One of my colleagues recently had an eye lift and I have to say I couldn´t detect any difference.  That apart, I wondered what it was that drove people to undergo plastic surgery (apart from injury/disfigurement/medical).  I´ve even heard that people can become addicted to it.  I would never contemplate it myself .

Anyone any thoughts?

I used to be totally against plastic surgery.  However, there are some conditions that are vastly improved by it.  I have a friend who had her eyelids done too but it was because her lids were actually impairing her vision.....and of course it looks so much better. 

I don´t think there is anything wrong with being concerned with your appearance but I feel people can go WAY overboard.

+1

I am not really against it at all - if it makes people feel more confident and better about themselves.  If they become addicted that is their own problem and at least does not hurt anyone else

 Well that sounds more of a necessity.

I agree with WT too, that it can help people feel better about themselves. But then again, I wonder if some are driven to it because of all those airbrushed photos they see of models and celebrities in magazines. 

I think the fear of what could go wrong also would prevent me from seeking cosmetic surgery. 

 Like this you mean:

Jocelyn Wildenstein - Plastic Surgery Addict! - know as ´The Bride of Wildenstein´ or ´The Lion Queen´.  She has reportedly spent over £2 million on plastic surgery.  She is 68 now - but I think these photos are from 6-8 years ago!.

My source is:  General knowledge - I knew about her anyway! + good old Wikipedia

That makes Bulent Ersoy look beatiful indeed.

 Truly sad and disturbing but an exception to the rule!  This woman actually wanted to look like a cat.....hmmmmm....her nickname is catwoman....I wonder............

Anyway, I digress....of course there are people who overdo but I think the vast majority of people just have a few things they want to improve upon. 

I see nothing wrong with it and it´s most certainly a personal choice!   Who am I do to judge someone else for wanting to have it done?

Well, I am not at a point YET where I have seriously thought about it.  BUT....I don´t know how I will feel 10 or 15 years from now looking at old pictures of myself that I know were not airbrushed.  I know I am not a supermodel in a magazine but I can see myself wanting to look better if I can.  I don´t think I would change anything but I wouldn´t mind having things as they were. 

And I think this goes back to the question: why is there this obsession with women´s beauty? why do women have to look ´beautiful´? why do we care about our image that is clearly only for other people? I think that this obsession with ´beauty´ is one of those dangling carrots that advertisers use against us to make us feel bad and compelled to buy their products.

What this ´beauty´ obsession is doing, I think, it makes us not appreciate our bodies the way they are and it makes us out of sync with the real life and the changes that it brings... we have this obsession with being young and ´pretty´ in a very narrow way, but being old is not bad and it´s better to enjoy it the way it is then to obsess about being something we are not...

 And you are what....20....something???  hehehe

Just because you want to look good doesn´t mean you want to look beautiful for other people.  And just because you want to fix something doesn´t mean you don´t appreciate yourself.  I am not obsessed about beauty but I do want to look how I feel.  Sometimes the outside does not reflect what a person feels on the inside.

I don´t think there is anything wrong with wanting to look good.

Taking care of our looks doesn´t mean we´re obsessed with it. If you put on make-up, shave, have more than 3 items of each piece of clothes in your wardrobe it means you care about how you look. It is why you do it that makes you slave to the fashion industry or not. If you like looking good and you are able to look good, then you don´t have a problem. It doesn´t matter if you achieve it by make up or surgery. But if you´re victim of the image promoted by media, no matter how many surgeries you will have, you´ll never be happy with yourself.

 +1

Completely agree with you Lis.  Going back to the initial post, PT said she could see no difference after her colleague´s surgery.  But, I am very certain, that the woman FELT different, more confident and happier.  That is all that matters

 I have a friend who has had a tummy tuck, breast enlargements, eyelifts and even her thighs worked on.  But I can tell you she is STILL not happy with herself.  Sometimes when your broken in the inside it doesn´t matter what you do to the outside to repair what´s damaged.

If women want to have plastic surgery to make them feel better or to be more confident, I´m all for it.  But sometimes plastic surgery isn´t the answer to their insecurities.  I guess that´s why some women become obsessed with it.

Now me personally, I have my wish list..

Most women who have plastic surgery need a psychlogical assessment in my opinion.  What are they trying to hind from?  Will it make you any happier?  Will it save your marriage?  The same problems with be there as before, you will have just parted with a big wadge of cash and made some plastic surgeon a bit richer.

Some people who have had disasters from plastic surgery and not only women:

Michael Jackson

Micky O´Rourke

Lesley Ash

Pete Burns

Tori Spelling

Hilary Duff

Donnatella Versace

Melanie Griffiths

and I would guess that is just the tip of the iceburg...............  These people have been disfigured for the rest of their lives.

So go ahead and have some major surgery to look better

+1

I don´t think either canim but I think that this innocent idea has been exploited quite a lot by our lovely patriarchal capitalism, so I think it´s important to examine it in the right context... it´s not a coincidence that the US has probably the highest rates of plastic surgeries, depression in women and girls because of self image issues and the most aggressive advertising and increasingly more pornographic media... 

And... I will check in every time I enter a new decade of my life to confirm that I still uphold my views..

 I agree with this point. 

I also believe that a doctor who does surgery on a patient who is obviously suffering from plastic surgery addiction or some kind of other psychological problem is extremely irresponsible. 

Just as an aside, has anyone noticed the OB/GYN doctors are starting to share practices with plastic surgeons?  I find this a little disturbing, personally.

 Excuse me for saying this but . . . that would bring a whole new meaning to the phrase "having a face like a slapped backside" 

I completely agree.......

My girlfriend wants an eye lift and is determined to get it done as soon as she gets money from a house sale even though I am totally against it.

She reckons that she will feel good about herself once it´s done but, even if she does look better (which I doubt will be the case) she will only find something else that she doesn´t like about herself.

Although if I´m honest, if I could change the one thing I don´t like about my body (my lack of hair) then I probably would!

 ha ha

I don´t think I would ever......but you never know an odd nip and tuck here and there may be required  

I think what is the point of going under anesthesia ( which has it´s fair share of life threatening risk) when it is not necessary. I understand situations when someone´s quality of life is soo affected by the way they look that it may be deemed appropriate.

surgery for surgery´s sake?? i´m not keen

 ha ha

I don´t think I would ever......but you never know an odd nip and tuck here and there may be required  

I think what is the point of going under anesthesia ( which has it´s fair share of life threatening risk) when it is not necessary. I understand situations when someone´s quality of life is soo affected by the way they look that it may be deemed appropriate.

surgery for surgery´s sake?? i´m not keen

 My thought indeed! +1

More than 3 items of each piece of clothing.........OMG

Last time I counted I had something like 70 pairs of trousers, 30 pairs of shorts, 50 skirts and I don´t think I have ever counted tops........