`` The Pitfalls Of Plastic Surgery `` By Camille Paglia Essay

The beauty standard is a culturally constructed notion of physical attractiveness that has become increasingly imperative for women and men. However, this standard has become extremely perilous to men and women’s self-image. Camille Paglia, a highly educated individual who earned her PhD at Yale University and became a highly acclaimed author, explicates this conception in her essay â€Å"The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery†. Paglia suggests that the beauty standard idealizes women to look like â€Å"sex symbols with an unattainable grandeur† (776). She continues to claim that it forces her audience of higher class women to pay large sums of money in order to alter their features ultimately conforming to a very â€Å"parochial† definition of beauty (776). Although Paglia is a highly credible source, she illogically appeals to the reader’s fears in order to persuade them. Paglia fails to give any credible outside sources which affirms her preposterous be liefs. Contrary to her inconsistencies, Daniel Akst, a social journalist and graduate from New York University provides his audience with reputable sources in order to persuade his audience. Daniel Akst believes that there needs to be a â€Å"democratization of physical beauty† in which instead of attempting to alter the beauty standard, we must first change how we view ourselves. Akst provides credible sources to establish his credibility where he observes cases studies and cultural experiments from scientists and organizations including:Show MoreRelated`` Dad, Can I Please Get A Nose Job?1512 Words   |  7 PagesV. at 7:00 am, ready to go under the knife. The huge bump on my nose always bothered me when I looked at pictures of my profiled face. It seemed like every woman I was surrounded by, both celebrities who have gotten plastic surgery, and even my friends who never had plastic surgery, had a cute, smooth, feminine nose. I wanted to look like them—I wanted my nose to fit in with all the other girls’ noses. No one would even second-guess a teenager getting a nose job in Los Angeles because it has becomeRead MoreThe Media Images Of Beauty1665 Words   |  7 PagesThis norm is slowly taking away an individual’s freedom of self-expression and consequently lose sense of self-worth. Camille Paglia, an academic and social critic who earned her PhD at Yale University, uses her artistic sensibility to argue that the current trend of plastic surgery leads to ethical issues, such as narcissism, sexism, and racism in â€Å"The Pitfall of Plastic Surgery†. Meanwhile, Daniel Akst, New York born journalist, claims that the attitudes of the typical American’s carelessness aboutRead MorePhysical Features Of Cosmetic Surgery Essay1329 Words   |  6 Pagesidentifying patients for whom surgery was appropriate.† (345.) Though cosmetic surgery helps boost self-esteem and may bring a feeling of meeting the socially accepted standards of beauty, many people who pursue cosmetic su rgery have psychological disorders such as narcissism, BDD, bulimia, depression, and anxiety, that would be much better treated through psychiatric help rather than seeking to transform their body image. According to Nikolic, â€Å"A â€Å"perfect† candidate for the surgery has a healthy body image