We all know that artwork is subjective. The way one person looks at Gaudi’s architecture or Van Gogh’s self-portraits could be completely opposite to the person standing right next to them. Some might look at the brushwork, the colours used or just the subject of the piece. Whether you just like the look of something or whether it speaks to you on a different level. The artist’s creation represents a unity of colour, imagination, and technique to create harmony.
When you apply this thought in a wider perspective you start to realise that art is not just confined to the arts as we know it. Machines for example, are intricately designed so that all the cogs and gears can work together, so that the apparatus functions together in perfect harmony. Or even a company, each element from the boss to the health and safety, to the complimentary tea and coffee, in a sense it is an art form.
So, when Jess C. Scott the critically acclaimed American author says that “The human body is the best work of art.” In theory, she is right. Whether you follow a certain religion and believe that the human form was created like a painting, or whether you believe that it was years of chance, adaptation, and evolution the one thing remains true. That the vessel in which we carry out our lives is quite beautiful and incredibly remarkable. This therefore raises questions around body alterations. Is the physical form beautiful or do we need cosmetic surgery to make it that way? Is it necessary or is it unethical and dangerous?
The talks around controversial cosmetic surgery have come back to forefront with the release of Kanye West’s 10th studio album named Donda. With the opening track comes ‘Donda Chant’ in which the name is repeated to replicate his mother’s final heartbeats. The tragic story of Donda West shocked the world in 2007 after she died of a coronary heart disease. The pre-existing heart condition became fatal after Donda had undergone liposuction, tummy tucks and breast reduction. After her death, the Donda West Law was passed in California, prohibiting doctors from performing elective cosmetic surgery without physical examination and clearance from a medical professional. Despite this legislation some 200 years after the first cosmetic surgery was performed, thousands of people are still dying each year from plastic surgery.
Much like machines and companies, cosmetic surgery is an art form. The manipulation of skin and fat on a person’s body to make a harmonious final piece is a technique and skill that falls into this outlook of art. It is important to highlight also that cosmetic surgery is not necessarily just for the vain with lots of money. Ultimately it is a person’s prerogative to do whatever they like with their own body. You will find more than often the use of cosmetic surgery is minimal and helps boost someone’s self-esteem. This can help with all kinds of body image issues and anxiety disorders. The problem here is not with the cosmetic surgery itself, it’s the practice, laws and exploitation that surrounds it.
Currently in the UK any qualified doctor can claim that they are a cosmetic surgeon without having the qualifications to perform any operation. To perform the treatment legally a medical professional should have a FCRS (Plast) qualification and be registered to the GMC’s Special Register for Plastic Surgery. Where’s the logic? Surely to be called a plastic surgeon, one must have the qualifications to perform the plastic surgery, right? It is a nice thought to assume that all medical professionals are honest in this country, and the vast majority are. However, it only takes one dishonest doctor, with his eyes on the massive pay check to risk the lives of countless people. It would also be nice to assume that everyone receiving cosmetic surgery does thorough research. But with the desperation to fit into the box of conventional attractiveness, people will do anything, even risk their own lives.
The lack of regulations around a medical procedure is nothing short of terrifying. We only have to look back to the PIP breast implant scandal to see why there needs to be clear laws laid out ahead of time and not after something tragic has happened. In 2010 it was revealed that French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), the world’s third biggest supplier of manufactured breast implants, has been filling its implants with cheap industrial silicone instead of the medically approved silicone. This initially sent shockwaves of fear around to about 400,000 women from 65 different countries who currently had them inside their chests. In 2012, a UK study had found that due to this, rupture levels of the implants had doubled worldwide. Despite some of the thousands being compensated, the majority were left mentally and physically scarred by the whole affair. This is just another example of where the lack of control in the world of cosmetic surgery has taken people’s insecurities and just made it worse. It is no longer a question as to whether someone should have the procedure or not, people will do it regardless, by any means necessary. It is now the duty of the government and lawyers in this field to make the experience safe and ethical.
The media has generated a toxic world of body shaming. Tabloid press thrives from the fact that a celebrity may have gained weight. They will highlight this like it is terrible and shocking news, that the person in question should be ashamed. This sets the unrealistic goal that everyone needs to be what the media conceive as perfect. Without trying to sound like a body positivity preacher…. No matter what you look like you are perfect. Much like Gaudi’s architecture and Van Gogh’s self-portraits, the way one person see’s you, could be completely different to the person standing next to them. Where are the people that compared Picasso’s work to children’s drawings? No one knowns. Where is Picasso’s work that has been compared to children’s drawings? Either being sold for unthinkable amounts of money or in museums being admired by millions each year. The human body is the best work of art, and the beauty, is truly in the eye of the beholder.
Article written by Ben Reade.