In an iconic scene from the 1960’s film 'The Graduate', young Dustin Hoffman is discussing his future with a friend of his parents. The friend turns to Hoffman and says “I just want to say one word to you: plastics.”
He might have been talking about cosmetic surgery.
Cosmetic enhancement, both surgical and non-surgical, has steadily grown in popularity and acceptance over the years. The Kardashians and other A-Listers are putting their procedures in the spotlight, telling the world what they’ve had nipped, tucked, frozen, and injected. Proud of the faces and bodies they’ve chiselled to their own specifications, they are at the forefront of a movement known as “plastic positive.”
This sub-culture of individuals who call themselves “extreme beauty achievers” is growing. As Australia’s leading independent source for aesthetic and cosmetic surgery news and information, we wanted to look into this phenomenon, and hear the negative views of people on the other side of the plastics debate.
Sub-Culture Club
Sub-cultures are defined by what they are and what they are not. This certainly applies to the group that favours plastic surgery. According to a statement on their website, members of the Plastic Positive movement
- Believe that everyone should have the right to choose how they wish to look.
- Are FOR cosmetic treatments of all kinds.
- Are AGAINST treatments performed with the aim of achieving a natural look.
As one doctor describes them, “Plastic positives want it frozen, they want it big, and they want it now and frequently thereafter.” Perhaps their philosophy is best expressed on Instagram, where the Plastic Positive movement “celebrates all beyond natural beauty, the purest plastic perfection and unreal sex appeal.”
Pendulum Swing: Plastic Positive to Negative
The Plastic Positive movement is occurring at the same time many individuals, women in particular, are speaking out against cosmetic enhancement. Perhaps unexpectedly, a big boost for the anti-cosmetic surgery movement has come from actresses and celebrities over 45. At an age when many women are succumbing to the demands to look younger for their careers, these Plastic Negatives say:
- Actress Emma Thompson (57) – “It’s not a normal thing to do, and the culture that we’ve created that says its normal is not normal.”
- Actress Jamie Lee Curtis (57) – “I am appalled that the term we use to talk about aging is ‘anti.’ “Aging is human evolution in its pure form… We are ALL going to age and soften and mellow and transition.”
- Actress Julia Roberts (48) – “My feeling is, I have three children who should know what emotion I’m feeling at the exact moment I’m feeling it.”
- Model/Designer Ines de la Fressange (58) – “I would be too afraid I wouldn’t recognize myself anymore”
What do YOU have to say about all this? Whether you’re plastic positive, plastic negative, or still on the fence about the issue, be sure to keep visiting the Costhetics website for updates and news.