How far would you go?

Last week's terrible death of Krista Stryland, the 32-year-old Toronto mother who died while undergoing liposuction at a Toronto clinic has me thinking once again about plastic surgery.

I say once again because over the last few years plastic surgery is something I have thought about more than once.

I'm not thinking about actually having it mind you...yet. I'm just letting the vague possibility of having something done at some point in the future creep into my psyche. I'm just rolling around the idea of it to see if it still feels as verboten as it did just a few years ago or if it now seems like...well...a possibility.

It's pretty clear we're living in a world in which plastic surgery has become normalized. It's no longer just for porn stars, Hollywood actresses and wealthy society matrons; middle-class wives and mothers are routinely getting help to stay youthful and attractive as long as possible.

Is this a bad thing?

The controversy around Krista Stryland's death mainly involves the fact that her attending surgeon was a general practitioner, not a licensed plastic surgeon.

But let's say the doctor was a licensed plastic surgeon. Let's say she was the best in the business. Let's say that cost was not a consideration. Would you consider plastic surgery?

I think I might.

I do not have a problem with admitting my age; I just turned 38. I'm pretty happy with my appearance in general and, as I've said before, I don't seek validation from the under-25 crowd. But I want to look as good as I can and - as much as I feel like I'm letting down every feminist who fought for my right to be judged on my brain and my skills, not my appearance - I can't honestly say that I would rule out some sort of tweaking down the road.

Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding takes a toll on a body. Aging in general takes a toll on a body. I eat healthy. I exercise. I try to take care of myself and dress to disguise my flaws and enhance my assets.

But damn I miss my 25-year-old body. I miss the freedom of slipping into any outfit that catches my eye and knowing it will look great. The thought of maybe being able to recapture even a morsel of that freedom is intoxicating.

A dozen years ago when it was mainly strippers and porn stars who were getting their bikini lines waxed, I remember clearly thinking that it would be a cold day in hell before I would rip the hair out of my nether regions with hot wax. Then about six or seven years ago, I started to wonder if it would be worth it. Today it's standard grooming for me, almost all of my girlfriends and probably many of you.

A dozen years ago I thought it would be a cold day in hell before I would consider cosmetic enhancement of any kind, be it fillers, plumpers or surgery. These days I'm starting to wonder if it would be worth it.

Five years from now? Ten? I just don't know where I'll stand.

What about you? Ever had a nose job? Would you consider a little nip or tuck when you hit 50? Some lipo, maybe a breast lift when you're done having kids and breastfeeding? What about Botox?

How far would you go? Or are you staying out of that neighborhood entirely?

Comments

[kittenpie]

I agree, the level of maintenance on the average woman has gone way up, adn I've begun to wonder if everyone is going to need to look like porn stars in the next few years. How much further can it go? Doesn't the pendulum have to swing back at some point?

As to cosmetic surgery? To me, it's not worth going under the knife and the recovery, not to mention some of the frightening results you see. If techniques get better and less invasive? Well, then maybe. You never know what will happen over the years.

[nomotherearth]

I would be lying if I said I haven't considered it, but I doubt that I could actually go through with it. Some surgeries I am seriously considering, though, are for varicose veins, and laser eye surgery. Yep, I'm a looker.