July 9, 2008

Upgrading beauty

Many years ago growing old was all about grace and happiness lasted in the lines of a smile. But then came Botox and Collagen to turn back time. As we live in a visual world, body image obsession is growing year by year, and quick fix solutions like botox injection or plastic surgery are becoming increasingly common in today's 'Nip/Tuck society. People all want to look younger and feel better. While we can a do a great deal about the kind of clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the colour we dye our hair, we cannot do anything about the fact that we are going to get older. Cosmetic surgery is no longer seen as an exercise in vanity. Instead it was seen as an accessible way of improving looks. Newspaper and magazine pages present celebrities with their impeccable features everyday, even though these representations are unrealistic. But there is this "curse" that says 'once you start, it's hard not to continue.' There are people who go to extremes like Michael Jackson and Jocelyn Wildenstein. They try to reconstruct themselves and lose their sense of reality eventually. Ms. Wildenstein for example, how can she not see that she has turned herself into a scary monster? It never crossed my mind that I want to look like my cat, Suneo.

Well, it has never been easy to hold back the tide of time, but it has also never been so easy to take a personal decision about how we want to age. People think I'm a lot younger than my age, especially from behind...LOL! I'm quite fortunate, I have a fast metabolism and an active lifestyle, which have kept my weight at around 48-50kg throughout my adult life. When I feel my clothes getting tight I'll increase my walk in the morning and go on a veggies diet. I would never have plastic surgery because aging is not a sin and I cannot race time. After all image is not as important as character.

What about you my faithful readers? Do you think you should have cosmetic surgery to enhance your look?

*picture stolen from the Dailymail

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

True El, the content of our character is most important rather than how we look. Apart from Nip/Tuck, there was a reality show last couple years about plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills which I found very uncomfortable to watch.
Living a healthy life like yo do would be a realistic effort to maintain our health and shape rather than spending a lot of money for unnecessary plastic surgery.

Finally Woken said...

The scary thing is now more and more 20something girls put botox and collagen injection as their routine beauty regime...

Anonymous said...

I really, really admire your discipline in keeping your body healthy, El!! I'm such a lazy bum, knowing that my waist size has increased a bit and my sexy jeans no longer fit, I do nothing about it except for eating less and er... eating less! LOL

I don't think I will opt for plastic surgery - saw a thing on Discovery Women and Health about a woman who had a tummy tuck and the surgeon actually cut a square piece of her skin off her body because it was so stretched, and he showed it! A square piece of skin!! Arghh...

And then there was this woman who had a pipe-like thing being inserted underneath the skin of her front side to make her breasts look bigger..

The thing women do for beauty! Insane!

Anonymous said...

aku masi cinta diriku sendiri :)

rimafauzi said...

i am planning to have my eyelids done when im in my early 40s. i want to age gracefully, so i will do a little bit of nip and tuck then, so i dont look 'surprised' like women who just had work done in their 50s. all yonger hollywood celebs and models do that so that they look natural.

i see nothing wrong with plastic surgery if you dont overdo it. look at jaclyn smith and keanu reeves, they are perfect examples of good plastic surgeries..

Finally Woken said...

Rim, Keanu Reeves??? Which part of his face he had done?
I think the American plastic surgeon's favorite is Heidi Montag after she did her nose (before that, Ashley Simpson).

I don't know whether I'm going to do it or not, I try to avoid the surgery room if possible. Some friends have had their boobs done. Some look fine some look awful. But there's this particular girl who's perfect and had undergone boobs enlargement, now she shows them off everywhere with very very low cut tops. But, she's still single! This puzzles us know her. She's pretty, smart, witty, and guys are all over her and yet... she's always single (and not happy, her happiness is determined by whether she has a boyfriend/not). We ask several guys and they say she doesn't have a good personality, she's a bit, well, unstable, and they just want to stay clear, away from her. What they want from her is a quick fun but never goes further than that. So what's the point of having a plastic surgery then?

akokow said...

Jadi inget Nip/Tuck..Tell me what you don't like about yourself?

1. I've got asthma so i'd like one more nose..

2. And since my wife said i'm not a good listener..can i get one more ear?

rimafauzi said...

@ anita: keanu has had a face lift, mini i think. he looks the same now as he did 18 yrs ago. brad pitt had a nose job.. and heidi montag, yeah she is a lot prettier now than before..!

Im not gonna alter my look, just mini facelift and eyelift when im in my 40s. i know a woman who is 58 and had a mini eye lift, excess fat and skin on eyelids taken out, and now she looks excellent! it makes her eyes pop out. my eyes are 'petet' so im gonna get one of those later.. lol

Elyani said...

@Toni: Right, it's about our character and integrity and who we are inside. If people cannot accept us for that, then they aren't worth knowing. That said, I try not to be judgmental of people who choose to have surgery. With more affordable cosmetic surgery options, more people maybe tempted to make a bit of change.

@Anita : This is pathetic. So much of it is pressure from peers, and most of this 20's something don't have the maturity to determine what is best for them or their bodies.

@Therry: thank you, I don't want to be perfect, I just want to be healthy and happy. But if given an offer, I would like to have a couple of moles removed from my face. I read having too many moles on the face is not good in Chinese myths..LOL! and I have had them for all of my life.

@Fun : percaya, dari fotonya aja udah ketahuan kok! :)

@Rima : I have to tell, your face looks perfect to me. In fact, I would like to have that bedroom eyes like yours if I could. What's wrong with your eyelids? they are perfect, I think... but then if you think plastic surgery is needed to correct it then do it :)

@Anita : it all comes down to the girl's personal insecurity. Cosmetic surgery after all doesn't deal with psychological problem.

@Koko: thanks for stopping by. You dont need an extra ear but a cheap cotton bud..LOL!

Lorraine said...

Me, neyy. I try to maintain a healthy way of life by biking to work (everybody in NL bikes to work), pampering myself with beauty treatments every now and then. No plastic surgery please, the pic of Jocelyn Wildenstein scares me a lot. I wonder whether she's not having personality crisis.

Anonymous said...

Keanu Reeves have had plastic surgery???? Eeeek.....

Hey do you guys think Katie Holmes has had one too? She looks different now that she's a TomKat. Her face looks more thinner than before.

@Anita:

That unstable girl sounds familiar. Oh but wait, perhaps not. I'm thinking of another one who is in fact flat-chested.

Elyani said...

@Lorraine : If you have that option, traveling to and from work by bicycle can be a great time to exercise. A little is better than nothing :)

@Therry: I think KH does not have a surgery but she lives on a strict diet and exercise regimes. She wants to be pencil thin like Victoria Beckham.

Anonymous said...

yup, but cosmetic surgery is necessary for burn victim, and people with visible scars..