African-American Women and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

Is it Worth It to Go Under the Knife?

How African-American Women Come to Want Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

Sometimes after I have gotten dressed and am on my way to work, I will remain in front of the mirror for a few extra minutes and just evaluate all of my not-so attractive features. “Why can’t my waist be as small as the girls in the magazines?” “How can I get a shapely posterior like the women I see in the music videos?” “Who says breasts must look like helium balloons sitting on your chest like the celebrities have on the red carpet?” 

From time to time, we all look and compare ourselves to the people we see in the mass media and in the back of our minds, we may become somewhat envious of the rock hard abs of Janet or Beyonce’ attention-grabbing bottom? Men, too, cast the evil eye upon LL Cool J’s rippled six-pack and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson specially formulated biceps. 

For several years now, many have ventured out to obtain “true beauty” through plastic surgery, whether it is get larger breasts, a smaller waist or a wrinkle-free face. Their so-called perception of beauty is achieved through a process that is commonly referred to as cosmetic plastic surgery. Cosmetic plastic surgery is a very costly procedure that an individual undergoes to alter and enhance one’s appearance. 

The media has toyed with our minds by having the average person believe that to be considered beautiful, she must be a size negative two with 36DDDs breasts. When the depiction of how a woman should really look, television producers and writers brainstormed a way to get women to feel even worse about their “ordinary” looks. The concoctions they stirred up were such shows as, Extreme Makeover and The Swan. 

First of all, I have sympathy for the women whose self-esteem is so low that they will send in their stories hoping and praying that plastic surgery will somehow improve their lives.