On the Price of Beauty VH1 TV show this week, Jessica Simpson, Ken, and Cacee traveled to Tokyo to explore beauty in Japan. The trio has investigated many facets of beauty around the world. So it's no surprise that plastic surgery would be a topic they encounter on their travels. For some, plastic surgery is the ultimate price of beauty--going under the knife to permanently achieve the "ideal" beauty.
The discussion of plastic surgery has been a hot topic in the US in the past weeks on the heels of Heidi Montag's whopping ten plastic surgery procedures in one day. There is much debate about whether her surgeries improved her appearance. Or, was it a sign of a deeper problem rather than simply an attempt to be more "beautiful." Clearly, we aren't the only country that struggles with the debate between natural beauty and constructed beauty. Jessica Simpson is one of the women who is part of the recent anti-airbrushing movement in Hollywood. She has been joined by Kim Kardashian, Demi Moore and Britney Spears who have chosen to forgo airbrushing for the al natural look in recent magazines. It's a refreshing change from the Ralph Lauren scandal that took airbrushing to an absurd extreme. Dove products has been a forerunner in the movement to show more "real women" in their "campaign for real beauty worldwide." So perhaps, in America, we are seeing a tug of war between two extremes--the Heidi Montag versus Jessica Simpson approach to beauty.
In the show, Jessica seemed genuinely surprised to learn that the number one procedure (by far) in Asia is a form of blepharoplast. Blepharoplast is plastic surgery in which the eyelid is altered to make the eyes appear wider. No sure what this looks like? Click here for an example. A "double eyelid" is created. Bigger eyes are considered more beautiful in Japan. In general, "bigger eyes" are perceived by almost all cultures as beautiful. They contribute to a more youthful and alert appearance (think of the term doe eyes or wide eyed). According to a woman on the show about to undergoing the surgery, it is done to make the eyes larger and more "Western." In the United States, eye widening surgery is not at the top of the list. Instead, plastic surgery is to remove wrinkles and bags from under the eyes.
Jessica seemed taken aback by this concept. She indicated that the shape of the woman's eyes (to her) is what makes her beautiful and "exotic." What Jessica may have been alluding to was that it was part of her ethnicity being altered. A 2001 article in the Journal of American Medicine, discussed the "broader controversy about the role of medicine in either altering or preserving ethnic uniqueness." An unfortunately consequence of trying to define a particular type of beauty is that some ethnic features are getting stripped away or deemed unattractive (the examples they gave were Italian nose, Jewish nose, African American nose). Your ethnicity, no matter what it is, is part of what makes you beautiful and unique.
Jessica asked the woman why she would want this surgery. The woman told a story about being teased many years ago in school about her eyes. It doesn't matter where you live. Teasing leaves deep scars on self-esteem. Unfortunately, plastic surgery does not always erase these words from your head.
We aren't done with topic of plastic surgery. Next week on the show, Jessica and friends head to Rio. Rio has one of the highest rates of plastic surgery in the world.
By Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist and author of the new book, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, Eating Mindfully, Mindful Eating 101 and Eat, Drink & Be Mindful.
www.eatingmindfully.com
