A recent survey in Britain among new mothers found that one in four was considering cosmetic surgery to restore their pre-pregnancy figure. Three-quarters said they were shocked by the effect of pregnancy on their bodies, and almost all said they were repelled when they saw their stretch marks, flabby stomachs and sagging breasts. Well, folks. Hating your post-baby body has official gone transnational. Thanks to the 'Mummy Makeover' cosmetic surgery packages (liposuction, tummy tuck, breast augmentation) sweeping the US and Australia, British women are hopping on the nip/tuck bandwagon.
I find it extremely discomfiting that cosmetic surgery procedures are treated as mundane or routine as a manicure or hair cut. As Jennifer Cognard-Black argues in Ms Magazine, 'choice' is often used in reference to women and cosmetic surgery as a way of sidetracking the more significant underlying issues.
"The word "choice" obviously plays on reproductive-rights connotations, so that consumers will trust that they are maintaining autonomy over their bodies. Yet one choice goes completely unmentioned: The choice not to consider cosmetic surgery at all."
Sure, having a 'flabby' belly post-baby is no walk in the park and who can blame women for feeling as though their self-image has taken a huge hit?! But, since when is it okay to tell women that they should pay alot of money to have the fat sucked out of their thighs just because they gave birth?
Recent media stories suggesting plastic surgery and 'Mummy Makeovers' are the new feminist aesthetic is more problematic than perhaps I'm willing to discuss. In light of the plethora of makeover shows, the constant barrage of celebrity body 'enhancement' stories in the tabloids, and the thriving weight loss industry in America it is no wonder that new mums think that if they only lose a few extra kilos or just get their thighs a bit thinner or have perkier breasts, they will be happy. In my opinion, the 'Mummy Makeover' is the latest capitalist salve for antenatal depression that often goes undiagnosed during pregnancy and continues postnatally. Losing weight and looking good don't go very far if you still have a baby that wont stop crying or a husband that can't seem to do his share. Cosmetic surgery for women has become normalised. It is NOT 'normal' to cut up your body. The desire for homogeneity, for all women to look the same, slim hips, smooth skin and no 'fat', is a blatant attempt to de-individualise women and we should all be angry and not complicit.
