F L A W L E S S: Top 5 Most Common Plastic Surgeries

Hello my beauties:)
(pppsssstttttt: don't forget to check out my latest Adios Barbie article about gym culture) 

Whenever I talk about my idol Lana Del Rey, I can't help but yell in my most obnoxious white girl voice: EH MA GAWD LANA IS LITERALLY FLAWLESS. SHE HAS NO FLAAAHWS.

I know, I know, it's not amazingly body positive of me, but I just can't contain my LanaLove.
I don't really mean it, of course, I'm sure Lana has some sort of flaw, like an eyebrow hair out of place, but I find it interesting that we use and abuse the idea of flawlessness, even facetiously.

I am someone who still struggles to find peace in imperfection, on my body and in my life, and I know I am not alone. I, like, know, that perfection is unobtainable, but the voices inside my head, at the end of a long hard day can tell me otherwise. I don't want just the stars; I want the sun and the moon and the supernovas. I want it all and I want it now.

I know, impossible, so I've been told.
But what if it wasn't, just for a day?
What if you could reach out and snatch away all the stars in the sky?
What if you had all the means and opportunities to hold Venus in the palm of your hand?
What if you could have perfection? What would it look like? 

---TOP 5 MOST COMMON AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERIES--- 

It's important to look at the most common aesthetic plastic surgery operations performed today to get a real sense of beauty priorities. I've written about this before, but in a world where it seems you can fix all your flaws with a snap of your fingers, what's the first thing you would make "right"?
(list according to Discovery's Fit and Health magazine)

5. Tummy Tuck 

Get A Flat Stomach Or Die Trying 

Pot bellies are so last season.
I can't say my jaw dropped when I read that over 134,746 tummy tucks were performed in 2005; we live in a culture that idolizes a flat stomach.

What really fascinated me was that 96% of those surgeries were on women! 
I've learned that more men than we think get these kinds of surgeries, but this statistic demonstrates an abhorring double standard when it comes to beauty and the belly.

Suck in your gut when you're taking a picture! 
Do those extra crunches for those bikini body abs!
Buy those Spanx to smooth out your food baby!

UGH. MEN. SOCIETY. 
I'm already frustrated, and we're only at number 5

Is it sad that the Golden Girls are my beauty idols? 

4. Eyelid Surgery

Now this is something I wasn't expecting!
Perhaps because it is practiced on an older demographic I hadn't heard of this procedure as often as others on this list, but this is no different than any other age-defying surgery.

If your wallet can afford the the fountain of youth, go ham, but I'd like to remind some of my older readers that many beautiful women, such as Betty White, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep, rock their age like no 23 year old can.

3. Breast Augmentation

Oooookay, let's get real.
I have many a-girlfriends, and we talk about anything and everything under the sun, and yes, that includes boobs. 
So I know about boob jobs and their appeal.

To be perfectly honest, I would never get mine done, because I don't need a ton of help in said department. 
Also, Victoria's Secret, anyone?

But I think, like all aesthetic procedures, this decision has to come from you.
It won't fix a crazy low self esteem.
And It won't make men want to marry you (at least not the right kind).

However, if you just want to boost your bust because it's something YOU want to do, then by all means, curve away!
PS: Keep in mind, the bigger the cup size, the bigger the back problems. And running is hard. And stairs. My life is an eternal struggle. 

2. Rhinoplasty (nose job)

This might be the most fascinating of them all. 
Because there is such a thing as objectively speaking "smaller breasts" or "baggy eyelids".

But a nose that's too big? Too pointy? Too round? 
That's entirely subjective, which brings up some serious body image issues.

Out of all the ones previously mentioned, this surgery is the one that is most likely to be done more than once: It's not small enough yet! Not pointy enough! Still too crooked!

Never happy with the results, even after your 4th or 5th procedure? 
Guess what honey. It's not the nose that's the problem. 
It's your self esteem. 

I know many feel insecure about their schnauzer, but the beautiful thing about the subjectivity of nose size and proportion is that no one gets to decide what nose is perfect for you.

Have a round belly? That may be a fact. 
But having a "hideous" nose? That's entirely up to you. So vote NO on the body negative ballot, and choose to love that damn thing. 

1. Liposuction  

Ahhhhhh, the Occident's fiercest enemy: fat.
The mother of all plastic surgery, as it targets your "problem areas" as you see fit:

Want your thighs shrinked? Doable
Want your arms toned down? Doable
Want your hips narrowed? Doable
HOW BOUT THAT THIGH GAP? Sure (or is it...read more here)

I've written time and time again about the fear of fat, and it's just plain ridiculous that this is still an issue.
Body weight, BMI, fat %, none of it indicated beauty.
And also, by the way, beauty does not indicate anything either, especially not self-worth.

Again, do what you want, it's your body!
But loving yourself seems to be quite a cheaper option.

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I hope you all have a wonderful day.
Please love yourself, make smart choices, and smile.

xoxo

Gabby

Plastic Surgery Addiction?!

Hello my gorgeous fudgies :)


I have often been prompted to talk about the ever so controversial topic of PLASTIC SURGERY! 

Indeed, you are all apparently dying to hear my thoughts on this growing epidemic known as the cosmetic surgery fad. I do stress the use of the word cosmetic:  used or done superficially to make something look better, more attractive, or more impressive (dictionary.com), because the opinion I am about to promulgate is solely based on cosmetic, superficial alterations, therefore excluding procedures for burn or severe accident victims. 

Now. Let's dig in. 

Many people automatically assume I am staunchly opposed to plastic surgery, because I advocate self-acceptance, healthy body image and body positivity. And while I'm not exactly out on the streets preaching its benefits, I am not against it either. I happen to be incredibly liberal about these sorts of things: Doesn't affect me? Knock yourself out. 

The same theory applies to this particular subject, yet I still want to examine the causes behind this decision a little more closely, especially in relation to this idea of a plastic surgery addiction. 

I don't doubt that there are people who undergo these surgeries who are in it for all the right, healthy reasons: They are not getting it because:

1. They have been teased, bullied or pressured into it by peers

2. They think they can finally achieve perfection (LOL)

3. They think life will simply get easier (career, relationship, and self-esteem problems? POOF ALL GONE)

These people are likely to get the surgery, be content, and then that's that. 

But there is also an alarming percentage of cosmetic surgery undertakers for whom the outcome is completely different than the one formerly mentioned. 

Sure, they are happy with the surgery. For a while. 

But then it's not enough. They need something else fixed, plucked, smoothed, boosted, and plumped.

And then another, and another, until they are knee deep in silicone and debt. 

But the problem is not the surgeries themselves, we know they don't have to be that way.

What's really going on here?

The problem is not the crooked nose, or the flat chest. If they were, their alterations would have set the other person free.

The real problem is inside the person's head. It's a fixation he or she has created, constantly obsessing over this infinitely tiny portion of their whole. 

The obsession has nothing to do with the "flaw" itself. It is just a sublimation of the individual's deeply troubled body image and self-esteem. 

Completely unaware of this, he or she goes and gets the miracle surgery that will fix EVERYTHING. 

Right? As we know all too well, wrong, because it will satisfy them for a while, but the poor self esteem will creep back in, and find something else to be consumed by. 

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Those are my thoughts on the subject.
If you want to undergo a cosmetic surgery, I won't stand in your way. But think long and hard about your motives, and your relationship with yourself.

Personally, I wouldn't get one, because I know for a fact I won't ever be perfect, so why bother with fancy expensive surgeries when I can be perfectly happy with what I got?
Also, needles and scalps and chainsaws? (okay, maybe not the last one) DON'T THINK SO.

Whew that was a long one, but I was in need of a long scientific ramble.
Have a fantastic week my loves <3

xoxo
Gabby