American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2008 Statisitcs
- 10 million + surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in the United States
- Since 1997, there has been over 162 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures
-Breast Augmentation Procedures: 355,671
- Liposuction Procedures: 341,114
- Eyelid Surgery: 195,104
- Rhinoplasty: 152,434
- Abdominoplasty- 147,392
*Interesting Fact: Nearly one thousand breast augmentations were performed in a single day in the United States (this only includes the actually surgery, not consultations and after-surgery checkups)
Brest Augmentation has been around for decades. The followin is a timeline to represent the different methods of breast augmentation throughout history.
1890′s: Introduction of paraffin injections
- Paraffin was injected into a women’s breast which led to future complications and is currently only performed in the Middle East
1920′s- Fat Transplants
- Fat tissue from the abdomen and buttocks was transferred to the bresasts. The fat tissue from the breasts often abosorbed the transferred tissue resulting lobsided breasts.
1940′s – Silicone Injections
- These were quite popular until there were defestating complications. This procedure is discontinued.
1962- Silicone and Saline Implants
- The implants most widely used today were invented.
The silicone rubber shell : -Cured polymeric silicones
-20% of finely powdered silica that is tightly bound to the silicone polymers
-Small amounts of smaller silicones
-Minute amounts (parts per million) of metals, including a metal catalyst (usually tin, zinc, or platinum)
-Traces of readily evaporating materials (volatiles), such as xylene and other organic compounds.
Inside the rubber shell: -Implants are filled during the operation with a fixed volume of saline through a valve.
-The saline or saline solution is a sterile solution of sodium chloride, better known as salt mixed with water.
It is popular among hit reality shows and Discovery Health, but what exactly is breast augmentation?
Breast augmentation is the enlargement of a women’s breast which normally consists of inserting silicone bags under the actual breast or breast muscle. This pair of silicone bags is normally filled with saline, or saltwater. This act of prosthesis expands the breast area to give a fuller breast, or an increased cup size as well as more cleavage. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic procedure performed in the United States.
In the past many blacks and African-Americans were ridiculed for receiving surgeries to create a more European appearance. Experts say, however, that the Michael Jackson poster child days are over. Due to TV and internet advocated awareness many blacks are going to surgeons and asking to enhance their natural looks. Men and women alike come in wanting to create a balance in their body while still maintaining their “ethnic beauty.” An example of this would be an upper lip augmentation in order to alleviate a small upper lip with a larger bottom lip. Major surgeries for the black minority include rhinoplasty or a nose job, eyelid surgery and liposuction.
Cultura: Care for All Cultures
Many experts, like Dr. Harris, believe that the increase in black plastic surgeries is due to the fact that a more diverse group of surgeons is becoming available to the immediate public. One of the leading plastic surgery centers for all cultures is center known as Cultura. Washington D.C.’s renowned clinic, Cultura, is showcased as one of the top five leading skin care specialists by “O” magazine. The center’s mission is to celebrate the differences of all cultures and enhance their natural attributes, which was brought about by CEO and founder of Cultura, Dr. Battle, and his aid in the new generation of “color blind,” cosmetic surgery. This center is a safe haven for all those in search of a clinic that understands the different needs of every skin color.
Reasons for Increased Numbers 1. The cost of surgeries has significantly dropped
2. More African-American surgeons are becoming available
3. Improve, safer Technology
4. Amount of surgery and healing time has decreased
5. Ability to keep natural features
Colombia is one of the four leading countries for plastic surgeries, the others being the US, Brazil and Mexico. After its’ recent boom in cosmetic surgeries, many clinics and surgeons are looking for new ways to advertise, with the objective of raising the awareness of a certain surgeon. The first picture of the collage shows a woman with the word antes, before, on the back of her shirt. This represents the chest of a woman before plastic surgery. The next photo shows the front side of the woman with the word despues, after, symbolizing the results of a surgical implant. The idea behind these shirts is to have the surgeons’ clientele wear them to clubs and bars, in which they are regular consumers, in hopes of spreading awareness. This form of creative advertisement clearly uses the pathos mode of rhetoric. Whether these advertising models are seen on a flyer or actually in the club or bar, viewers’ hearts are tugged in wanting to have a similar good time. The location itself, a club or bar, taps into a person’s natural instinct of selection. A male is more likely to talk, associate, dance, etc. with a female he is attracted to. The viewer, most likely a frequent club or bar customer, is roped into the thought of acceptance and rejection. One wants to be accepted. Who would want to be left out of a good time? One also dislikes the thought of rejection. No one likes to be the thought of not being good enough. This form of advertisement clearly expresses that one is more likely to be accepted at these places when they have the best appearance, and the only way to have the best appearance for female is through breast implants. Although I personally find this rather disgusting, I applaud this imaginative form of advertisement. I have yet to see something similar to this situation of cosmetic surgery advertising in the US, but if the results in Colombia are still increasing the surgeon’s awareness I’m sure it will show up around here soon.
Conformity is defined as the process by which an individual’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are influenced by other people. Remind you of anything? Maybe buying that plaid shirt because your friend convinced you to try it out. Wait until the goverment starts convincing us to “try” things out. Anyway, I think this photo goes along with my theme of cosmetic surgery. One gets surgery, recieves attention, others want attention and the cycle continues. Nice way to view society today, right?
Above is a Dove “film,” in which in a little over a minute exposes the meaning of beauty as deemed by society. One blink and a whole division of “beauty” will be missed. Although I am thoroughly amazed by this commercial, I cannot get over the hypocrisy of it all. For those who are not aware, Dove is a brand of the company known was Unilever. Other familiar personal “care” brands of Unilever are Axe and Slim-Fast.
How can a company have a brand that supports “inner-beauty” distribute products that use over-sexualized women as a means of advertisement? This form of advertisement is exactly what is fostering that little red-head’s definition of beauty.
Further, how can Unilever discriminate the ads used in its commercial for supplements and pills when it markets it’s very own weight-loss product.
Some may say that Dove cannot control what Unilever does, seeing as it is the parent company. Even so, can Dove still claim to be moral? But then again, what does morality have anything to do with capitalism? When I first watched this commercial I was in awe. I could not believe in a single minute I viewed “beauty” become enhanced, improved, impaired and then mutilated throughout its years of development. I thought Dove was amazing for bringing this problem to attention and promoting self-esteem programs, then it hit me. This commercial is nothing but a marketing idea to increase sales. Yes, the Campaign for Real Beauty may have influenced a few girls life’s but in all honesty, if a mother in high-waisted jeans were to sit down and talk to her daughter, absolutely nothing will be accomplished except one thing. What will be accomplished? Think about it. What will both parties remember? Dove. They will remember the name Dove, in which case the commercial achieved what it set out to do. Personally, I find using something has susceptible, as self-esteem, to markets one’s product revolting. Yet it is the society in which we live.
As I have already discussed, human beings strive to stand out in a positive way. Americans, especially, will seemingly go through what ever necessary surgeries or procedures they must to gain acceptance from society. In this commercial, a girl probably in her early twenties is sitting at a bar with a man pouring her a glass of water. Right from the start this commercial oozes with pathos. The location, an empty, rather nice café with its own bar, and situation, a woman alone with a man, initiates the pathos feeding into the viewer’s brain. In this type of location, humans’ hormones are in the rise which is clearly demonstrated between the eye contact and “flirtatious” smiles between the two. It’s human nature to desire the attention of the opposite sex and as the commercial furthers, it is realized that the woman feels the only way to receive male attention is to have the perfect look. In this case to achieve this she has decided to uplift her chest by stuffing. The man notices this and makes a face at the woman in dissatisfaction. At this point another woman walks in and the man, still pouring the glass of water, is obviously pleased with the augmentation of her breasts and becomes distracted and overfills the glass. At this point the commercial is using the idea of acceptance and rejection to play into the viewer’s emotions. The viewer, most like sympathetic and embarrassed for the first woman, does not want to be caught in a similar situation, most likely coming to the conclusion that in order to be accepted by society the perfect look must be obtained. The commercial attempts to convince its viewers that the only way to achieve this look and acceptance is through plastic surgery.
