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[b]The Seven Guilt Messages
Guilt can be stimulated by many factors. Why do we humans feel guilty about loving ourselves? Some of the answers can be plainly seen when we look at the cultural, religious, social, sexual and media influences on our lives. Here's a breakdown of messages that prompt us to feel guilty for altering our physical appearance:
1. We should accept what nature gave us
Many of us were taught that we should accept ourselves just as nature made us. We were also taught, rightly so, that what's inside a person is more important than what's on the outside. In early childhood we learned clichés such as, "You can't judge a book by it's cover," and "Beauty's only skin deep."
2. Vanity is bad
Some believe that vanity is a sin, which plays beautifully into the fear, "Will I be punished for my vanity by a disastrous result from the surgery?"
3. It's an extravagant use of money
How can you spend thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery when you really need a new roof on the house? What kind of person would spend that kind of money on himself when there are children starving?
4. Cosmetic surgery is dishonest
If we really believe that beauty's only skin deep, then we're dishonest if we surgically alter our appearance. Our new attractiveness will be false.
5. Cosmetic surgery is not politically correct
Are you buying the media myth about how you should look? Many female baby boomers believed in the "natural look" during the 1970s. They stopped wearing make up, and many stopped shaving their legs and underarms. Now that they're in their 40s and 50s, are they compromising their ethics? Shouldn't we be proud of the age, experience and wisdom that shows in our faces?
6. What will people think?
We want to be taken seriously by our peers. We want to be seen as deep, intelligent people. So how can we justify something as "shallow" as having our breasts enlarged? Public opinion seems to hold the view that cosmetic surgery is for insecure high-society types, desperate women, bimbos or people who are obsessively afraid of aging. Who wants to be one of "them?"
7. The media monster
The media constantly reminds us that cosmetic surgery is for the rich and famous, not for regular folks like us. We see it in the gossip pages. We see it in the advertising of cosmetic surgeons. In most of the hype, we see pictures of 23-year-old female fashion models with perfect bodies. We don't see ourselves in these images. We see people we can't relate to, so we're sold an idea that says, "Cosmetic surgery is for the young, beautiful, famous or rich." Seldom do the ads show middle aged men and women, adolescents with disfigurements, or average looking people with obvious flaws.