The New You – Feeling Better About Yourself, Or Chasing Compliments?

We smile, we frown, we cry, we strut, we hunch, we strike a pose – it’s fair to say we’re constantly communicating with our faces and our bodies. Body language is an important relay tool to making an immediate contact with others – passing on signals that make us understood. That’s why, as a society, we understand why humans are so invested in their appearance, even if we don’t like to admit it. Good-looking people are often treated better. As cosmetic surgery is becoming more normal in today’s hectic lifestyle, more women and men are turning to cosmetic procedures because a) they’re easily accessible; b) we have more disposable income; and c) being weighed down with social pressure pushes us to want to look our best. However, it’s not a new sensation that you want to change your looks. For centuries we’ve been known to modify our faces, and since the birth of re-constructive surgery it’s only become more advanced. For most women, the easy availability of Nip and Tuck procedures has led to the desire to improve or change one’s self for the better – whether for self-satisfaction or harbouring secret desires for compliments from acquaintances. Feeling better about yourself While many are content to look their age, there is no escaping the fear of fleshy upper arms, protruding bellies, receding hairlines, smile lines, crow’s feet or “turkey” necklines. In the end, rough complexion and eye-bags that reflect months of burning the midnight oil or attending to social obligations, adding on years that are telling beyond your actual age will meddle with your self-esteem, no matter how hard you choose to ignore it. Nobody wants to tell an honest story of their lives lived on their faces and bodies. Turning to skincare or beauty products can only do so much in the fight against Mother Nature. That’s why many of us no longer sit back wallowing and let shame and disappointment seep into our confidence in time. With the convenience of lunchtime procedures, women and men around the world are increasingly taking action to improve their looks, and “going surgical” for more considerable tweaking of their face and bodies. Women, especially, come into clinics concerned about looking “tired”. Although we may not feel tired on the inside, it is the outside projection that we want to reflect. Women no longer want to face the mirror everyday with a run-down appearance, and that’s why quick facial fixes like Botox and Fillers top the list of non-invasive choices. With fast food inundating our food choices, we traipse straight into Wendy’s or McDonalds for a quick meal of burgers and fries without a second thought, choosing to ignore the fat and calories we’re piling on until it’s way too late. You wouldn’t be surprised if we told you weight loss surgery (bariatric) for the obese and body contouring procedures such as liposuction and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) are in top demand for those wanting to proportionately shape their body. Chasing compliments Naturally, once people are lavished with compliments about their new looks, they crave for more. But should it really be about chasing compliments or is it more about looking your best to feel your best in yourself? That’s where the lines of choosing to undergo cosmetic surgery blur, as sometimes it’s viewed as chasing vanity (a negative trait) rather than as a much-needed boost in self-esteem (a positive trait). And do we not all feel better about ourselves when we’ve been complimented about our looks? Whichever way it’s viewed, at its heart we all want to a) feel better; b) be better appreciated; and therefore c) treated better. And we know that these three goals can be achieved if we look better. Chasing compliments is actually just a side order to a main meal, it comes after we have made improvements to ourselves. Acceptance of cosmetic surgery With today’s evolving perception of self-image, the subtle intervention of cosmetic procedures into our everyday life has become the acceptable face of adulthood. There’s now a common inclination with teenagers and adults in South Korea and China going under the scalpel to improve their looks in attempts to gain higher social status and career advancements. The wave of procedures in South Korea has been recognised for sculpting a generation of good-looking K-pop artistes, and Beverly Wilshire Medical Centre has included into their services a beautiful Korean transformation, available right here in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Overall, today’s society is realising that going for cosmetic surgery is not about clinching his or her dream partner, but for the good of their inner self. It also helps that cosmetic surgery fits into a new world where we’re very much image-conscious (selfies and photo-sharing on social media, for example). Our appearance is the extension of who we are in our own comfortable way – let’s make it better together.