Am watching Extreme Makeover.

[valis2]

They are doing surgery on two women, a mother/daughter duo.

The daughter, who was very small busted, gets size C breasts as part of the makeover.

The daughter unveils her new chest for the first time.

The mother looks approvingly at the implants and says, "You should be happy now."

HULK SMASH

There is more to happiness than appearance. If she wasn't happy before, she'll be excited by the new change, but eventually that unhappiness will come out and express itself again. I'm willing to think I might be wrong, and I hope I am, for her sake.

Comments

[mingbutterfly.livejournal.com]

~If she wasn't happy before, she'll be excited by the new change, but eventually that unhappiness will come out and express itself again.~

This is very wise. (Also, you do an excellent HULK SMASH... ;-))

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I don't know about wisdom, but I do know something about low self-esteem, I think. It takes a bit of work, but seriously, it's a more secure way of changing oneself. The girl has low self-esteem problems, and it just won't go away with a new pair of breasts!

Okay, I'd better get off my soapbox now, before I hurt something.

(Glad you enjoyed the smashing. ;) *hugs*)

[privatemaladict.livejournal.com]

Ugh. If you're unhappy with yourself/your life, bigger boobs aren't going to fix the problem. Unless your small boobs were the only source of unhappiness in your life - but that doesn't seem very likely. More like something you would blame your unhappiness on, when really the cause was much deeper.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

That's what I was thinking. Her unhappiness seems to stem from having a prettier sister, and that is not going to go away that easily.

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

She's probably more happy that her mother now approves of her appearance, and her mother's probably why she's unhappy in the first place! Argh...

The people on Extreme Makeover always end up looking really creepy to me. I think it's the porcelein veneers on their teeth in particular that look so fake.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

They are "clones", as her mother is fond of saying, and they had some of the same facial features fixed (nose) and they both had liposuction.

The people always creep me out a little, too, because everybody has a bit of a cookie-cutter appearance, and they all look fashionable according to what's in style this minute, instead of more classical style.

Plus, Lisa Rinna's lips always worry me. They look like they could get their own TV show at this point.

[todayiamadaisy]

It sounds like her mother, more than her appearance, is the cause of her unhappiness. I have a huge problem with this type of thing, for precisely that reason - it really is cosmetic surgery, not fixing the root of the problem at all.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly. I can totally understand when a girl is sick of being small-chested, and seems well-adjusted in every other way...but when a girl seems to be wrapping up her entire life's happiness in her chest, then I have a problem.

PS: I was watching a "How Do I Look?" episode and found myself wondering what Bernie wears to work. Is he well-dressed? Or scary?

[todayiamadaisy]

I think he used to be an architectural draughtsman, so he wears the sort of clothes that you'd find on a professional on a building site - just jeans and a shirt. You wouldn't really notice his clothes at all. So I'd say reasonably well-dressed - meaning he's not scary, not that he wears Armani. :-)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Aw, here I was all hoping that he'd be a fashion nightmare. heh.

;)

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

How sad that that would be the thing that would make her happy.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I know! And that the mother thinks that this is what will make her happy, as well.

*sigh*

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

A short while back, a study was published which claimed that women who had breast augmentation surgery were more likely to commit suicide than the general population of women. Probably because low self-esteem was what drove them to such drastic measures in the first place.
Clicky here for news article

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Wow, I hadn't seen that article. Thank you!

It is scary. I know there are well-adjusted women who have cosmetic surgery all the time, but the sad truth is there are many who think it is an answer in itself, and not just a procedure.

[luvboromir24601.livejournal.com]

That is very sad. :( You are right on target - she most certainly won't turn "happy" because she got a breast job. Speaking of which, I think I may have seen that episode - how old was the girl? Late teens? Or older?

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I think she was about 21, though she looked 15. I definitely think she'll have issues in the future, though I hope for her sake that she doesn't!

:)

Nice to see you, btw! *hugs*

[seaislewitch.livejournal.com]

It's amazing what loosing a bit of weight, wearing new clothing--especially cool shoes, having a brighter smile, or getting your hair done can do for your confidence; however, you are so right in saying that larger breasts won't fix psychological problems. If you've got issues before, well, you have a whole new set of issues now. (See below.) I did see one of those shows in which a psychologist worked with the subject every step of the way.

True, they won't fit into the life they had before. They will be able to do things they never dared to do before, and they will get more positive attention from people in general--men, sales clerks, etc. They will need to adjust, and that sort of adjustment might come easily to some, but others might still not feel they have value as a person. So now they are pretty and depressed, instead of ugly and depressed. *shrugs*

I bet most of the people who go on those shows end up divorcing or dumping their mates. She's suddenly a knockout--in a plastic way--and he's still a country bumpkin with missing teeth. So either country bumpkin manages to keep her under his thumb, or she realises she could get a lot better than him, even if he is basically a decent guy. That sounds shallow, but I can see this playing out that way.

Also, those BEFORE pics are out there...on the internet and on TV. Any jealous bitch could mess with the subject about that.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

t's amazing what loosing a bit of weight, wearing new clothing--especially cool shoes, having a brighter smile, or getting your hair done can do for your confidence

Hells yes. And you're so right about this:

If you've got issues before, well, you have a whole new set of issues now.

It's one of those temporary kinds of fixes, where you think, yay, and then later, as your life changes, you realize that you're still unhappy somewhere deep down.

It reminds me of people who win the lottery, in a way. They think their life will be perfect, but they end up with even more problems than they had before.

Crazy, but true!

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Every cut into her body is simply the reflection of an unhealed cut into her soul, self-esteem and pride.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

This is why I have never watched this show--and others like it--and don't plan to ever do so.

[(Anonymous)]

She doesn't understand that this will not make her into her sister. She still has a lot of work to do, and this quick fix will not be the ultimate answer.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Probably the wisest course. ;)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Argh! That was me.

[florence-craye.livejournal.com]

These kinds of things make me sad. I doubt her issues will be solved with new BIGGER BOOBS, because the self-esteem issues go so much deeper. I wish, instead of recommending surgery, her mom complimented her on the things she does well and how beautiful she is in other ways. I kind of wish she'd just get a hobby or be more involved in things at school (assuming she's in college) to boost her self-esteem.

The sad thing is that one cosmetic surgery often leads to many more during a life, and people end up having surgeries to correct previous ones. Ugh, the whole industry makes me sick. I know there are justified and medical causes for cosmetic surgery, but doing it "just because" and to make yourself more in line with the dominant culture's messed-up ideals of beauty is quite horrifying. /rant

[aramintasnape.livejournal.com]

What sort of mother would even think of having 'duo cosmetic surgery' with her child on TV?? *boggles* I bet she was the one who made her daughter paranoid about having small breasts in the first place.

Yuck.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I think you're right on target here, that a lot of cosmetic surgery simply begets more cosmetic surgery. It makes me sad. Women refuse to look their age, right down to their face, and instead, they end up looking like some sort of strange, permanently surprised, frozen-faced clownish sort of alien.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It smacks of "My mom is my best friend", which always scares me a little.

Yuck is right! :)