Liposuction -- The Role of Culture and Psychology
View PDF | Print View
by: Guest
Total views: 60
Word Count: 609
The beauty conscious American consumer is treated with a lavish smorgasbord of choices hosted by the present day cosmetic surgery industry. Numerous beauty enhancing procedures are performed with the most popular ones being blepharoplasty (tightening of the eyelids), otoplasty (ears being pinned back), mentoplasty (augmentation of the chin), forehead lifts, hair transplantation (performed by using scalp reduction, strip grafts, and plugs), collagen and fat injections, rhinoplasty (modifying the nose), rhytidectomy (facelift), brachioplasty (arm lift), breast reduction, breast augmentation, mastopexy (breast tightening), abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), penile enlargements and implants, buttock lift, thigh lift, calf implants, pectoral implants, Botox injections (where botulinum toxin is diluted and injected into wrinkles) and liposuction (where a suction cannula is used to remove fat deposits).
The role of psychology in liposuction
Liposuction has become popular partly because of advanced techniques and procedures and partly because of a psychological concept popularized by Viennese psychologist Alfred Adler in the early twentieth century, known as the "inferiority complex". The inferiority complex linked mental health with physical appearance and thereby provided an explanation as to why people felt inferior if they had small breasts, or droopy chins, or protruding buttocks, or bloated abdomens.
Liposuction and other cosmetic surgery procedures provided medical appearance based cures to alleviate their psychological sufferings. Since the concept of beauty is entirely relative, whether a chubby thigh or small breasts are ugly or not was left at the discretion of the patients, with the surgeon only affirming the patients' concerns and trying his best to fix them medically as far as possible. Surgeons found this a legitimate way to cure the deep-rooted psychological concerns of their patients and relieved them of their mental sufferings by medically altering their physical appearance. The essential result was not only enhanced breasts, or firmer abdomens, but also a more and deep lasting psychological contentment. Altering the body cured the suffering of the mind.
The role of social norms and culture in liposuction
Traditionally, psychologists attempted to cure the mind by years of therapeutic conversations about low self-esteem and how to strengthen the id, ego, and the super ego. Now, the cosmetic surgeons within few hours of operation, eliminate the issue of low self-esteem altogether. The patient feels relieved, happy, and contented with the new and much desired body. Feminists feel as their right to reshape their thighs, nose, or breasts. It gives them control over their body and they feel in command of their choices and the right to have the body of their own choice.
The culture and sometimes religion also plays a significant role. The French culture appreciates a "femme d'un certain age" - an older woman looking her age, whose age is marked with wisdom. Hence, liposuction is not much popular in France as there the reality of aging is accepted as a sign of wisdom by the culture of the people. In countries like India, Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Burma where ageing is directly linked to wisdom, liposuction is practically non-existent because beauty of wisdom is regarded more than beauty of the flesh. However, in America, the culture is youth-oriented and image driven, where the visible signs of aging, particularly for women, are markers of declining mental capacities and social status.
The materialistic culture also approves of beauty as a sign of economic competence. A healthy looking individual is likely to earn more than a sick looking individual. Thus in order to be economically appreciated, looks got prioritized. With most Americans tending towards obesity, and with the culture not looking at them in a favorable light, liposuction found a ready and a lucrative market in America.
Related: Liposuction -- The Role of Culture and Psychology
Additional information:
Search or browse the database of Fashion and Beauty resources which have been selected, evaluated and described by subject.
Rating:
Not yet rated
Comments
No comments posted.
Add Comment
You do not have permission to comment. If you
log in, you may be able to comment.
