i think it's fantastic. it can be very jarring not seeing yourself as you want to be in the mirror. it helps connect your mind and body if you feel a disconnect. it's a bit like tattoos. i got a little face tat and now i like my face more because it's my own, if that makes any sense. i'd never get plastic surgery or any sort of botox treatment, though. i'd like to look how i naturally am. if i gain weight, if i get wrinkles, that's okay. it just means my experiences and my life so far are being mapped out on my body and i think it's very beautiful. we are all given a body to inhabit, a mixture of your parents, genes from people you'll never know. you have the face of a woman that came many years before you. it's up to you whether you want to change that, but your origins will always be coded within you.

trashysweetheart wrote:

i think it's fantastic. it can be very jarring not seeing yourself as you want to be in the mirror. it helps connect your mind and body if you feel a disconnect. it's a bit like tattoos. i got a little face tat and now i like my face more because it's my own, if that makes any sense. i'd never get plastic surgery or any sort of botox treatment, though. i'd like to look how i naturally am. if i gain weight, if i get wrinkles, that's okay. it just means my experiences and my life so far are being mapped out on my body and i think it's very beautiful. we are all given a body to inhabit, a mixture of your parents, genes from people you'll never know. you have the face of a woman that came many years before you. it's up to you whether you want to change that, but your origins will always be coded within you.

That sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this topic. I really like your arguments both for and against it.

hm. i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with getting plastic surgery, but i'm worried about people who get things done in an unconscious effort to live up to an unrealistic standard perpetuated by media. if someone is like, "yes bitch i want to look like this celebrity i'm even gonna see the same surgeon i know what i'm doing," that's fine, you do you. but i worry that a lot of people, particularly young women, spend a lot of time scrolling through instagram and see all these 'perfect' people and it's hurting their self esteem, and plastic surgery won't fix that at the end of the day. social media detox will.

i'd like to get a few things done but i know damn well the moment i do i still won't be 100% happy with myself and i'll discover some other flaws that need fixing and i cannot afford that shit! so plastic surgery is not the right choice for me personally... but if it's something that makes you happy with yourself and your issues with self esteem are fully internal and not from some external source like social media, go for it! if it's an informed decision and it makes you happy, that's what matters. 

cowgirl wrote:

hm. i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with getting plastic surgery, but i'm worried about people who get things done in an unconscious effort to live up to an unrealistic standard perpetuated by media. if someone is like, "yes bitch i want to look like this celebrity i'm even gonna see the same surgeon i know what i'm doing," that's fine, you do you. but i worry that a lot of people, particularly young women, spend a lot of time scrolling through instagram and see all these 'perfect' people and it's hurting their self esteem, and plastic surgery won't fix that at the end of the day. social media detox will.

i'd like to get a few things done but i know damn well the moment i do i still won't be 100% happy with myself and i'll discover some other flaws that need fixing and i cannot afford that shit! so plastic surgery is not the right choice for me personally... but if it's something that makes you happy with yourself and your issues with self esteem are fully internal and not from some external source like social media, go for it! if it's an informed decision and it makes you happy, that's what matters. 

cowgirl wrote:

hm. i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with getting plastic surgery, but i'm worried about people who get things done in an unconscious effort to live up to an unrealistic standard perpetuated by media. if someone is like, "yes bitch i want to look like this celebrity i'm even gonna see the same surgeon i know what i'm doing," that's fine, you do you. but i worry that a lot of people, particularly young women, spend a lot of time scrolling through instagram and see all these 'perfect' people and it's hurting their self esteem, and plastic surgery won't fix that at the end of the day. social media detox will.

i'd like to get a few things done but i know damn well the moment i do i still won't be 100% happy with myself and i'll discover some other flaws that need fixing and i cannot afford that shit! so plastic surgery is not the right choice for me personally... but if it's something that makes you happy with yourself and your issues with self esteem are fully internal and not from some external source like social media, go for it! if it's an informed decision and it makes you happy, that's what matters. 

wow you're out here with the real t. I think you're totally spot on

cowgirl wrote:

hm. i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with getting plastic surgery, but i'm worried about people who get things done in an unconscious effort to live up to an unrealistic standard perpetuated by media. if someone is like, "yes bitch i want to look like this celebrity i'm even gonna see the same surgeon i know what i'm doing," that's fine, you do you. but i worry that a lot of people, particularly young women, spend a lot of time scrolling through instagram and see all these 'perfect' people and it's hurting their self esteem, and plastic surgery won't fix that at the end of the day. social media detox will.

i'd like to get a few things done but i know damn well the moment i do i still won't be 100% happy with myself and i'll discover some other flaws that need fixing and i cannot afford that shit! so plastic surgery is not the right choice for me personally... but if it's something that makes you happy with yourself and your issues with self esteem are fully internal and not from some external source like social media, go for it! if it's an informed decision and it makes you happy, that's what matters. 

i think you really hit the points i wanted to with this post. i'm going to sort of branch off from this and powerlevel for a moment here.

i think we could talk endlessly about the psychosocial implications of wanting plastic surgery, how it intersects with the beauty standards in society, the mental health of our people, etc. at what point are we doing it for 'ourselves' versus for our image? and, as someone studying medicine, at what point should i care about the health of the patients, and the safety of the procedures?

i think ideally i would treat plastic surgery as something much like say, a piercing or a tattoo. i don't think i wanted piercings as a kid because i felt insecure without my nose pierced, i did it because it looked cool (and because i had tequila and safety pins lying around, but that's a different story..) and that might be the best way of looking at it. 

plastic surgery (including 'extreme' body mods like say, tongue splitting or something) is awesome, because we're given the opportunity to shape and mold ourselves into something with the power that medicine has given us. i love that and think its dope as fuck. from something as 'mild' as say, lip injections, all the way to horn implants (which i wouldn't really recommend but they definitely look cool) the freedom to do that is so important and like, incredibly cool. i think that if it wasn't so taboo or shameful, and that we didn't treat people like vapid bimbos for wanting bigger breasts or fuller hips, it would make these procedures safer and might have a more positive impact on those who get them.

at the same time, i think that we also have to truly tackle why we feel influenced to get some of these surgeries to begin with. there's no models that are influencing us to get horns or fangs, but we are definitely influenced to want slimmer tummies, wider hips, smaller noses etc etc, and that poses a huge issue for me. we should see plastic surgery of any kind as something fun and optional and not something that influences or defines our worth as a person.

tl;dr plastic surgery cool, body dysmorphia drool

it's not exactly a black and white situation. i think plastic surgery is fine!!! do whatever u want with ur body!!!!! however i feel there are negative effects especially how normalized it is now. the way everyone on instagram (for example) fits into this ridiculous beauty standard now is jarring if u think about it. and nobody ever admits to it- they all say it's natural which causes people (younger women specifically) to believe that this is the standard they should be living up to. i hate to admit it because u always think "im fully aware of the issue, it wont get to me" but sometimes it rly does. i sometimes find myself wondering why i dont naturally look like these women?? despite being fully aware that a lot of what is portrayed isn't as genuine??? imagine what it's like for younger people who dont know any better ://

anyway i think theres more to say but now im rly lazy to get into it lol :crying emoji:
but tl;dr theres no shame in plastic surgery, by all means do what u want with ur body!!! it's just with the normalization of it there are negative effects :/

coleco wrote:

cowgirl wrote:

hm. i don't think there's anything inherently wrong with getting plastic surgery, but i'm worried about people who get things done in an unconscious effort to live up to an unrealistic standard perpetuated by media. if someone is like, "yes bitch i want to look like this celebrity i'm even gonna see the same surgeon i know what i'm doing," that's fine, you do you. but i worry that a lot of people, particularly young women, spend a lot of time scrolling through instagram and see all these 'perfect' people and it's hurting their self esteem, and plastic surgery won't fix that at the end of the day. social media detox will.

i'd like to get a few things done but i know damn well the moment i do i still won't be 100% happy with myself and i'll discover some other flaws that need fixing and i cannot afford that shit! so plastic surgery is not the right choice for me personally... but if it's something that makes you happy with yourself and your issues with self esteem are fully internal and not from some external source like social media, go for it! if it's an informed decision and it makes you happy, that's what matters. 

i think you really hit the points i wanted to with this post. i'm going to sort of branch off from this and powerlevel for a moment here.

i think we could talk endlessly about the psychosocial implications of wanting plastic surgery, how it intersects with the beauty standards in society, the mental health of our people, etc. at what point are we doing it for 'ourselves' versus for our image? and, as someone studying medicine, at what point should i care about the health of the patients, and the safety of the procedures?

i think ideally i would treat plastic surgery as something much like say, a piercing or a tattoo. i don't think i wanted piercings as a kid because i felt insecure without my nose pierced, i did it because it looked cool (and because i had tequila and safety pins lying around, but that's a different story..) and that might be the best way of looking at it. 

plastic surgery (including 'extreme' body mods like say, tongue splitting or something) is awesome, because we're given the opportunity to shape and mold ourselves into something with the power that medicine has given us. i love that and think its dope as fuck. from something as 'mild' as say, lip injections, all the way to horn implants (which i wouldn't really recommend but they definitely look cool) the freedom to do that is so important and like, incredibly cool. i think that if it wasn't so taboo or shameful, and that we didn't treat people like vapid bimbos for wanting bigger breasts or fuller hips, it would make these procedures safer and might have a more positive impact on those who get them.

at the same time, i think that we also have to truly tackle why we feel influenced to get some of these surgeries to begin with. there's no models that are influencing us to get horns or fangs, but we are definitely influenced to want slimmer tummies, wider hips, smaller noses etc etc, and that poses a huge issue for me. we should see plastic surgery of any kind as something fun and optional and not something that influences or defines our worth as a person.

tl;dr plastic surgery cool, body dysmorphia drool

as long as youre not putting your body in danger and youre not making impulsive decisions, go for it! i feel like as a trans person im a bit more sympathetic to the idea of needing plastic surgery to be okay with yourself. i had top surgery in october 2018 and its the best decision ive ever made.