One of my biggest fears about getting pregnant is how much my body will change and how long it might take me to feel like my old self again, if that is even possible. I feel as if pregnant women are sometimes caught between a rock and hard place where they are either forced into feeling satisfied enough from being able to bring life into the world, or into magically snapping back to their old bodies. Anything that falls in between and brings disappointment is usually made to seem like a non-factor.
Our bodies are so personal to us yet at same time we are made to feel that they aren’t. They are forever open to scrutiny and question. Ingrained in our culture is that odd Guyanese way of greeting, “Gyal yah put on!”
With a higher concentration of social media applications and our exposure to it, it’s no surprise that there is a surge in demand for cosmetic surgery. In 2020, Americans spent US$9 billion on plastic surgery. A practice once seen as done only by white rich women and usually spoken about beneath one’s breath has become accessible. From 2005 to 2013 the American Society of Plastic Surgery concluded that black patients increased by 56% and as the demand soared so did back-alley and unregulated providers.
In 2021, the BBC reported that surgeons in Turkey were specifically targeting women with BAME backgrounds by gifting services to influencers in exchange for positive reviews. The report said that women often left with botched jobs or lumps in their thighs.
Social media gives us this unquenchable thirst for perfection and coupled with society’s tendency to judge the most personal thing about us, it’s not hard to see why so many women feel pressured for immediate release from judgement to satisfy their hopes of acceptance and desire.
Supermodel Linda Evangelista, in a recent interview with Vogue, spoke candidly about a cosmetic procedure which had left her deformed. A non-surgical fat reduction which promised no downtime had unfortunately backfired; the CoolSculpting treatment – a brand name for cryolipolysis which uses extremely cold temperature to break down fat deposits.
In Evangelista’s case it gave her additional fat deposits instead. When we hear the words non-invasive, no downtime and non-surgical we tend to think safe because we aren’t going under the knife but everything that touches our bodies, whether internally or externally carries a chance of putting us in danger. Humans are prone to error and in many cases, fillers and implants are made from toxic chemicals.
If you or someone you know is contemplating a surgery be reminded of the following:
cosmetic surgery isn’t typically covered by health insurance, so it’s normal to feel tempted to shop around for a deal, but your body should not be marketed off to the cheapest contractor to ‘rectify’. I personally would opt for doctors who are part of borders or who practise in countries where there is strong oversight. Your doctor’s resume shouldn’t be before and after pictures on Instagram with the price as the caption.
Some surgeries can cause serious complications that may require further medical attention. Surgeries like liposuction can be traumatic for internal organs as punctures may occur from the surgical equipment used. Fifteen percent of breast augmentation patients experience changes in nipple sensation. Nerve damage which normally reveals itself through tingling is common as a temporary side effect, but in some cases it can be permanent.
Different surgeries have different downtimes and that time can increase if there are complications. It’s easy to double tap on our dream bodies online and be convinced that it would be a walk in the park because the surgery is a matter of choice as opposed to a medical need. It’s easy to convince ourselves that it doesn’t require the same amount of diligence because it’s something in the nature of vanity being done, but that doesn’t change the fact that it has all the hallmarks of a medical surgery.
