Days after the revelation that increasing amounts are being spent by Britons on plastic surgery for their pets, hero of the hour Kate Winslet has united with fellow Brits Rachel Weisz and Emma Thompson to form what she describes as the "British Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League" (with humans, rather than animals, in mind). Such practices "go against my morals", Winslet says. Thompson, meanwhile, has expressed her distaste for the constant quest for youth, with increasing pressures for older women to try and disguise their age. Across the ocean, Salma Hayak has made similar arguments against plastic surgery, suggesting that it is not the route to beauty.
Such sentiments coming from Hollywood is admirable; it is always refreshing to see women in the public eye openly expressing confidence in the looks they were born with. They provide a strong message on the importance of natural beauty, to counter a culture in which fake is continually glamourised. Billions is spent worldwide each year on cosmetic procedures, and many celebrities openly admit they have undergone treatments, ranging from minor enhancements to major reconstruction. Such widespread acceptance of these operations does encourage women, particularly young girls, to look to cosmetic surgery as a solution for their insecurities. It is therefore important to have celebrity role models such as Winslet, Thompson and Weisz arguing that looking natural is more beautiful than being 'perfect'.
However, it is all very well when you look like one of the founding members of the British Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League, but not every woman glances in the mirror and sees Rachel Weisz staring back at them. Clearly many women have serious insecurities and are not as comfortable with their appearance as these three women are.
The obsession with plastic surgery reached ridiculous new levels recently, when a woman bought her seven-year-old child vouchers for a breast-enhancement op to use when she hits 16. Growing up knowing you can have cosmetic surgery does not encourage young people to first try and come to terms with their natural appearance. Whether it is vanity or insecurity that motivates women to go under the knife ? reading that Kate Winslet rejects cosmetic surgery probably won't make them feel any better about themselves. But it may encourage people ? particularly young girls ? to appreciate their natural beauty and not seek cosmetic surgery as the quick and easy solution.
Do you think the Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League will catch on among today's stars? Is cosmetic surgery motivated by vanity or insecurity? And if the latter is the case, is that acceptable?
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