What's Wrong with This Face?

As the final step in my investigation ( See previous post, Looking For Change in All the Wrong Places Pt 1), I set up consultations with two local (GTA) cosmetic surgery clinics. I posed as a 23 year old aspiring lingerie model who felt that perhaps larger breasts would jump start my career.
I told the interviewers that I had enough money saved to cover the whole cost of the initial surgery, but that I was also open to any suggestions they may have in terms of improving my overall look and appeal. I have included a picture of myself on the left. To the right is a photoshopped version of me done courtesy of my good friend, Daniel Kahn who took pity on my lack of technical savvy. My natural measurements are 34-25-34. I am 5’6, a natural blonde and I have natural C cup breasts.

Both clinics were more than happy to help me with my augmentation dreams, despite the fact that I admitted that my family doctor did not think I was completely finished growing and developing (the average female doesn’t settle into their full adult shape until their mid-late twenties). Neither clinic asked me any psychological questions to ascertain whether I had realistic expectation, was sufficiently prepared mentally or whether I was likely to be one of those individuals who become addicted to plastic surgery and aesthetic procedures.
However, both clinics felt strongly that with their help, I could be a successful lingerie model, but I may just need a little more help than I had initially anticipated.

Here is a list of the other procedures that were recommended to me…
Rhinoplasty (nose job) - Both clinics felt strongly that this should be my next step. One woman even went so far as to say that she felt my nose was holding me back more than my breasts (‘ I mean, stylists can always hand you some chicken cutlets to slip in your bra, but she can’t cut off a slice of your nose for a shoot.’).
Chin Implants - One consultant felt that my chin was too weak and that I needed a more ‘commanding’ presence.
Hair Line Adjustment - One consultant felt that my forehead was more of a ‘five-head’ and that undergoing a painful procedure that would pull my hair line lower and effectively shrink my enormous forehead to a more appealing size.

I am now lamenting my lack of skills in photoshop because it would have been amazing to include a shot of me with all of these ’minor’ changes and see what I would look like. Luckily, Daniel Kahn, a friend of mine, kindly made the appropriate adjustments to my image and you can look again knowing exactly what has been changed. Both clinics offered to create a ‘before’ and a projected ‘after’ shot, but only if I returned for my first paid visit where they begin the actual measurements and plans. Needless to say, after leaving the second clinic, I promised myself to never darken their doorstep again.

So, this is me, my opinions, the information I found intriguing and horrifying at the same time. An interesting thing to note was that neither clinic shared in-depth information with me during our consultation about the risks of the procedures. One consultant mentioned capsular contraction, but not by name; she simply mentioned that some implants end up looking ’…like Pam Anderson boobs’ if they are done incorrectly, but she destroyed that moment of possible concern by immediately adding ’ …but our doctors are better than that, so don’t worry!’

So I guess what I am trying to share with all of you is to look at WHY you think you want to change your looks. Will it make you happier? Will it make you a better person? Will it make you more successful? I assure you that if you think the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you need to re-read this article and start counting your blessings. If you spent a little more time thinking about what you DO have and a little less time thinking about what you WISH you had, before you know it, you’ll be happier, more successful and more fulfilled and you won’t have spent $40,000.00.
I look at that changed image every time I check my blog and it is creepy. It is almost me, but not quite, and I can't image seeing that in the mirror every morning. The saddest thing about that picture is it is me, without any of my unique features, I've become generic and I'm not entirely sure when mediocre became beautiful. I also lost all of the features that I got from my mom. She's gone now and I love looking in the mirror everyday and seeing her nose and her chin and her smile, it seems to me that there is a certain cost for changing your image and maybe it can only be paid with emotional currency... just something to think about.