Plastic Surgery

Outline I. Introduction II. Personal Opinion A. Quotes B. Personal Experience III. Conclusion

American Literature essay

Anoplasty .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Manar Maged ................................................................................................................................... 4 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 5

American Literature essay

American Literature Essay Jan 27, 2010 Plastic Surgery

It feels special walking down Apgujeong Street in Seoul, filled with artificial girls. Apgujeong is a place described as a twin village, filled with people who are identical to each other: sharp and high nose, plumped lips, big eyes with double layers located based on a golden ratio of 2:3 on CD sized faces. I might be less attractive than them, according to the standard that was set in my culture, but I am unique and attractive in my own way. Or at least, thats what I used to think.

student 8/11/11 10:39 AM

Comment: Describe more about this place.

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Anoplasty Anaplasty is the branch of surgery concerned with therapeutic or cosmetic repair or re-formation of missing, injured, or malformed tissue of parts (dictionary.com). Though it might be taken less seriously to doctors who deal with surgeries such as removing cancer, plastic surgery is widely debated on its safety and moral issues. It is especially being debated frequently in Korea, where many people get plastic surgeries. Therefore, Apgujeongdong, Seoul, where many fashionable and artistic people gather, is now a hotbed for plastic surgery hospitals, including massage shops, medical centers, and restaurants that are specially designed for aftercare of plastic surgery. Automatically, Apgujeongdong became filled with girls with implants. Even foreigners came all the way to Korea just to get plastic surgeries. They walk around and go shopping with a huge white bandage on their faces. Being a resident of Apgujeong for about 15 years, this phenomenon seemed very awkward, weird, and even funny. Why would they spend time and money to trash the gift that God and parents presented to us? Why would they go through such suffering to look like someone else? But it started to make sense when I experienced Lookism at my school.
student 8/11/11 10:40 AM
Comment: What is your own definition of Anaplasty?

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I had friends named Albert and Haelee from different international schools. Though we were all from different schools, we were good friends and fair to each other. However, when Haelee came back with plastic surgery over the winter break, I noticed the attitudes of people toward her changed, including Alberts. I asked him face to face: why would your attitude toward Haelee change so abruptly? Albert told me honestly that it is very hard to joke around in front of a pretty person like that, even though he will get used to it soon. Shocked and annoyed by his reply, I separated myself from that group. I later heard that Haelee got a new very attractive boyfriend after the surgery and that Albert and Haelee no longer hung out, which made me feel jealous. When I came back to school, two people told me that they got Botox injections on their faces. One reshaped her face line, and the other made her nose

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American Literature essay

sharp. Because these injections work slightly over time, no one would notice the difference except for those whom they personally told to. I was very surprised to see few students telling them that they have changed in positive ways even though it has been only three weeks since they got the injections. These two girls said that they are willing to get more Botox on different parts of their face during the spring after experiencing wonderful comments from most of the people. Even though I acted like I didnt care about such trifle things, I started to notice my own desire that, deep down in my heart, I also wanted to get a plastic surgery.

To convince my parents, I started to gather information on plastic surgeries from different perspectives. Though it is not very common now, there were a lot of accidents in the past, which led to paralysis and even death. However, with developments of technology and medicines, along with increase in doctors awareness of such dangers, the number of accidents has dramatically decreased. But the surgery itself would leave bruises and swelling for few months, and the patients would have to put bandages for about a week. Though the cost of the surgery differs depending on doctors experience, location of the hospital, and materials used for the surgery, the average cost of a surgery ranges from $3000 to $5000. There are no age restrictions, but the patients should be in extremely healthy conditions. Otherwise, they wont recover quickly. Because of privacy issues, most of the hospitals would trash the information of patients after the surgery. The fact that they have gone through a surgery is completely kept confidential, although we can identify easily whether the person got it or not. This information, to me, was very interesting. As I was searching through, I saw so many successful cases of surgery and before and after pictures that people uploaded on their blogs. Before and after pictures convinced me that the miracles can happen with mans hands. I was about to tell my parents about this idea until I read an article that entangled my brain.

Manar Maged The article is about a girl named Manar Maged who suffered from a rare condition that occurs when an embryo splits in the womb but does not develop fully into a twin. (BBC News) Because of this condition, this Egyptian girl was born with two heads and lived for two years until she got a surgery to remove one head from her. Though the surgery itself was successful, she passed away because of the brain infection developed in the process of removing her head. According the article that I read in Korean, the doctor who has performed this operation was a plastic surgeon. I suddenly realized that it was the job of plastic surgeons. They were not the people who I should visit for the purpose to becoming prettier and more popular than before.
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Conclusion

American Literature essay

I want to be pretty, but I dont want to look exactly like people on the streets. I want to be popular, but I cant stop thinking about those who cannot even afford to worry about how they look because they have to fight for their lives. I know that this isnt the best time to think about such things as plastic surgery and being popular, since Ive got more important things to do to prepare for my future, such as SATs and GPA. However, thinking and dreaming aren't something that I can control myself. I know it is going to be the dilemma for such a long time in my life.

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