Since Hollywood has been producing films, there has been a tone for what constitutes beauty. Now, being in the twenty-first century, society is more inundated with models and celebrities through pop culture channels such as reality TV, magazines, Instagram, and snapchat. In western society particularly, children are exposed to societal standards and pressures from a young age, consequentially resulting in the dissatisfaction of their appearance and acceptance of plastic surgery. Surgeons and society present cosmetic surgery as a form of maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of one’s natural beauty, and Dr. Philip Solomon is no different. Now owning three practices and being one of the best plastic surgeons in Toronto, Dr. Solomon is a strong advocate for improving personal health such as one’s self-esteem and insecurities through reconstructive surgeries. As depicted on the main page of the website, “project your best face forward,” places viewers under the assumption that there is always room for improvement and their current state may not be socially acceptable as their best possible face. The wide range of procedures available at Dr. Solomon’s office ranges from facial contouring, dimple creation, rhinoplasties, transgender surgeries, and the list goes on. Cosmetic surgery seems to be a personal choice, but unfortunately, the choice may not be wholly created on its own, there are significant social and cultural factors that play a role through the priming of children, media influences, and even parental powers.
Children from a young age are exposed to unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of beauty and body image. Disney’s portrayal of princesses is a constant reaffirmation that the beautiful and thin princess always receives a happy ending and those characters that are “fat” or “ugly,” often characterized with moles or uneven skin complexions are depicted as evil creatures. The message subconsciously sent to children viewing this content is that only when they meet societal expectations of beauty will they too receive their fairy-tale happy ending. The production of Barbie sends a similar message as well. The disproportionate measure between Barbie’s breast size, waist, and legs is unrealistic for any woman to achieve healthily without plastic surgery. Men are also not excluded from the societal advertising of physical physique. The Barbie Ken doll also display unrealistic muscular body proportions that often drive men to the use of steroids or plastic surgery to meet certain expectations and standards of an acceptable body type. The increasing standards to what is acceptable as a definition of beauty has affected the way men and women both choose romantic partners, and what is considered necessary when choosing a mate.
The way plastic surgery has now been portrayed in reality TV sets the tone that it is less invasive and easier than ever. The technological advances in equipment have reduced the cost, making it more accessible than ever before and available to anyone. Cosmetic surgery has become normalized and penetrated almost all aspects of societal realms. Surgeons like Dr. Solomon are simply reaping the benefits of an unsatisfied population wishing to meet societal standards of beauty. The beauty industry is one of the most dominating markets regarding revenue, and unfortunately, It is a very lucrative business for those who are endorsing its visions. Dr. Solomon chooses to view the mental health of a patient and their perception of themselves. Health is not merely the absence or presence of disease, but can also be compromised through exclusion and rejection from society. Cosmetic surgery is simply an outlet and alternative to the pressures created through the socio-cultural expectation of beauty; it is not the initial problem. Cosmetic surgery should be chosen to feel more confident in one’s own skin, not to adhere to social standards or gain acceptance, this is when plastic surgery becomes an unhealthy practice.
