HaeLeigh Sinerius

English 201A
Courtney Brogno
5 November 2014

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Throughout history men and women have changed and kept up with the latest trends, but
what if what you were changing was something you were born with? Botched is a tv show on the
E network that has just recently been picked up for a second season. It shows plastic surgeons fix
past plastic surgeries that have gone wrong. Most men
and women on the show have cut corners in order to
get to their idea of beauty with only botox and tummy
tucks gone wrong to show for their efforts. This series
has gotten back lash and is said to glamorize and
endorse the unrealistic expectations set by the media.
Living in a generation where we are constantly
bombarded with images due to technology, it is in my
opinion that millennials suffer from the worst physical
insecurity issues.

However, plastic surgery is not a new occurrence. Some of the earliest recorded
incidences date back to ancient Egypt in 3000 B.C.(Ancient Secrets). Surgeons would cut, sculpt,

and cauterize noses (Ancient Secrets). Essentially giving a rudimentary (and more painful)
version of a modern day rhinoplasty. In fact the term plastic surgery has nothing to do with
fillers, injections, or silicone but is derived from the greek word plastikos which means able to be
moulded or formed (Ancient Secrets).

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I have found that most millennials are impulsive and want things instantaneously. What
they may not consider are that the risk factors of going under the knife may be higher then the
satisfaction of receiving a desired effect. Blood clots, infection, irreversible nerve damage,
internal bleeding, and obvious scarring are the chart toppers of a much more lengthy list (Mayo
Clinic Staff). A woman who chooses only to be identified as Renee and was recently featured on
Botched, went viral in a video of her flipping her butt implant implant with her hand (Roberts).
The implants almost killed
her before she got them
removed (Roberts). The
silicone had leaked from
her implants and had
spread all down her legs
and up her back which led
to autoimmune disease
(Taylor). Renee now makes it her mission to urge woman not to go under the knife and to love
the skin they are in (Roberts).

Ever since I was a child I have been aware of the images and extremely high standards of
women in the media. From ads to celebrities, they make it apparent of what the ultimate goal of
being a woman is. Of course they provide all the products, clothes, makeup, and potions you
need to procure this elite status. This has to stop. That is why I was appalled to hear of a
nonprofit organization in New York that provides free plastic surgery to teens with facial
deformities (Dahl). Renata, who has been severely bullied for her looks, is one of the teens who
benefited from this program. Her mother says after her surgery her confidence went up and it is
the most happy that shes seen Renata in years (Dahl). Most people think a fifteen year old
getting such an invasive survey to combat bullying will not solve the ultimate problem. A New
York psychiatrist, Gail Saltz, was quoted saying
(Dahl),
They may do the surgery and expect
happiness as a result, or, lets say, Im not going
to be bullied anymore, but it may not turn out
that way, because bullying is complicated, and
usually isn't down to one physical attribute.
I would completely support an organization like this one except for two reasons. Renatas facial
deformities do not hinder her health nor would they be described as anatomical abnormalities,
and it reenforces at such a young age the false idea that by being pretty all of your problems will
go away.

Millennials strive for beauty because they believe their life will overall be better. They
have research to back up such notions was well, plastic surgery has been found to boost self
confidence and an overall enjoyment of life in some cases (AFP Relax News). In a European
study a group of women were chosen and at the end the women who had undergone plastic
surgery felt healthier, were less anxious, had developed more self-esteem and found the operated
body feature in particular, but also their body as a whole, more attractive (AFP Relax News). I do
not believe that attractiveness and happiness should be synonymous. Six out of ten girls wont do
something because they don't think they look good enough (Ramsey). Thirty-one percent of
millennials withdraw from class debate because they do not want to draw attention on to
themselves and their appearance (Ramsey). My generation values transient, superficial beauty
over an education and in some cases mock others who are different based on their looks.

I know, like Renata, all too well the pressures of feeling the need to be perfect. In fourth
grade I kept a food log because I was bigger then all the other girls in my class, in sixth grade I
begged my mom to allow me to wear makeup, in eighth grade I cried because my parents could
not afford to get me braces, Freshman year I started coloring my hair, and so the cycle continues.
I have never seriously thought of getting any work done and do not think I ever will.

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I think the reason
millennials turn to plastic surgery is
because they think it is an easy fix.
They are right; it is a lot easier to

fix something ugly on the outside than on the inside. They think that maybe if they get the
perfect breasts or nose that they can finally be happy, and maybe they will be for a little while.
However, looks do not last forever so their happiness will fade with them. If we invested in more
sustainable things like education, our careers, family, and friends and put as much time and
energy into them as we do our appearance, the outcome would be monumental.

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I admire the work the doctors on Botched do. They are helping people and doing it in the
safest way possible. However, the money I would spend on a plastic surgery done by them, Ive
now firmly decided to put towards my college tuition.

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Work Cited
The Ancient Secrets of Plastic Surgery. Australia Readers Digest. Australia Readers Digest,
2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Mayo Clinic Staff. Risks. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014
Roberts, Christine. Renee, woman behind viral butt-implant-flipping video, goes viral. Daily
News. Daily News, 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Taylor, Victoria. Woman who could flip her butt implant speaks out against botched surgery.
Daily News. Daily News, 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
Dahl, Melissa. Tormented over their looks. Today Health. Dateline NBC, 2014. Web. 22 Oct.
2014
AFP Relax News. Plastic Surgery Boosts Happiness. Daily News. University of Basel, 2013.
Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Ramsey, Meghan. Why Thinking Youre Ugly is Bad for You. www.ted.com. 2014. Web. 24
Oct. 2014

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