What do actress Gwyneth Paltrow and reality-show star Heidi Montag have in common? Shunning previous stigmas, they are part of the increasing number of women who view plastic surgery as an acceptable way to improve self-confidence:
"It's not like, 'Oh let's do this for fun.' My breasts...really bothered me, [and were something] that I'd been living with and really insecure about my whole life. Now I'm happy and I'm good. No more surgery for me." – Heidi Montag, Us Weekly
"I think women who have breastfed understand what I'm saying…Everybody should do what makes them feel good and happy as long as they are not starving themselves to death. But if you can eat in a healthy way and keep exercising and get a little something done here and there, why not? I'm sure when the time comes, I'll be in there doing something." – Gwyneth Paltrow, Allure
Gwyneth and Heidi are only two of the many women openly speaking about plastic surgery, whether it’s breast reshaping, lifting or augmenting. Breast augmentation surgery surpassed liposuction as the number one surgical cosmetic procedure for women in 2006, with more than 380,000 procedures performed. According to a recent survey from the National Women's Health Resource Center:
- 53 percent of women say they are more accepting of breast augmentation than they used to be.
- 63 percent agree that women who have breast augmentation surgery are the kind of women who know what they want and aren’t afraid to get it.
- 50 percent of women know someone who has had breast augmentation surgery.
While attitudes about breast augmentation have never been more positive, all women should do their homework before undergoing any procedure. To help women sort out the facts on breast augmentation, a non-branded Web resource called www.breastimplantanswers.com has been launched, developed in partnership with a group of independent experts and members of academia and Allergan. The Breast Implant Resource Team, who helped create content for the site, have expertise in topics ranging from diagnostics and toxicology to psychology and consumer advocacy.
BreastImplantAnswers.com includes these features:
- The technological developments and makeup of silicone gel-filled breast implants.
- The history, science and safety of silicone and silicone gel-filled breast implants.
- A video highlighting the manufacturing process of silicone gel-filled breast implants.
- Useful questions women considering breast surgery may want to ask a surgeon.
- A link to help women find a board-certified physician in their area.
To find out more about other cosmetic procedures, I encourage women to visit the Boomerful.com Video page – http://www.boomerful.com/vseries.html. There you will find informative videos on a variety of cosmetic procedures.
What do you think about the connection between plastic surgery and self-confidence? Would you feel better about your appearance if you "had some work done," as people often say about plastic surgery? If so, what kind of work would that be?
Without a doubt, cosmetic surgery can make a huge difference in one's level of self-confidence. I interviewed over 100 women for my book on women and cosmetic surgery and have so many wonderful stories to share. Please check out my website (especially my MEDIA page) to listen to some of my interviews. Also, check out the STYLE section of the Dec. 30th NEW YORK TIMES and LA TIMES - page 2, where the author of "Hey, It's Still Me In Here" devoted two paragraphs to me and some of my thoughts.
Wishing you a happy and successful New Year.
Most sincerely,
Lois W. Stern
Author of SEX, LIES AND COSMETIC SURGERY
http://www.sexliesandcosmeticsurgery.com
[email protected]
Posted by: Lois W. Stern | December 31, 2007 at 02:40 PM
Cosmetic surgery and self-confidence are definitely connected. In most cases, this is precisely the driving force that lies beneath the resolution to undergo a specific surgery. It changes the way one feels about her-/himself. Instead of being troubled by a specific part of their body, after the cosmetic surgery procedure, people experience positive energy and feel great about themselves, which makes them more self-confident. You are welcome to check all the details and post questions, share your opinion on a new cosmetic surgery blog: http://www.cosmeticsurgerys.net/blog/. Be informed!
Posted by: Martina | January 06, 2008 at 05:12 AM