I recently accepted my dream job. Set in beautiful Cartagena Colombia, a block from the beach, a city full of salsa dancing and Latin men. I have a flexible schedule with the ability to spend 25% of my time volunteering for my favorite NGO that provides free surgeries for children with facial deformities around the word. My bosses are laid back and give me the autonomy and resources I need to make things happen. There’s just one little catch. I work in an industry that I once considered “the dark side of medicine.” I’m a cosmetic surgery nurse practitioner.
Yep, I’m “one of those girls”. Before taking this job, I would stare at
women with perfect breasts, tiny wastes and bubbly butts and think, “damn she looks better than me.
Whatever...I’m sure it’s fake. “ Without even realizing it, I objectified
women’s bodies as a way to boost my own self-confidence.
Somehow knowing a woman had cosmetic surgery gave me license
to discredit their beauty. My friends and I would make a game of it. We’d see
gorgeous girls and ask each other, “fake or real”? How is it that objectifying
other women makes us feel superior? Does going under the knife somehow diminish
your authentic femininity?
We live in a society that values physical beauty but
discourage us from talking about our insecurities. We are supposed to look
amazing but never reveal how we do it. If it isn’t through diet and exercise or
you aren’t born with it, you cheated. It’s an impossible contradiction. Pick up
any women’s magazine. I guarantee you the cover will have some article about how
to lose belly fat and next to it another article stressing the importance of
self acceptance and the path to a better self image. What’s a girl to believe? Does
working at your appearance make you a weaker woman?
Do we truly expect women to look naturally gorgeous without putting
any obvious effort into it? Yes we do! It’s another headline you’ll see
everywhere, ‘Look effortlessly beautiful in 10 steps!’ Ha! Make-up ads flaunt
“invisible coverage”, undergarments boast they’ll squeeze you into a 6 without
anyone knowing you’re really a size 10!
With such impossible messages it’s no wonder women are
ashamed to admit they’ve had or are considering cosmetic surgery. I’ve been
given a rare chance to learn about this “dirty little industry” from the inside
out and guess what? The secrets I’ve uncovered made this feminist a cosmetic
surgery advocate.
It’s time to come out of the closet girls. Let it all out on
the table (excuse the surgical pun). You and I both want to be beautiful.
We are both likely to spend thousands of dollars a year on anti-wrinkle creams,
cellulite treatments, the perfect cover up or lotions guaranteed to erase your
love handles. Let’s take down our pony tails and admit it, we all want to look
good! We all want to feel beautiful! We are as real as they come. We are women,
we have insecurities, we want to look our best and enjoy our bodies as much as
possible. AND THAT’S OK!