Have you ever been to a safe city zone? Or some urban housing society scheme? I bet you have. Some of you might as well live there. Ever wondered what’s common about them? Well, nearly everything! From gated enclaves to enhanced security measures and surveillance, to luxurious malls and playgrounds, they all feature more or less the same facilities. There is little diversity left in such a concrete jungle.
However, if one of us went vacationing to the mountains or explored some sandy beaches, maybe tried horse riding in the wild plains, the experience would not only be peaceful but would also be unique. It is because nature is diverse and each person’s interaction with it is meaningfully different. Since our inner self longs for the beauty of the natural world, why doesn’t it honour the beauty of our physical selves? Why is it so easy to chisel your nose a bit, shape your jawline to the perfect V or increase the size of your lips?
Here, I do not want to bring in the moral dimension, but what intrigues me is the psychological aspect of the dilemma. Is the human mind getting wired to value monotony and belittle the inborn differences we are born with? Is our body too trivial to trifle with time and again? According to the Global Survey 2022 report, over the last four years, there has been a staggering 41.3% increase in aesthetic procedures worldwide with the U.S., Brazil and Japan leading the list of countries. The rising demand for non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures (CP), such as liposuction, nose job (rhinoplasty is surgical and permanent), fillers, face rejuvenation etc., are becoming too common.
Pakistan, too, is facing an upsurge in cosmetic procedures with 80 per cent of women in Lahore city opting for beauty treatments and the remaining 20 per cent consulting dermatologists for skin-related medical issues. Since 2013, the country faced an increase in social media usage which prompted many to compare their bodies and faces to those present online from across the world which, in turn, heightened the desire to look ‘perfect’ and ‘flawless’ on and off screen. Eventually, accepting the natural diversity each one of us is gifted with started to feel non-conforming and fitting in the wider standard created by media became the new normal.
We live in an age where extremities are lauded and moderation is condemned. This is one of the reasons that instead of raising concerns about the psychological impact of undergoing surgeries to achieve a certain appearance, the world celebrates and admires them. Take the case of people opting to look like either Barbie or Ken doll; the famous popular culture icons who literally changed the way many teens and adults view their bodies. Instead of viewing such transitions as unhealthy or addictive, the majority accepts it as a form of their personal choice and freedom.
Although modern technology and medicine have made many things accessible, that does not suggest reorienting our worldview to an alarming degree where submitting to such drastic changes to our body image becomes undisputed and acceptable. We live amidst times where ‘influencing’ others is highly marketable whether it comes at the cost of one’s permanent physical change or deformity. It seems as if our humanness is at risk for it is continuously tarnished by such artificial endeavours for ‘beauty’.
One might wonder at the root cause of this rising trend and question as to which factors gave birth to it in the first place. Studies point towards two global phenomena that have shaken humanity to its core; war and racism combined with the ‘Westernisation’ of the world. The global stage is now largely controlled by countries such as US, the UK, Germany etc., whose dictated standards are blindly followed by people looking for fame or inclusivity in society. Since the current age we live in is driven by consumerist-capitalist tendencies, the human body itself has become a commodity which is upgraded now and then via such cosmetic procedures. This also suggests a cultural wiring where assimilating into the dominant order-one dictated by the elite class of each society – is increasingly sought after by the urban masses.
The concept of ‘homogenised beauty’ is robbing us of our inherent distinctiveness and causing us to chase wildly an ambition which is none other than a mirage for nothing lasts forever. Perhaps fearing old age is embedded in our very psyche which compels us to take such desperate measures where refining the emerging lines of our skin and reshaping our features becomes a necessity. Or it might be the workings of the Big Pharma combined with the highly influential power of media that impacts the decision-making ability of people.
The causes are indeed debatable, but what remains undisputed is the fact that human beings no longer flinch at the sight of individuals who either look like some animated figure or have increasingly disproportionate bodies. This rampant normalisation is alarming for it suggests a degree of complacency where people become immune to radical changes and accept them without questioning their impacts.
The writer is an educationist and has majored in literature.
