Following the story of the teenager who underwent 50 plastic surgeries to look like actress Angelina Jolie one has to ask the question: ‘Do certain cases mean surgeons should NOT be performing plastic surgery?
I am not calling into question the skill or competency of any individual surgeon or the profession as a collective, instead it comes from the view of a patient asking for the procedure.
This is based on the story of Iranian teenager Sahar Tabar, aged 19, who underwent a drastic transformation, which included 50 plastic surgeries just to look like her idol.
The 42-year-old Oscar-winning actress is a force of nature in modern culture, as well as her stellar film CV she’s a well known humanitarian and (if we’re being modest) one of the most beautiful women in the world. It’s only natural she inspires women of different ages to emulate her and her looks.
However idolising your hero can have a damaging effect – which is in no way the fault of whoever is being idolised. For a girl like Tabar, who is willing to do whatever it takes to look like her hero – even under the most extreme circumstances – someone needs to take the blame.
You can argue at the age of 19 Tabar is an adult who knows perfectly well what she’s doing, however when you look at the pictures she’s posted on Instagram you can’t help but feel worried for her physical and mental state.
Clearly she doesn’t look like the Hollywood actress, her extreme transformation has people on the internet referring to her as a ‘zombie’. As well as the 50 surgeries she upheld a strict dietary regime to maintain a weight of only 40 kilograms.
While it’s hard to ponder her mental state, there are others who can be held responsible, number one on this list for culpability would be the surgeons.
You can argue they are only doing their job, but if this is the case as medical professionals they should be refusing these procedures, no matter the money put in front of them. But that’s where the problem lies.
It should come as no surprise plastic surgery is a lucrative business, it’s a procedure which focuses purely on aesthetic. While no one can dispute benefits for victims of burns, acid attacks and other incidents which effect their facial features, plastic surgeries are mainly for those who desire a distorted idea of being beautiful.
On average a plastic surgeon in the US (where it is most prevalent) is earning at least $230,540 (£170,625) a month (as of 2012). Because it’s not deemed a medical necessity practitioners can charge whatever extortionate price they think is suitable.
It’s a baffling amount money to be taking home, so why would they say ‘no’ an ill-advised procedure such as Tabar’s? Well they should say no because it’s obviously causing extreme damage to her body, she’s starving herself at an alarming rate just to maintain her figure and her cosmetic transformation can be considered problematic.
In The Independent Mary Ann Seighart writes:
… turn to the back pages of any women’s glossy magazine. You’ll be promised happiness, confidence, self-esteem, and a better you. The ads are not, of course, selling psychotherapy or meditation lessons.
Everyone is guilty of feeling that but it goes to another level when you take actual action to change your physical appearance. The main issue is plastic surgery subliminally suggests you’re not perfect, but not to fear because for a princely sum things can be changed around and adjusted to forge an ‘ideal’ version of you.
Even when you have achieved it it seems like you’re always going back for more because you’re never truly happy.
In cases such as Tabar’s plastic surgeons need to take responsibility (not the pay cheque) and suggest a better way of dealing of dealing with one’s imperfections.
