Plastic Surgery Obsession - A 21st Century Fad

We all know that in today’s society, the thought of having plastic surgery has been on everyone’s mind at one point in their lives. Everywhere you look, in magazines, on TV and even on the internet, the celebrities or models you see almost always have had some cosmetic surgery work done. It’s almost the norm today, when just 30 years ago, the plastic surgery industry was seen as taboo and people would rarely admit to ever having work done on their body.

Perhaps the stark difference in what is accepted in today’s society compared to the past is what’s encouraging people to get drastic, if not downright strange aesthetic procedures. Celebrities are generally more prone to getting excessive plastic surgery due to the nature of their profession. However, normal, day to day individuals are also falling into this vicious circle. People like the Superman fanatic, Herbert Chavez.

Don’t Let Your Dreams be Dreams!

At least that’s what Herbert Chavez believed when he decided to get 23 plastic surgeries to look like the real life version of his favorite superhero, Superman.  He did everything from chin augmentation, Rhinoplasty, silicone injection and thigh implants just to be a Superman look alike. Besides holding a Guinness World Record for the largest Superman memorabilia, he is also a self-proclaimed role model for children, saying that by dressing up as his favorite superhero, “it gives them hope” (1) and inspires kids to be more benevolent. 

Chavez was even featured in E!’s hit television show, Botched, and consulted with Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif to see if they could do additional work on his body. Unfortunately, it was discovered that Chavez had been injecting himself with MesoLipo in an effort to gain six-pack abs. Mesolipo is designed to melt fat and bring out muscular definition. However it seemed to give opposite results to the real life superhero as his chest and abdomen are now covered in lumps. The doctors have refused to operate anymore on Chavez in fear of causing life-threatening complications due from botched Mesolipo injection. Psychiatrists have told the local news in the Philippines that Herbert Chavez may be suffering from body dysmorphia, which makes him obsessed with making drastic body alterations. This seems to have little effect on the young cosplay enthusiast, claiming that he has no regrets and his life has been affected positively by his decisions.

Another, more well-known case of plastic surgery addiction comes from Jocelyn Wildenstein. In fact, when you search her name on Google, the only thing she is really noted for these days is her extensive plastic surgery following her divorce from Alec Wildenstein in 1999. She is known for her very unnatural appearance and has been the center of botched plastic surgery jokes since the early 2000s. It seems that Jocelyn is also unashamed and has no regrets about her decision.

When asked about how many plastic surgery operations she has had, her reply was “no more or less than any woman.” Clearly she has had trouble dealing with the reality of her situation, but as many would put it, ignorance is bliss…right?

Isn’t Body Modification an Old School Obsession?

We often forget that in some parts of the world, extreme body modification has been the norm. Take some African tribes for example, who still practice body scarification up to this day. In this process, artistic lines are physically cut into the body creating complex patterns of scar tissue after healing. Scarification is highly regarded within the local communities and the more elaborate the design, the more beautiful it is deemed to be. However the procedure is very slow and painful and the intricacy of the design is mostly limited by how much pain one can tolerate.

It is fascinating to see that no matter how advanced we think our society has become, some of us will still be drawn to the primal need of making drastic modifications to the body. Perhaps plastic surgery obsession isn’t a mental condition at all, but instead an instinctual habit, since some people have more of an affinity for it than others.

- KT