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The History of Cosmetic Surgery
Humans have been using their bodies to decorate and alter cosmetically as long as civilization has existed. Ancient Egyptians used colors extracted from plants and minerals to accentuate their eyes and lips. Many native tribes in Africa and the Americas performed surgical procedures on their ears, lips, and torsos to honor their gods and beautify themselves. And the first recorded rhinoplasty, or nose job, was performed in Europe in 1794.
Modern cosmetic surgery as we know it today originated in the 1920s with the return of so many wounded men from the battles of World War I. In the beginning, the surgeries were primarily for reconstruction. But, it was through these surgeries that doctors began to learn how, not only to repair, but also to improve upon nature.
One of the first and most widely publicized instances of cosmetic surgery was with the famous vaudevillian actress, Fanny Brice. In 1923, as a way to get publicity, Miss Brice checked into a hotel room with a traveling medicinal man and had her nose "bobbed". All of the national papers and fan magazines at the time reported on it. The consensus among the general public was of bewilderment and disapproval. In the 1920s, surgery for purely cosmetic reasons seemed unfathomable to the average American.
As moving pictures became more popular, and along with them moving picture stars, cosmetic surgery became more and more popular. Many doctors at that time felt that doing surgery for purely cosmetic reasons was breaking their Hippocratic oath to do no harm. There was quite a difference of opinion, which led to the medical specialty of plastic surgery.
Most Americans continued to believe that cosmetic surgery was frivolous and in some cases, immoral and was something that was reserved for the "crazy rich and famous". Movie stars of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, under the studio system were extremely careful never to let it be known of any cosmetic surgeries that they had had. Beginning in the 1960s, there were some famous stars who were very open about the cosmetic surgeries they had had performed. This new openness, along with the 60s generation was the beginning of the shift of opinion toward cosmetic surgery.
Opinion polls that were taken in 1982 and again in 1993 show a very dramatic shift in how the average American viewed cosmetic surgery. In little more than 10 years, the number of Americans who approved of cosmetic surgery went up 50%. Even more dramatically, the number of Americans who disapproved of cosmetic surgery went down 66%. This dramatic shift can be attributed to many things. More and more public figures were admitting to having had cosmetic surgery themselves and Americans were beginning to succumb to the bombardments of advertising campaigns through movies, television, and magazines, which depicted what an average American should look like.
By the 1980s, many cosmetic surgical procedures, like rhinoplasty (nose jobs), facelifts, breast enhancements, and liposuctions were being performed every day in every city across America. In some societies, it became almost common for teenage girls to receive a nose job or breast enhancement for their 16th or 18th birthdays.
In less than 100 years, Americans have changed their opinion on cosmetic surgery virtually 180°. Today, almost 20% of Americans have either had a cosmetic procedure or are planning to have cosmetic surgery done in the very near future. This trend is likely to continue.
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