To be or not to be

There was a point in time where being fat meant wealth and beauty. Only the rich had access to large quantities of food and showing your large body was the way to show off your wealth. Even for women, being big meant being beautiful. But as more people had access to food and with science and technology on the rise, the meaning of beautiful quickly became altered.

More recently, being skinny means wealth and beauty. Only the rich have access to cosmetic surgeries and weight-loss operations and by showing off your plastic face, plastic boobs, and flat stomach you show off your beauty and wealth. Cosmetic surgery was initially intended for those individuals with deformities or accident caused disfigurations. Also, weight-loss operations were initially to prevent health issues for those individuals who were extremely obese. Then, the media started to send out this hidden message (aimed toward women) – you are ugly and fat, so do something about it. Solutions? Buy cosmetics, stop eating, lose weight, get under the knife!

Interestingly, China has found an increased popularity in which to show wealth and beauty…by breaking a leg, literally! Only the rich have access to break a leg or two – on purpose. According to Watts, Russia initially developed this procedure for people with stunned growth (p.286). However, with the increase in class separation and western beauty influence, undergoing this procedure has become more popular. Although Watts, states these operations are done to find jobs, marriage partners and to match their foreign counterparts, the doctors are stating that their customers are increasingly driven by cosmetic motivations.

It is interesting to see how science and technology have been used to alter ideals of beauty. It would not be surprising to find out in the near future that there are more cosmetic surgeries being performed than what it was originally intended for (reconstructive surgery, hand surgeries, treatment of burns, etc). Now I can only ponder on this question, what will beauty look like in the future, when most people can afford cosmetic surgeries and can afford to break a leg?