“Bridalplasty” And Body Image

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bridalplasty eonline body imageby Golda Poretsky, HHC
http://www.bodylovewellness.com

Have you guys heard of this show, Bridalplasty, where brides-to-be compete for plastic surgery?

I can’t believe this crap is real.

And, the winner gets, I believe, a full body plastic surgery makeover and a “celebrity dream wedding”.

How did they market this to their potential contestants?

Are you terribly unhappy with your body and about to walk down the aisle?  Do you like to compete in degrading challenges, on camera, in the hopes of winning prizes like syringes full of botox?

Then you should audition for Bridalplasty!

If you win, you too can spend your wedding day and honeymoon still healing from the physical trauma of surgery! You won’t have to worry about smile and frown lines cropping up in your wedding pictures, because you won’t be able to do either! And don’t worry — those unsightly post-surgery scars and bruises will be hidden under layers of crinoline.

But, seriously, I think the fact that this show exists illustrates an interesting point about body image.  It illustrates the fact that, if you’re dealing with body image issues, getting what you want doesn’t actually make you feel better.

Often, people with body image issues see their perceived flaws as preventing them from having what they want.  So, for example, if you’re a single fat woman who doesn’t feel good about your body and wants to be in a relationship, you may feel like your fat is preventing you from having that relationship.

At the same time, people with body image issues often feel like once they have that thing that they want, their body image will improve.  So using this example, this single fat lady might feel like once she has the relationship, fat or thin, she might be able to accept herself better.

But it usually doesn’t work the way you’d think.  You may think that once you’ve “achieved” this thing that you want, you’ll feel better about yourself.  And maybe you do for a brief, fleeting moment.  But then your negative self image returns, and then you’re under even more stress. You’re under the stress of trying to hide your flaws.  If you’re in a new relationship, you’re trying to hide your flaws from your partner.  If it’s a new job, it’s hiding your flaws from bosses and coworkers.  If you lose weight, you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re dieting, hide the fact that you still perceive yourself as fat, etc. etc.

Of course, I don’t know any of the “bridetestants” on Bridalplasty, but I could imagine what might have driven them to compete in a show like this.  I could imagine how getting what they wanted (assuming they wanted a non-eloping type of wedding), after the initial excitement, exacerbated their negative body image, their low self worth, their fears of being seen, flaws and all, by family and friends.

Truthfully, no amount of plastic surgery can really fix negative self image.  Getting plastic surgery is just like getting the relationship or the wedding — it doesn’t actually fix how you feel about yourself.  It’s inner work, and not outer work, that is required.  It’s like retiling a perfectly good roof on a house with a bad foundation.  The whole thing is going to crumble if you keep ignoring the foundation.

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Struggling with food and body image issues? Looking to transform your relationship with food and your body? Then sign up for your free Body Love Breakthrough Session by clicking here.

Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. is a certified holistic health counselor who specializes in transforming your relationship with food and your body. Go to http://www.bodylovewellness.com/stay-in-touch/ to sign up for her newsletter and get your free download — Golda’s Top Ten Tips For Divine Dining!

© Golda Poretsky 2010

6 thoughts on ““Bridalplasty” And Body Image”

  1. Pingback: Spotlight On: Bridalplasty | Confessions Of A Bride To Be
  2. Pingback: Nobody Wins On “Shedding For The Wedding” »

  3. Ugh! The premis of this show makes me sick! I haven’t watched an episode, but while watching The Soup a clip from the show was played where a woman won a syringe of botox. After winning she went to the “injectables party” (wft seriously! That’s what the show called it) and excitedly proclaimed something along the lines of “now you can fix my butt face!” She, a rather pretty little blonde with no physical deformaties I could see had somewhere along the lines been told she had a “butt face” and it stuck with her. It’s unfortunate that women are under such preasure to be perfect that we believe we have “butt faces” and need them fixed if we don’t look *exactly* right. The American beauty standard makes me sick.

  4. WELL SAID!!

    I ran across this show the other night while I was surfing for something to watch and was absolutely disgusted. Remembering my own wedding, there was never any time in my life when I felt more stressed, more pressured to appear completely flawless, and less secure about my body and my size. There’s the decorations, the flowers, the invitations, finding the right place, and THEN – finding that damn white dress. (I ended up getting mine from an online store that carried plus-size clothing because the local bridal shop only carries size 0 through 4 or something) It’s just another sickeningly voyeuristic show cashing in on body hatred and insecurity. Really, it’s incredibly sad.

    I can also totally relate to that “magic bullet” thinking that tells you, “Once I get the guy, all this other baggage won’t matter” – for a while, it does work. But, eventually, the insecurities come creeping back. You wonder if you’re STILL pretty enough, if your partner STILL finds you attractive, if you are STILL as worthwhile as you were back then …

    It never ends.

    Thankfully, since finding your blog and “the fatosphere” I am learning to change my thinking and am learning to accept myself for who I am, not what number is on the tag in the back of my jeans.

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