The pressure to get plastic surgery

[Torrasque]

While watching LiquidTLO stream earlier this evening, I got talking with a few people in the stream chat about plastic surgery. We were talking about what pressured people to get plastic surgery. After a while, we all agreed that most of the pressure comes from society pressuring individuals. Not content with the subject ending there, one person asked, "Who do you think contributes to that pressure most, men or women?" We talked about this subject for a while as TLO did an awesome drop on some unlucky barcode terran that wasn't expecting 130 supply in lings and roaches in his main, and we couldn't come to an agreement on the subject.

The three sides that resulted from our discussion are:

1. Men create the most pressure because of their unrealistic expectations on what the perfect woman looks like and pressure women to look perfect.
2. Women create the most pressure because of their unrealistic expectations on what the perfect woman looks like and pressure themselves and others to look perfect.
3. Men and women pressure themselves because of their unrealistic expectations on what perfection looks like based on people they idolize, the pressure from society is more or less equal.

There were a few other opinions, but they more or less got assimilated into one of these three.
At first, I thought 1 was true, but one person made the point (this person is a girl, which is slightly relevant) that women are meaner and more critical of each other than guys are. Considering some of the girls I have known in my life, I'd have to agree, but even still, its hard to say which gender contributes to the "GET PLASTIC SURGERY" pressure most.

What do you think? Do you think men create the most pressure to get plastic surgery, or women?
If you don't think either gender is more responsible for said pressure, where do you think the pressure to get plastic surgery comes from then?

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

I think women put a lot of pressure on themselves. I also think that it often ends in disaster.

 

[Strazdas]

I think 3rd theory is right. People do plastic surgery becuase they are not happy with themselves, they do not think they are perfect enough.
noone is perfect, but noone should be.
well except me of course. teehee.

From my experience women care more about thier own looks than their significant others care about the womans looks. but my experience is limited.

 

[manic_depressive13]

I've met plenty of both men and women who I thought were unfairly critical of other people's appearances. But it's not "men" or "women" who are to blame. It's influences like the media and over-arching social expectations. Some PEOPLE believe other people should look a certain way, and I think pointing the finger at one sex or the other is slightly ridiculous. You could say that some people "pressure themselves" because they have unrealistic expectations of how they should look, but it's generally the media that gives people these unrealistic expectations.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Women who have had plastic surgery done is definitely a turn off for me, I would rather have a not so amazing looking girl than a plastic barbie doll. To me, plastic surgery feels to much like cheating, just stay with the hand you were dealt and invest your time/money into something that actually becomes part of you, like improving your social skills or working out at the gym, don't just put on some plastic mask.

Its not really a specific gender who puts pressure on women to get plastic surgery, its society as a whole. All over the place 'beautiful' models are plastered everywhere and idolized as what all women should aspire to be like. To me, a woman who makes the most of what she has, rather than putting on a mask of makeup[footnote]Makeup is fine, just please don't overdo it.[/footnote] or plastic, is much more beautiful.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Most people tend to say they don't like women who've had plastic surgery...they just happen to like women who look a certain way that most women need plastic surgery to get.

You can't say that there's a specific gender that pressures women into getting plastic surgery, but the people being pressured are being pressured to look more appealing mostly to men, in a form based on what males find attractive.

 

[Kae]

I've met plenty of both men and women who I thought were unfairly critical of other people's appearances. But it's not "men" or "women" who are to blame. It's influences like the media and over-arching social expectations. Some PEOPLE believe other people should look a certain way, and I think pointing the finger at one sex or the other is slightly ridiculous. You could say that some people "pressure themselves" because they have unrealistic expectations of how they should look, but it's generally the media that gives people these unrealistic expectations.

Well that was what I wanted to say, so yeah pretty much that, I mean have you looked at what's on the TV?
A while ago I saw some reality show about brides competing against each other for plastic surgery, seriously that is a thing, so anyway I'm going with the media too, but obviously not solely the media but anyway, read the post I quoted I meant something like that.

 

[Stasisesque]

I've known far more women criticise other women for their looks than men. Consequently I've always felt worse when a woman has called me ugly. Men have too, don't get me wrong, but they've also apologised afterwards. Odd phenomenon, possibly circumstantial as I attended an all girl's school so had much more contact with girls during my formative years. I'm actually pretty wary of big groups of women as a result.

As such, women were the driving force behind considering plastic surgery at least in my life. If a man insulted me I shrugged it off, it meant nothing to me, but if a woman called me out on my looks I could suffer the effects for days.

I have friends who have had minor surgeries, and they do look fabulous. I've had cosmetic dentistry done myself and I have been on and off considering a nose job since my late teens. I'll probably never do it, but only because there's more than one thing I need to fix before I'm "normal" and I neither have the money nor the patience for it.

Oh, and I was very briefly a teenage model, which may shed some light on the problem.

Edit: The model job was one paid job, a day's work. The light to be shed was that anyone who at any point is paid money because of their looks is perhaps going to end up putting a lot of emphasis on looks. I have been called ugly, but it is not an everyday occurrence, it was quite common in my teens because kids are horrible, but in the past decade it's happened maybe once or twice. I was simply pointing out that women are the most common culprits, whilst men do it as a laugh and only very rarely vindictively. I'm not looking for, nor in need of, reassurance. Thank you! Oh and "normal" is in quotes for a reason.

 

[Dags90]

Oh, and I was very briefly a teenage model, which may shed some light on the problem.

Wait, how were you a teenage model if you're so homely? Unless you became homely after your teenage years, perhaps in some sort of super power granting chemical spill?


I've considered at least one cosmetic procedure since I was about seven, and I'll probably have it done in the next few years if ever.

 

[Stasisesque]

Oh, and I was very briefly a teenage model, which may shed some light on the problem.

Wait, how were you a teenage model if you're so homely? Unless you became homely after your teenage years, perhaps in some sort of super power granting chemical spill?


I've considered at least one cosmetic procedure since I was about seven, and I'll probably have it done in the next few years if ever.

I uh, where did you get the impression I was very unattractive?* You don't have to be a swamp beast for people to call you ugly, and kids are cruel.

It was one paid job (that I didn't see the money from at the time due to being a minor) for a company that specialised in family photography. I was approached, had the right look for the shot, did a day's horrible horrible work and that was that. I tried once more, but nothing came of it and then I moved on. I was about fourteen and there were much more interesting things to do with my time.

*I don't actually want you to answer this.

 

[Gordon Freemonty]

I don't think much if any pressure comes from men at all. I think women are too hard on themselves. I haven't seen or heard of a guy who prefers fake titties to normos, or any kind of 'enchanced look.'

I'm obviously all for plastic surgery if it involves facial or bodily disfigurement from chemical/fire burns, mauling etc.

 

[RedFeather1975]

The pressure always comes from the majority. Either majority in numbers or in influence.
But context saves the day. Context will tell you that you did did quite well before any peers were introduced into your life. You don't need to change for them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSuvOVH0aSQ

 

[Legion]

I think people need to stop blaming others for their own decisions and choices. Yes, people are pressured to do things, but that is not an excuse or a a justification for doing it. If you do not want to look a certain way, then you have every right not to do so.

Obviously it is "not that easy" and I do not mean it in a condescending way, but in Western culture particularly, there seems to be a growing trend to shed responsibility for ones own actions; To put blame elsewhere, and this is happening in all sections of society.

That said, I'd say the pressure is more commonly coming from women than men. Yes, you get things such as men's magazines where they all have fake breasts and the writing team pretty much drool all over them with their articles, but the average guy does not expect a woman to be like that.

Womens magazines on the other hand are constantly front page material based upon how to lose weight, what diets are in fashion, how to please a man etc. This kind of thing is going to be taken much more seriously by women than men's opinions are.

 

[Unit72]

I suppose people just want to look "normal". My mom had her nose done. This is a woman who doesnt like going out becuase of the sun, hates social gatherings, and who is married to a husband who doesnt really care about how her nose looked. This was done before the advent of twitter, facebook or even myspace! So why did she do it if no one noticed how "bad" it looked before and for who was she doing it? When i asked her she just said she did it for herself. She hated how her nose looked so she got it fixed. That was it and that was the end of it.


It's the same reason she enjoys buying makeup, perfumes, skin care products (which incidentally after going home to mexico for a week and meeting all her old freinds she says she was the youngest looking of the bunch. I guess those things do work). She excercises regularly 5 times a week and tries to keep a steady diet while the rest of her all male family eat what we want and live out our lives uncaring about looking immaculate. She only went back to mexico once and that was when grandma fell ill (which wasnt so apparently) years after her nose job so she didt do it to show off to old freinds... mabey she's liying to me when she said its for herself but what other reason could she have?

 

[Susan Arendt]

Depends on the surgery they get. Both men and women feel pressure to look younger - men get just as much Botox as women. But for things like augmentations, women put ungodly pressure on themselves to be a physical ideal that the typical man doesn't even want. There was a study done some time ago where men and women were asked to describe what men want a woman's physique to be like - the weight women believed men wanted was consistently lower than what the men themselves actually wanted. Women tend to believe men want a barbie doll, and so they try really hard to be that.

Fun fact: I've actually had plastic surgery. When I was a kid, I fell down on the pavement and punched my bottom teeth through my upper lip. A plastic surgeon put it back together so you can't tell anything happened unless you look realllllllly close.

 

[Snowbell]

I think that we women pressure ourselves, we convince ourselves that because of the unrealistic women shown in magazines that men will only be interested in us if we look perfect, whereas most men actually don't care about it or prefer 'natural' women to those who have gone under the knife.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Women are horrible. The worst creatures every created. All we do is judge based on looks, whether we admit it or not. Because we're so cruel to each other (and because of media, which is run by both men and women), we convince ourselves that we aren't good enough and therefore change ourselves.

Name me a woman over the age of 10 who hasn't once called themselves or someone else, or been called ugly because they (or the accuser) felt threatened/debased, and I'll call you a liar*. We have evolved and it's in our genes to try and be the best looking - many species have one gender where it's their job to look good when it's time to mate, not to prove how strong or resourceful they are.

... Anyway, all women are horrible, awful things, and even I still judge people based on looks. I don't say it to people's faces, but when I'm with friends... you bet your turkey neck that we're badmouthing people based on the way they look. Men and women both do this, but the women (or girls) tend to say it to the person's face more than the men.

It sucks, but that's the way it is.

*Working at an all-girls school, I watched 4 year olds not eat lunch because they didn't want to get fat (and this kid was dangerously thin, and her parents were good people). I have watched kids aged 3, 4, 5 tell others they can't play because fo skin color, hair colour, eye color, or because they weren't 'pretty'. I have sat with teenage girls bawling their eyes out because they were called ugly when I (a straight female teacher) can't stop staring over how beautiful they are. Girls 9 and 10 calling each other fat because puberty is hitting them and they're starting to change. Girls who cut, girls who do drugs, sleep around, whathaveyou because their self esteem has been destoryed by other girls. ... I'll stop now, but working at an all-girls school is the reason I will not have children of my own - I refuse to bring a girl into this world and have her tortured like that... or like I was.

 

[DugMachine]

Both men and women's expectations of perfection are ridiculous. Sorry guys, not every girl is going to be perfectly fit with a big bust and slim waist and sorry gals but not all guys are going to be rippling with muscles and 6'5-7 ft tall.

But if you insist on plastic surgery because you're insecure about something then by all means go for it.