to have done it is not even if it “makes them happy” (for a while at least). I guess that the only exception to this is when they have a clear purpose in mind and they decide to go for it with everything they have, including their body, effectively shaping it for the task – it makes perfect sense there (see Simona Halep’s story for the perfect example), but that’s quite a different thing.

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