Beauty in eye of science
by Frances Matteck
nw news editor

What makes a woman beautiful?

Is it her laugh?

How about her compassion for others?

Or maybe she has a great smile.

According to television’s latest trend, plastic surgery is what makes women beautiful.

Shows like ABC’s Extreme Makeover, MTV’s I Want a Famous Face and FOX’s The Swan are not sending a healthy message to their viewers.

These shows take normal women and turn them into their version of the ideal woman.

Their version is supposed to be this gorgeous, desirable creature, but most of the people who participate in these shows do not look natural after their transformations. Somehow they appear to be just freaky.

Some of them are not really attractive at all.

However, viewers that see these transformations begin to wonder what they would do if they had the opportunity to change themselves.

By wondering, viewers begin to consider, “Could I do this? Would I do this?”

This is not a healthy trend.

Younger viewers who don’t like the way they look think that plastic surgery is the easiest option, but their bodies still are developing, and plastic surgery will only hurt them in the long run.

What happened to appreciation for a person’s inner beauty?

Just because a person may not be physically attractive does not mean she (or he) is not a great person who has a lot to offer.

Unfortunately, in our society today, being physically attractive is an important priority.

Americans spend an enormous amount of money on beauty regimens.

We buy makeup, skin care products, diet pills and tanning memberships. Many of these products are or will eventually result in harm.

Every year, millions of Americans join gyms or go to spas in an attempt to look like their favorite celebrity.

Celebrities spend an extreme amount of money to look the way they do, and when the average Joe realizes that he’ll never be able to achieve that so-called perfection, his self-esteem will take a nose dive.

Television is not really the problem.

Society’s evolution to this view of beauty is the problem.

Try this: instead of totally ignoring somebody because you don’t think that they’re attractive, go up to them and strike up a conversation.

You may be surprised by the person you find.

Last Updated: 4/21/2004
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