Body positivity is one of the most powerful messages of our time. As more women push back against traditional beauty standards, this movement has tackled conversations about the perception of beauty in media, business, and even children’s toys. All bodies are beautiful, and one of the biggest assumptions over the last decade is that plastic surgery conflicts with these goals. We’re here to argue that plastic surgery can work within this movement and help create a more positive change in how people view beauty standards. 

Why Body Positivity is Important For Everyone 

The body positivity movement works to remove unrealistic beauty standards, establishing that our concepts of beauty as highly outdated. In this movement, conversations about feminist theory, mental health disorders, beauty concerning queerness, minority representation, and many other progressive ideals are often influenced by bodily appearance. In short, our body image can drastically affect our lives in the least expected way. Body image isn’t necessarily about weight but more about how our perceptions of ourselves see our bodies compared to our outward reality. 

Negative body image is prevalent worldwide, and one of the current solutions presented to people is to reinforce realistic ideals of beauty through healthcare. Plastic surgery, on the surface, has always been perceived with biases and judgments due to unrealistic beauty standards, standing on both sides of the argument in a negative light. However – in reality, this isn’t always the case. For some people, plastic surgery helps reinforce their ideal version that doesn’t involve beauty standards. 

An example of this is top surgery. Top surgery helps those faced with body dysmorphia resolve issues with their body image by physically changing their appearance to suit their sense of self-esteem and worth. It is commonly performed for those who identify as transgender. Another example comes from women with large breasts, where their body doesn’t just affect their self-image but also affects their health, contributing to chronic back problems, heavy periods, and other issues. Most depictions of plastic surgery often result from media portrayals that rely on stereotypes and ingrained judgments against women, LBGTQ, and minorities. 

How Plastic Surgery Can Help Your Body Image 

Improving one’s quality of life, in short, should not come with these judgments, and plastic surgery can help embrace our intrinsic uniqueness, changing beauty standards one step at a time. Plastic surgery isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, so determining whether or not plastic surgery is right for you is important. Some questions to ask yourself can include: 

• What are you hoping to gain from your surgery?
• What results are you expecting?
• Are there alternatives to plastic surgery you can do?
• Do you understand the risks and complications of your surgery?
• What are the potential costs associated with your surgery?

For many people, plastic surgery works to emphasize the best parts of themselves and can greatly benefit one’s body image simply by choosing to love the body they have. If you’re curious about what plastic surgery can do for you, schedule an appointment with your local surgeon to learn more!