Last night, Discovery aired a programme featuring individuals suffering from Treacher Collins Syndrome. These individuals have rather misshapen features. Sunken eyes, missing cheekbones, underdeveloped and sometimes non-existent lower jawbone, tiny/invisible ears – they appear very different from most people, to say the least. Most of the people spoke about how every day was a struggle of sorts. Dealing with stares, snide remarks, probing looks – TCS takes a toll on the spirit too, needless to say. Amie is a Medical student who suffers from TCS. She reaches out to many TCS patients and their parents through her website where she provides details and information about TCS. She has opted to not do any more surgery to improve her features.
At this point, I couldn’t help recalling ‘Nips and Tucks’ telecast on E! channel. This show features people who’ve gone under the knife for various cosmetic reasons. Liposuctions, botox injections, collagen, breast implants, tummy tucks – the works. One Mexican girl spoke about how her mother sponsored her liposuction surgery as a graduation gift.
Makes me wonder: Is it unfair/callous/ungrateful to want to enhance your appearance or improve your looks? Does it show a lack of value or sense of perspective?
hariputtar says:
TCS: must really be quite painful.one can empathize with the decision of *Amie* to not go for further surgery. And, discrimination indeed takes a toll on quality of everyday life.
On our sense of beauty: As Al Pacino’s devil says in The Devils Advocate : Vanity is my favorite sin. :)) [ I think it is natural for us bilaterians (animals that have bilateral symmetry), to seek beauty in symmetry similar to ours. we are biochemically coded that way – to be attracted to and approve of, this kind of symmetry. ]
June 4, 2004 — 10:19 am
rileen says:
To be overly concerned (subjective already!) with looks is rather superficial – but then we humans are rather superficial in general :-/
June 4, 2004 — 11:04 am
radhika74 says:
if improving your looks improves your self esteem as well, i think it’s totally justified. to each his own,actually.
June 4, 2004 — 11:34 am
Lakshmi says:
I tend to agree, Radhika.. But at times, people carry it to ridiculous extents. Maybe it seems as if they’re devaluing the gifts that they’ve been endowed with.
June 6, 2004 — 8:58 am
thefirstidiot says:
Not particularly. As long as within limits it’s Ok it guess. True here people do carry it to ridiculous extremes.
Some seek mental perfection, some seek physical.
June 5, 2004 — 8:57 pm