As a plastic surgery writer, I often wonder when the extremes women are willing to go to “perfect” their bodies will begin to wane. And when the media’s fascination with the topic will start to level off.
Apparently we haven’t hit rock bottom yet. But maybe we're about to.
According to the online versions of The New York Daily News, The Hollywood Reporter and other websites, last week the E! network announced a new “reality” show for this fall called Bridalplasty, in which ten brides-to-be will live in a mansion and compete in wedding-related activities. Each week, one of the women will be voted off. The ten contestants will risk, as the show’s description puts it, walking “away with nothing and [losing] their chance to be the perfect bride.”
Wow.
I know I have said it before, but let me say it again. It does not matter at all that plastic surgery may be performed most often for cosmetic purposes. It’s still surgery and deserves the same rigorous decision making process as any other elective procedure. Like donating one of your kidneys to someone in need, for example, or choosing joint replacement.
Plastic surgery is not the appropriate award for a contest, such as the one E! is planning. It doesn’t make a good gift for your high school graduate, and it’s not something to raffle off to raise funds for an election campaign. (One politician in Venezuela actually did that this year, in case you missed it.)
Why not?
Once in a blue moon, something goes dreadfully wrong during plastic surgery. The ultimate risk is, actually, death. Admittedly this outcome is rare, especially when the patient is in the hands of a board certified plastic surgeon. But it can happen, due to an adverse reaction to anesthesia, blood clot or other unforeseen circumstance. When Bridalplasty dangles plastic surgery as the ultimate prize, it promotes the notion that plastic surgery is highly desirable and gives some brides that don’t have surgery the feeling of being second rate. All this while casting aside the need for a decision making process and sweeping risks under the carpet. It’s irresponsible.
There’s another reason it’s a lousy idea to view plastic surgery as a prize to award or a gift to bestow, especially for a young person. Most cosmetic procedures have possible long-term consequences to consider, and stressed-out brides and young women feeling pressured to look great may not be in the best position to think about the distant future. When you have an expensive, form fitting wedding dress hanging in your closet, size D breasts may seem like just the enhancement you need. Years later, when those size D’s are sagging lower and lower, you may wish you had thought things through more objectively.
Even the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a group that promotes the benefits of plastic surgery, is cautious about gifting procedures to young women. In a podcast in 2008, one member surgeon, calling teenagers “instant gratification people,” commented on plastic surgery as a high school graduation present, “I think it’s a poor choice.”
Finally, even less-invasive treatments like Botox injections and chemical peels can result in complications when provided by an unqualified practitioner. Shows like Bridalplasty will likely drive more demand for a variety of procedures, and people on the fringes of the industry will be only too happy to capitalize on the opportunity. The more the media implies that young women should desire cosmetic improvement, the more vulnerable prospective patients are to untrained people looking to make a buck.
As women who care about the health of our daughters, sisters and friends, what can we do? We can make our voices heard. There’s no mention yet on www.eonline.com of the new show. Join me in watching for it. As launch time nears, let’s vow to tell network executives just what we think of Bridalplasty.
References:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic5827d475c9bb436eb4649cce268c6eb
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_the_bride_wore_bandages_bridalplasty_to_combine_extreme_plastic_surgery_with_wed.html
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/patients_consumers/May-2008-TIPS-Podcast-Transcript-on-Teenage-Plastic-Surgery.pdf