I Do…. Not Recognize You: Bridalplasty Reveals America’s Obsession With Plastic Surgery

Bridalplasty is a new show where brides to be compete for a plastic surgery treatment.

BY KAYLA LOKEINSKY

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, a bride prepares to make the ultimate commitment. She’s sure she’s ready, she knows it’s her time, and now the only thing left to do is get into her gown. The bride waits anxiously, her hands trembling at the thought of what she knows is about to happen. Then, a man walks in and says the words that she’s been waiting for years to hear; “The plastic surgeon will see you now.”

Plastic surgery has become commonplace in today’s society. From botox to butt lifts, the medical world is coming up with more and more cosmetic procedures to give women the “perfect body.” Plastic surgery isn’t just for aging celebrities anymore. Recently it has become available to women from all walks of life, and some of them will do anything to get it, even if it means changing themselves entirely.

With the new E! Entertainment show Bridalplasty, plastic surgery is taken to a new level of extremity. Bridalplasty features real life brides-to-be who are competing for plastic surgery and a dream wedding. Each week the brides compete in wedding-related challenges. The winner wins a plastic surgery procedure of their choice, while their fellow contestants vote off the losing brides. The winner of Bridalplasty gets to be nipped, tucked, and tweaked to resemble the plastic doll atop her wedding cake, as well as receive a dream celebrity wedding.

While the show may seem shallow and superficial, there is actually a deeper meaning behind it. Mainly, the women on the show are participating in the competition because they can’t afford a big wedding of their own, and they will do whatever they need to do in order to make their wedding dreams come true. Also, Bridalplasty can give the contestants an opportunity to get the surgery they feel they need in order to finally be satisfied with their bodies.

“The show may seem stupid at first, but it really has a good purpose,” freshman Bethany Williams said. “The women on the show get to fix their bodies the way they want and boost their self esteem, while winning an awesome wedding that they wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.”

However, while the show may be somewhat beneficial to the contestants, it also has its downfalls. For instance, the winner of Bridalplasty isn’t allowed to see her husband until they meet on their wedding day. Basically, the bride strolls up to the alter, pulls back her veil and reveals an entirely new face and body. Who knows how the husband will react to that?

“I think the brides are being selfish on this show,” junior Desiree DeMolina said. “They’re completely altering their bodies even though their husbands love them the way they are.”

The show also provides insight to the growing new trend throughout the country: plastic surgery. Depending on the person, plastic surgery may be the answer to finally feeling beautiful or comfortable in his or her own skin. But for others, it’s a permanent life changing surgery that can take a turn for the worse.

Although cosmetic surgery is often associated with rich socialites and Hollywood starlets, it has recently begun traveling down the social pyramid to the middle class. Because of this, more people are able to achieve their lifelong dreams of looking the way they feel they need to look. For example, cosmetic surgery is not only for looking beautiful, but it can rebuild the life of a person from the outside in. Procedures such as skin grafting, microsurgery, and pre-tissue transfers are new developments in cosmetic surgery and are widely used on war veterans who have lost their skin during battle due to being shot or bombed.

While plastic surgery does have its benefits, it is not something that people should take lightly. It is a serious, permanent medical procedure that people should thoroughly consider before going under the knife. While the surgery may look good at the time, it may not last forever. For example, when a woman gets a cosmetic procedure done on her breasts, they may look perfect at the time, but in ten or fifteen years they will have to be replaced in order to keep up with their aging bodies. Cosmetic surgery becomes a lifelong commitment that is not only painful, but also very expensive.

Cosmetic surgery can also have a serious impact on a person’s health. Plastic surgery involves several surgical risks like pain, infections, allergic reactions, nausea and vomiting. In addition to these, drug reaction, implant rejection, pigmentation, blood clots, skin necrosis and nerve damage on the particular area are some of common negative effects of plastic surgery. Though plastic surgery is seen as glamorous, it is still surgery, and still has risks.

The strangest thing about Bridalplasty is that the contestants are in no need of plastic surgery. They’re all beautiful in their own way, yet they feel the need to permanently alter themselves just to fit into society’s idea of what beautiful is. Plastic surgery is not the only solution to fixing what you think is wrong with your body, and it’s not a solution to getting a big fancy wedding. Bridalplasty may make for some interesting entertainment, but mainly it’s just another way the media is covincing women that a knife can make all their insecurities go away.