The pursuit of a banging body

Beauty standards differ in every generation. Nobody knows who starts the trend of what is ideal in every generation.

We just know that there is an ideal body shape women aspire to every new decade.

It started from bum pads, hip pads and extra cushioned brassieres; now, it expanded to breasts and ass enlargement creams and plastic surgery.

Plastic surgery was made popular by foreign and local celebrities. Celebs like Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian (though Kim hasn’t been open about her plastic surgery) have unquestionably increased the popularity of plastic surgery.

We do not even need to think too far, Nigerian celebrities like Toke Makinwa, Tonto Dikeh and Mercy Eke have admittedly gone under the knife.

These celebrities have demystified, to an extent, the shame that was attached to having work done on your body.

So why are all these so prevalent? Why are women more dissatisfied with their bodies?

Researchers and psychologists stated the following as reasons why people get plastic surgery, “Body dissatisfaction...teasing and media influence (feeling pressured to appear like people in the media)”

Social media

If you spend a lot of time on apps like Instagram, you are constantly bombarded with pictures of beautiful women. A study in the UK and US revealed that 40% of teens felt unattractive because of comparing themselves to pictures online.

How realistic are those images anyway? Some of the pictures are edited, not to mention perfect lighting, makeup and filters. Instagram pictures and videos are not reality.

Exaggerated flaws

We cannot love everything about ourselves every so often, these flaws eat deeply into our psyche and that is all we can see when we look at ourselves.

Body satisfaction can develop into a severe case of body dysmorphia. Body dysmorphia is a diagnosis given to a person who cannot stop thinking about the little flaws in their body.

Most times, these flaws are perceived and exaggerated but like an itch they cannot get rid of, they attempt to fix it and because these flaws are magnified they might end up looking a little odd after surgery.

It is much better to accept that there are no perfect bodies and to love yourself for who you are rather than pick yourself apart over your flaws.

Teasing and ridicule

If you were teased and called names because of one or two flaws in your body, you might do all you can to fix it. Painful memories might lead to deep insecurities.

It is rather strange that people are teased for having natural bodies, they are teased for natural things like stretch marks, sagging boobs, small breasts, big breasts, and dark lips.

Attention

I cannot end this article without this. Most women love attention. The way the mating and dating game is set up, it is the men who seek after the women like peacocks sometimes exhibit for these men.

Should you get your body worked on?

There is no right or wrong answer to the question, ‘Should I fix things in my body that I perceive are flaws?’ The upside is that you will be happier when you look at your newly improved body.

The downsides are surgeries are quite complicated especially in Nigeria, you might be opening yourself to more health issues and secondly, it might not deal with your insecurities and you may find yourself still dissatified.