This diary is an inquiry into the question of cosmetic surgery for women. It arises following a comment I made regarding Jennifer Granholm's recent facial surgery which I noticed when she appeared on one of the Sunday shows. The blowback to my comment was immediate and very negative. It appears that this was not a welcome observation. If you are a feminist, particularly an older one, the topic of cosmetic surgery is likely to be very relevant to you. Perhaps you are ambivalent, perhaps you are angry, perhaps you don't give a rip. Whatever the case, if you care to explore your thoughts with me, please join me below the orange suture line
I live in an affluent part of Northern California and because of my volunteer work, I come in contact with many wealthy people. Invariably, the older women are well groomed, well coiffed, face-lifted, botoxed, and sanded to a smooth perfection. Facial surgery is now the norm for affluent women in this part of the world. A facelift has become, as once described by former SF Chronicle columnist Rob Morse, "ritual mutilation of the wealthy."
It is impossible not to notice and impossible not to wonder why this practice has become so common, even as women are supposedly gaining autonomy and equal rights in our society. The right to age naturally is apparently still far off.
So here are a few questions to ponder, if you wish:
Why do American women submit their faces and their bodies to dangerous and costly surgical procedures, risking infection, loss of vision, loss of function, even death, all in the quest for a different and presumably "better" face to present to the world?
Why is it considered impolite to notice that a face has been altered and that the person you once knew and loved is no longer the same? Is mentioning that someone has had cosmetic surgery considered "shaming, illiberal and anti-feminist?"
Why do some put an inherently dangerous medical intervention on the same level as "getting your haircut or choosing stylish clothes or any of the other innumerable things we do to make ourselves look better?"
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 91% of all cosmetic procedures were performed on women in 2012.
Of these procedures, 48% are performed on women who are 40-54.
11 billion dollars were spent on cosmetic procedures in the US in 2012.
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/...
In spite of recent progress, the worth of a woman is historically and inextricably tied to her youth and to her beauty. When youth fades, so does a woman's value as a mate and in the market place. As a consequence, many women find themselves at such a loss that they go in search of a new face.
Women who are before the public eye are particularly judged by their looks and those who seek to maintain their careers will often submit to multiple plastic surgeries to keep themselves viable, or so the logic goes. Think Barbara Walters, Andrea Mitchell, Nancy Pelosi, Joan Rivers … all aging women who have left body parts or their own life on the cutting floor.
But what if professional women just said "No!?" What if TV anchors and actresses and politicians just accepted their aging in the same way that their male counterparts do? Would that put an end to the expectation that aging women undergo surgery in order to keep their jobs?
With each new facelift that enters the stage, the ante for other women is upped, adding yet another unattainable expectation for those who haven't joined the parade. Not to mention the message that young women receive when their elders trade in their faces for a new one…. what does that say to our daughters?
Lots of questions. No answers.