I’ve seen so many go under the knife for a chance at a better life that I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just not worth it. I am 54 years old, so I can see the effects of time on my face and body, but they do not stop my ability to create, write or love. All three give invaluable value and meaning to my life.
Almost every time I nursed a girlfriend through the experience, I had a dark side. The pain, swelling, bruising, medications, and some “time off” from life’s activities were enough to deal with. But almost always, during the healing process, the recipient regrets having to surgically alter her body in order to feel good or acceptable in her world.
Liposuction has caused depression in everyone I know who has gone through it. I always thought that the body mourns the loss of a part of itself, even fat. Weight and impossible figures became a plague in our society that continues to this day.
Here in Nacogdoches (the oldest city in Texas), I have enjoyed seeing women in town when I go for supplies that are aging naturally. It’s not offensive. It’s life on life’s terms, literally. It is a softening of features. Plastic surgery changes the characteristics completely.
There are a few times I felt like surgically altering someone was a blessing. Protruding ears look ridiculous and almost impossible to cover. I have known two men who had it done and the results were wonderful. They seemed normal, not enhanced.
At 54, I can see where Botox would go on my face. I have also seen why women get collagen on their lips and ‘eye work’. But, I am not offended by the aging of my face. My age doesn’t bother me. And, my world is blossoming and opening up more every day. I am in love with my life, so improving my physical appearance will not improve my experience.
The obsession with one’s own image is like a disease. It distorts a person’s view of the world into a very small version by focusing on something as small as the lips or a bulge here or there. Thousands of dollars are spent removing lines or filling in small areas. Most of the women I know who underwent age reduction treatments were not happier or calmer afterward. Most tended to shift their focus to a different area for change.
Weight is quite an argument, but California is at a high threat level. Job opportunities, social commitments, and public/private recognition become limited as body weight increases. It’s not pretty, but I’ve noticed it many times in my 25 years on the West Coast.
The Texas women might have some room to improve. The people of California could push the focus back further on externals. A mix of both worlds could be wonderful. One should be proud of their personal appearance but not obsessed. Going to town in ill-fitting, stained and tattered clothes, in slippers with your hair up and cut off on top is a weary sight here in deep east Texas. Octogenarians with big perky chests and uptight faces with oddly high hairlines are equally uninspiring.
It’s about balance. Always has been. It will always be.