IX. Future

A recent article in Newsweek magazine mirrors this idea that the status quo is not changing. The inversion of normalcy that Morgan discusses is in full swing. Both surgical and non-surgical “self-improvement” medical procedures are themselves being improved and updated all the time (Hamilton 14). Doctors can now insert breast implants through a tiny incision in the navel and slide them into place through a tube, then pumping them full of saline solution (Hamilton 14). Instead of using older, highly invasive procedures for liposuction, plastic surgeons now use “high-frequency sounds waves to liquify fat cells before removing them with a low-pressure suction tool” (Hamilton 14).

Looking ahead to the future, some plastic surgeons postulate that with the advancement of gene therapy, the physical sculpting of bodily tissues could become obsolete (Hamilton 14). Dr. William Beeson, president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, muses, “Maybe, in the future, instead of going to a facial or cosmetic doctor for surgery, you’ll go to [your primary care physician] for drugs. They might put cosmetic surgeons out of business” (Hamilton 14). However, until these new therapies can be developed, the cosmetic surgery industry looks forward to a boom, with procedures becoming more exotic and experimental all the time (Hamilton 14).

When I first learned of labioplasty, it seemed invasive, risky, and unnecessary. I still believe that a woman’s election to surgically alter her genitalia is a marker of serious problems a woman might have with her body image. I think that we should work toward helping women through these issues instead of using plastic surgery as a panacea for all insecurities. However, as Naomi Wolf has argued, the near future does not hold a radical shift in power ideology. Plastic surgery in general, not labioplasty in particular, is harmful to women because it provides women with an excuse not to confront body image problems. Women should recognize and accept their own bodies, breaking the cycle of self-hatred and surgery, instead of continuing to “be afraid of women.”