The Plastic Nation

For the purpose of this blog, "Plastic Nation" refers to how an overwhelming amount of people are going to the extremes to become someone or something they are not even if it means having surgery to do so. Many TV shows and ads have a way of playing on a person's emotions to make them want to look or be a certain way. Plastic surgery has become ever so popular especially amongst young women. More and more diet pills are hitting the market, silicon breast implants, face lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, lip enhancements, spray on tans, etc are now as popular as going shopping for clothes. I’m not saying any of it doesn’t look nice, but I mean what’s next… interchangeable body parts? Maybe it’s the guy’s fault. Maybe we should let them know that they do not need to do all of the extra stuff to be beautiful. It’s crazy when I go to work and hear about someone having a face lift. I ask myself, why?!! I also know of two people who had a gastric bypass surgery. I’d understand if it was a medical problem, but not because you can’t stop eating or can’t get up and do some exercise. Some things we just have to take responsibility for. To lose weight just means to start exercising and eating better, not surgically shrinking your stomach! TV shows like “Dr. 90210, MTV True Life, and Nip/Tuck are f***ing scary just to think how serious this matter is in today’s society.

The guys are not in the clear on this issue either. There has been an increase in men getting nose jobs, laser hair removal, hair transplants, liposuction, and botox. I just wonder what happens when the person gets really old. You can’t fix your look forever. Eventually, your true self will show. Maybe there are techniques of hiding old age, but someone will see you at your worst at some point.

I just had to rant on this subject because I think its getting ridiculous. Since I’ve lived in Las Vegas I think I’ve seen some of the fakest people I have ever encountered. It’s just the whole “fake” lifestyle that gets to me. Maybe it’s just the L.A/Hollywood culture that has tainted the world with fakeness. It’s an issue with the physical appearance and personality. I recently saw an Asian person wearing blue eye contacts with their hair dyed blond. I knew an Asian guy who wanted to have his eyes clipped so that his eyes wouldn’t be slanted. I didn’t know that was a popular thing at the time. This White girl I know spends so many hours at the tanning salon its scary. That much unnatural UV radiation can’t be good for anyone. Many Black people get their hair straightened only because it’s not an acceptable thing to have kinky hair because it’ll look too “Afro centric” which may cause too much criticism that may affect their jobs or even being completely looked over for employment. Is this all a natural phase or is this really a serious issue? What are your thoughts?