Cosmetic Surgery

9 Pages 2342 Words

putated leg.” Fashion during this period had raised hemlines and shortened skirts. Embarrassed by her legs, the young fashion designer sought the plastic surgeon for help. Unfortunately the procedure did not go well, so the patient sued. The young fashion designer’s lawyer made the argument that “fashion…..is a tyrannical goddess.” (Comisky, Caroline) As we have witnessed in our past and our present, fashion and vanity have a strong hold on our culture. It may not be law, some may oppose it, and it varies from city to city, but it is a global phenomenon that shapes our lifestyle.
Some people feel that the only way towards self love and fulfillment is to be able to change one’s appearance. Plastic surgery provides this solution, giving way to endorsing the free market while providing self fulfillment. Making plastic surgery increasingly popular and therefore increasingly “democratic,” as Rosen would put it. Our culture has since put such a strong emphasis on physical appearance that beauty is linked into moral worth. From childhood such fairly tales as Snow White with the beautiful princess and the ugly witch cements this thought in our minds. (Rosen, Christine)
As the story of the young fashion designer pointed out, plastic surgery had a ways to go, and its reputation did not come about until after the First World War. Plastic surgeons had found ways to redo faces and limbs of soldiers that were badly injured during the war. Shortly after the war however, the need for plastic surgeons were diminishing, so plastic surgeons sought new ways to attract business. So the case of the “amputated leg,” caused a stir in the business, while the judge ruled that cosmetic surgery had no medical necessity and therefore plastic surgeons have no right in performing these procedures. Plastic surgeons banded together to defend their profession blaming the court for not understanding how it lend a hand in society. Pla...