Plastic Reality: An Apostolic Experience with Plastic Surgery

May 12, 2008

By Anonymous

I read online about an 18-year-old girl in Florida that died after a bad reaction to anesthesia. She had just undergone breast augmentation surgery.

The news article I read said that in 2006 there were 3,087 women aged 18 and under that had breast augmentation in the United States. In 2007, twice as many (7,882) under the age of 18 had that surgery. Augmentation surgery includes both reduction and enhancement.

I’m sure that many of these girls, if not all, had valid medical reasons for going under the knife. More than medical reasons, every girl had emotional reasons, spiritual reasons even, for making the decision she made.

How many of those girls died? I don’t know. Is the risk of plastic surgery really worth it? To those girls, yes, the risk was worth their life.

Unrealistic Pressures

Life in America is full of pressure to look a certain way. Young girls in particular feel the need to conform to “model” standards. Our Apostolic girls and women are not immune to that pressure. In fact, they have pressure on both sides—pressure to be “beautiful” by society’s standards and pressure to be “modest” and “holy” by the church’s standards. The spiritual battle is intense, and there are many untended wounds in the hearts of our ladies.

Apostolics don’t escape the pressure to choose plastic surgery. For some it may be the answer to out-of-control weight problems, for others it may be the answer to out-of-control self-esteem problems.

My Confession

I am one of those women. I chose plastic surgery. I’ve never cut my hair, but I had a doctor cut my face.

When I was 16 years old, I under went rhinoplasty and chin augmentation—a nose reduction and a chin implant to balance out my facial features. It was what I thought was the answer to making me stop hurting inside—to stop feeling inadequate because of my looks.

I don’t suppose it is much different from those cutters that slice their wrists as a response to emotional pain. It’s not much different from those that tattoo their bodies in response to life experiences.

Maybe the difference is that not everyone knows about it. I can still look like the “perfect” Apostolic. They don’t know unless I tell. And I have told some, but I end up regretting it because they don’t know how to respond. They cut me off emotionally like an unwanted split-end.

Life hurts. We hurt each other. Sometimes we hurt ourselves. We psychologically beat ourselves up for inadequacies and imperfections that we can not overcome even with the power of the Holy Ghost strong in our lives. If not for the grace of God—where would I be? So lost.

Plastic Surgery on the Soul

If you are considering plastic surgery, I am not trying to stop you. It may be the right thing for you to do. I’m all for bettering yourself. I believe we can make the greatest difference for Christ in our world if we believe He can use us. If you think you are unusable because you have such low self-esteem, then you probably are. I encourage you to do what it takes to overcome your low self-esteem.

I just want to tell you from experience that changing the outside won’t change the inside. Have I overcome my low self-esteem? Yes, but plastic surgery didn’t do it for me. I had to work for it, and I have to work to keep healthy self-esteem.

Do I still feel inadequate in many areas of my life? Yes, but I know that someday in this life I will get to the point where I won’t feel that way anymore. My todays show me how much a life can change for the positive in such little time.

The decisions I make today will stay with me for the rest of my life, just like yesterday’s decisions stay with me. When the weather is cold outside my face hurts, and for some unknown reason my chin and lip have been numb lately.

There is no physical going back when it comes to body alteration. Just like there is no physical going back when it comes to drugs, sex, hate, adultery, and you name it. Whether we choose to repent or not, we live with our decisions.

I’m thankful I serve a God that moves me beyond my decisions. He takes me to new levels, new mentalities, new understanding and perspectives. He is constantly changing me.

Yet He remains constant. He remains faithful. And His grace remains sufficient. I’m so thankful for the cross. I’m so thankful for a God that altered His body for me. I’m thankful that He chose to live with scars in His hands and in His side.

Lifelong Realities, Eternal God

I heard a preacher talk about Heaven. He described how all of our tears will be wiped away, and how all of our imperfections will be erased. Then he described Jesus—Jesus the only One with physical deformity due to scars. Jesus will keep His scars.

The decisions Jesus made in life stay with Him forever. He looks down and sees the evidence of His life choices—piercing; the piercing of His hands, of His feet. His choice to alter His body was not for medical or cosmetic reasons. He gave Himself so that we wouldn’t have to. And in the end, Jesus lived with His scars. He rose from the dead with scars still there.

And so can we.

ninetyandnine.com

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Anonymous spends her time reading, writing and encouraging those that need it. She prays that more Apostolic women and girls will see their own beauty and glorify God with it.