How Different Cultures View Cosmetic Surgery

It is interesting to see how the perception of cosmetic surgery has changed over the years, but also how it is viewed in different parts of the world.

In certain cultures, cosmetic surgery is celebrated and viewed as a highly effective way to help people to improve how they feel about themselves while in others it is viewed as disrespectful to people’s heritage, homogenizing beauty and creating unrealistic standards for people.

Celebrated in Many Cultures

The United States, Brazil, Columbia, the UK and South Korea are all places where cosmetic surgery has become very common in recent times and is no longer seen as a taboo. In these places, many people spend a lot of time watching films and TV, consuming celebrity culture and are constantly exposed to people that are deemed to be beautiful. This influences people in these cultures to try to achieve a similar style in order to feel beautiful and often this will result in some kind of cosmetic procedure.

Still Viewed as Taboo

Cosmetic surgery has become less taboo and celebrated in many areas of the world, but not everywhere. Areas like Hong Kong, Japan and China frown on cosmetic surgery where it is still seen as taboo. Cosmetic surgery is viewed by many in these places as man-made, disrespectful to heritage and socially unacceptable – in fact, many people find themselves to be judged and dismissed if they have cosmetic surgery in these places.

A Complex Debate

It is interesting to see how different cultures react to cosmetic surgery and there are clearly two sides to the debate. On the one hand, cosmetic surgery like a neck lift in Sydney can help people to feel more confident and beautiful which is important in a time where people are constantly exposed to beauty and also live a lot of their life online. On the other, cosmetic surgery could be viewed as creating unrealistic beauty standards which could do more harm and lead to the homogenization of beauty.

Personal Choice

Ultimately, cosmetic surgery comes down to a personal choice but it certainly has increased in popularity in many places around the world. Procedures such as breast enlargements are highly common which is not a surprise when this is a beauty standard that is so prevalent in so much of what people see every day in popular culture and can help many women to feel more confident and desirable.

Cosmetic surgery is not as taboo as it once was and is now celebrated in many areas around the world while some areas still not accepting. It will be interesting to see if perceptions change as it becomes more prevalent and encouraged in many areas around the globe.