I’m not here to discuss plastic mothers as in phony but as in those who are opting for plastic surgery. According to a press release by a plastic surgery firm, Surgery Services of Freericksburg, targeting postpartum mothers presents itself as a unique opportunity:
FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ — For today’s women, sagging bodies no longer are an inevitable aftereffect of childbearing. More mothers are turning to plastic surgery to regain their figures when diet and exercise alone won’t do the trick — and talking openly about their procedures, according to Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg.
“Most of our tummy tuck patients and breast surgery patients are mothers who want to restore their youthful shape,” says Lesi Beamon Mackey, practice administrator for Drs. L. Thomas Albert, Howard Heppe and Harold Bautista at Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg, VA. “And, with the increasing awareness of plastic surgery, we find more are discussing their surgeries publicly.”
The following are just a few of their stories.
Alicia Lidster, age 47, gave birth to her youngest child nine years ago. Despite compliments from her husband, she felt unattractive because her midsection and breasts were sagging from multiple pregnancies. She consulted with her doctor at Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg and opted for a tummy tuck and breast lift in May 2005. “Before the surgery, I was very self- conscious … Now, I feel better and look better,” says Alicia, a stay-at-home mother who also has four grown children. She feels so much more confident that she donned a bathing suit last year to swim with her youngest daughter for the first time ever.
Chantelle Mullen, age 34, worked hard to lose the weight she gained after three pregnancies. But she could not tighten her sagging skin. “I decided on plastic surgery for the problems I knew I couldn’t fix with diet and exercise,” Chantelle says. Her doctor at Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg performed a breast lift and tummy tuck in August 2005.
Some moms need the security of their children to take the risky plunge with them as more mothers are choosing to go under the cosmetic knife with their daughters. You know what they say, “Mothers and daughters who get boob jobs together, stay together.”
According to ABC news, these are just the beginings of beautiful mother and daughter bonding relationships:
July 5, 2006 — Elvia Rabinor said she hadn’t seriously considered plastic surgery until her daughter, Lauren-Beth Kassinger, asked her about it.
“She called me and said, ‘What are you doing this next week? How about getting your nose done?’” Rabinor said.
Plastic surgeons say this mother-daughter team is an example of a growing trend — friends or relatives going under the knife together.
So, are these mothers exercising their right to look and feel beautiful, or is there something more sinister going on here, like a society that values beauty over the daunting task of motherhood? Are moms given no leeway for honorable wrinkles? Is motherhood no longer an excuse for choosing practicality over the cumbersome? Are our expectations unrealistic?
I don’t know the answer, but let’s pretend you were given the opportunity to have any procedure done that you wanted. Would you do it and if so, what would you have done?
