I know that this is not my usual style of writing or the things I typically write about, but it pertains to health and I do have a strong opinion about it. And that is why I would like to share it all with you. I just saw the commercial on tv about Bridalplasty which is a new reality show airing on E! The LA Times says that this, “new reality series preys on the insecurities of brides who compete in wedding-themed challenges in the hopes of winning a plastic-surgery procedure.” I have to say that I was absolutely disgusted by the concept of Bridalplasty. I totally agree that every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, but this is just too extreme. Having plastic surgery is a personal choice, but to change your entire body on public television to get married is degrading. More so, this is about the message E! is sending to women everywhere, not to mention the implications of what this will do to growing up teenagers. The entertainment industry really needs to think about the affect on health, self-esteem, and self-respect this will have on the viewers.
The American culture is already very superficial and is all about the way you look. There are even face creams that are supposed to make your skin lighter in color, because supposedly, according to the media, dark skin is unattractive, however, this is a whole other topic for another time. Bridalplasty also sends the message about how who you are as an original is not good enough for your wedding. As a bride-to-be, I also want to look my best for my big day and we all have our flaws, but you know what, my fiancé loves me for me. We are getting married because we accept and love each other for who we are and Bridalplasty takes this sacred aspect away from the idea of sacred matrimony.
From an article from ABC News: “Under the American Society of Plastic Surgeons code of ethics, we’re technically prohibited from giving procedures away as a prize for a contest. It totally undermines the doctor-patient relationship,” says Dr. Gayle Gordillo, associate professor of plastic surgery at Ohio State University. “The ethical and social implications of this [show] are frightening.” I also agree that this show has way too many negative social, medical, and ethical implications.
All I am trying to say is that if people want to have plastic surgery, it should be their own personal choice and not promoted on national television. A show like Bridalplasty will make women and young girls think that they have to be super duper perfect and meet the model standards to get married, which is totally wrong and immoral. True beauty really does come from within and the whole concept of getting married is that your partner should find you to be beautiful just the way you are.
Also from ABC’s article, Dr. Michael McGuire, president-elect of the American Society for Plastic Surgeons’ code of ethics, says that, “the show is embarrassing to the field and the society frowns upon taking a “well-recognized specialty down into this level of entertainment,” he says that without an actual violation of the code, there is “nothing we can do about it.” The surgeon on the show has already screened and evaluated each of the girls and has approved them for all their surgeries and that is how Bridalplasty found their loophole.
There must be something that we can all do to keep Bridalplasty off the air. For now, all I can think of is to not watch it and therefore, giving it lower ratings. It should be as simple as that. If nobody watches the show, then it simply won’t have enough resources to continue. We should not allow the entertainment industry to sabotage women any further than what has already been done. Reality shows are one thing, but messing with other people’s bodies and health on national tv is a whole other thing that is just down right immoral. Let’s send the right message to women everywhere and not promote Bridalplasty.
Take care,
Varsha
Holistic Health. Integrative Medicine. Integrative Health. These are just a few of the words that are used to name a new type of medicine or approach to health care. But what is it and what does it really mean? The future of health care and medicine lies in the integrated practice. Lately, all I have been doing is writing more about the politics of health and health care, rather than actual remedies. The reason is that besides being passionate about natural health, I am also very much in favor of a true medical integrated approach to health care.