Our bodies are revered for what they can do… make, break, perform and kill. Now they are being cut into being beautiful. They are seldom idolized for their innate perfection.
The money in perfection
The fact that more men are using plastic surgery to perfect their bodies might represent our evolution – but to what I don’t know. I imagine it is making some plastic surgeons rich since men are spending $3.5 billion per year on this.
Here are some interesting facts from the blog boob jobs:
Four percent believed that their level of physical attractiveness would affect their success on the job, and make them feel more powerful
42 percent believed that their career would be made better if they could just improve one tiny thing about their face
32 percent thought that looking younger would affect their job performance more positively
Gynecomastia, or Male Breast Reduction. It’s estimated that about 15 percent of all men are unhappy with the size of their breasts, and now some are finally doing something about it
Pectoral Enhancement. Men who have tried everything but still have a chicken chest are now relying on pectoral implants to give them the bosoms they have always dreamed of
Penis Extension Surgery. If slicing through the penile ligament sounds appealing, this is the operation for you. This operation, also known as phalloplasty, or male enhancement surgery, doesn’t actually make your member more massive, it just makes it dangle lower
Years ago I had clients that were plastic surgeons. These men took great pride in the enhancement of beauty they were bringing to women. I appreciated their commitment. I suspect they are cutting on more men now as women’s elective surgeries have decreased and men’s vanity has increased.
Beyond doing and looking good
Worshiping a body for its looks is fine if we aren’t worshiping perfection. I don’t see adopting the imposed feminine model, which comes in many ways from our male ancestors, that physical beauty is what women should possess. There must be something that is more than looks and performance that both sexes can appreciate in themselves and the other.
Our old models of beauty rarely serve the individual. They serve the corporations that want to market to us. Having women being appreciated for what they can do and men appreciated for their beauty is an interesting role reversal – but there is more to our bodies and to being human than looks and doing.
