Essay On American Culture's Ugly Obsession With Beauty

The American culture has developed an ugly obsession with beauty. Society has always valued beauty. In literature, attractiveness is often symbolized by a courageous protagonist, while ugliness represents the evil antagonist. With so much importance placed on appearance, other attributes often come second. Young girls are learning that they should aim to be beautiful rather than intelligent. In today’s media consumers are bombarded with images of unattainable perfection. Models are airbrush, enhanced and photo shopped to such an extreme extent that they do not even resemble their own photos. Young girls are pressured into trying to replicate these women and when they fail they are made to feel less worthy. As these standards become more prevalent

Some women take dramatic measures and participate in body morphing with the hopes of one day looking like the girls they idealize on the cover of magazines. In 2014 more than ten million cosmetic procedures were performed in the U.S on women alone. This included145,909 nose jobs, 286,694 Breast augmentations, 165,714 eye lid surgeries, 164,021 tummy tucks, and 342,494 liposuction procedures. (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) Cosmetic companies use slogans like “Go from flat to Fab” or “boost up your femininity” implying as if a flat chested woman is some how less of a woman than woman with larger breasts. In addition to silicone, these companies have implanted the belief that cosmetic surgery will improve a person’s life. The confidence that comes from a straighter nose, larger breasts, or a slimmer stomach is only temporary. While marketing cosmetic surgery as a confidence booster increases profits, it also gives consumers unrealistic hope. The public has a false perception that plastic surgery as a solution to personal problems and as a result it has created a culture that values appearances over talent, hard work, and