I try to keep an open mind about plastic surgery, I really do. I try to tell myself that it’s just like dying your hair or wearing a pair of Spanx—a little tweak that can make you feel super slammin’. I try to tell myself that everyone has the right to look their best, and if it’s worth it to someone to drop serious Benjamins on a cosmetic procedure, who am I to object? But then I read a story like the one yesterday about Solange Magnano, the stunning 38-year-old former Miss Argentina who died after the liquid from a gluteoplasty injection made its way into her lungs and brains. It’s horribly sad, especially considering that her butt was enviable just the way it was. And I just can’t hold it in anymore: How have we created a culture in which it’s OK to go under the knife without medical necessity in the name of fixing some “flaw” no one ever noticed anyway?
Obviously, there are certain cases where plastic surgery isn’t about vanity but about leading a normal life. In the cases of people disfigured in accidents, I completely understand plastic surgery. Ditto for someone born with cleft lip. In those cases, the slight risk—and yes, I am perfectly aware that the risk is actually very small—is worth the benefits. I, in general, have no problem with reconstructive surgery which, by the way, only comprises 28 percent of plastic surgeries performed in the US. What I object to is the average person who doesn’t love her tummy pouch or thinks her nose is just a little too hooky signing up for surgery. Here’s why …
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