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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Nicole on June 28, 2010 at 8:59pm

Breast reduction is the most common cosmetic plastic surgery in men. So they are affected by ideals to become manly, to have smooth pecs, six-packs, full heads of hair, strong jawlines, etc. The difference is to what degree these men are affected. Historically, they were not as strongly affected because women chose them based on their ability to provide, but nowadays, because women are self-sufficient, they are able to be pickier in what they want from a man, which means more interest in attractiveness.

I can understand why plastic surgery is appealing to us. We want to breed with the best we can get. Surgery can turn someone from a 5 to an 8 on a 10-point scale, widening our options. It allows you to fix whatever you hated about yourself based on society's ideals or your own perceived flaws. And changing your appearance drastically in a positive manner does really boost self-confidence, which also helps make the person more attractive.

Remember, for most women, your value is on your appearance. Aging is still seen negatively. Being darker tones or ethnic can be considered negative. You aren't just judged by men, either, but also by other women.

I think the greatest ethical issue is doing such cosmetic surgeries on minors, even with parental consent. I do not think a sixteen-year old is ready to understand the implications and potential complications of fixing her nose or enhancing her breasts. Plus, she may find the changes less attractive as she ages and fashions change. Breast enhancements can be removed, but she will never get her old nose back. Note, I'm only talking about cosmetic, not ones considered more necessary in situations like breast reductions for girls who are in pain or fixing hare lips.

For me, physical attraction is more than something than just plastic surgery can fix. So I think I would just keep that person in my friends' zone. Even if they were considering plastic surgery, it wouldn't change enough for me to want more. I don't even know how I ended up with a significant other I'm not physically attracted to. >.>;; But if someone is seriously considering it and understands the risks, then I'd support them, no matter what.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron S. (USA) on June 28, 2010 at 9:21pm

Re: anorexia, I wanted to forward this article by Scientific American: Mind, which goes into the neurological roots of anorexia. Part of the reason women are afflicted with anorexia, it seems, is because women's brains are just more susceptible to the disease due primarily to hormonal differences. This doesn't mean, of course, that body image has nothing to do with the disorder.

On body modification more generally, though, I really feel like it's almost an inherently good thing. What I mean is that none of us get to pick the way we look, it just basically happens to us. Anything that allows people more freedom in deciding how to represent themselves is, in a basic sense, a good thing to me.

Of course, a lot of people are going do whatever they think will make other people like them better, but that seems to be more of an issue with self-confidence than with body modification itself - I mean, people already do the same thing with clothes, music, and everything else.

What would be really cool is if we could all completely customize our own bodies, like in an MMORPG or Stone. Imagine what it would do to gender issues if we could all choose which sex or gender we wanted to be, whenever we wanted to... though I'm getting off topic now.

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on June 28, 2010 at 9:50pm

Anorexia can be about being thin, but it can also be other things. I've met anorexics that didn't want to be adult, sexual beings (since anorexia stunts menstruation and having "womanly" features) and even one who had an eating disorder b/c she thought of how eating was killing other (I'm supposing plant and animal) living beings. I've also heard it can be (unconsciously) a way of making oneself get as close to disappearing as possible. Sort of the same idea as some overeaters "hiding" in an overweight body.

Wanting to change one's appearance, I think, is not such an ethical issue, except that people can become so vain that they neglect "inner beauty" (in other words, they're shallow assholes). What is really unethical though, is making people feel that there is something horribly wrong with how they look. It's all about inventing problems that previously either no one noticed or they took for granted.

You did put body modification in the same discussion as plastic surgery. Each of these is accepted by different groups of people that don't necessarily overlap, yet they are similar. They are done so a person can look the way that they want. There can also be pressure to fit in for either one. I read an interview by Sasha Grey (porn star) where she was saying tattooed chicks are today's girls with breast implants, or something like that, but I didn't really get it. Now I think I see what she is saying.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Jones on June 29, 2010 at 4:40pm

Self improvement is masturbation, Now self destruction, that's the answer.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Jones on June 29, 2010 at 5:10pm

lol It's from fight club. Her post reminds me of the scene where Jack and Tyler are standing on the bus and Jack looks at Tyler and says "Is that what a man is supposed to look like?" And Tyler replies with "Self improvement is masturbation, Now self destruction, that's the answer."

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Permalink Reply by Jezzy on June 29, 2010 at 7:47pm

I'm afraid to improve myself. O_O

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