I read an article this morning about a lawsuit taking place in Missouri. See Suburban Journal. A plastic surgeon's patients are suing her for the fact that she had before-and-after topless photos of these women on her website with their names by their pictures. Although I'm not sure how well the plaintiffs are going to be able to prove damages, I sure do think that in this case, the doctor was wrong. Not only did the doctor violate HIPAA regulations by advertising her patient's names, but she also completely violated their privacy. Now the entire world knows about the reconstruction that they've had. And the world can see it.
There is definitely a time and place for plastic surgery. Some medical conditions require intervention and reconstruction and I'm totally ok with that. On the other hand, plastic surgery is, in many ways, a pursuit of vanity. It's about trying to portray yourself as something idealistic and something you're not. As a nurse, I had the opportunity to provide post-operative care for many plastic surgery patients. And I found that many women just wanted the surgery to feel good about themselves. They were discontent, and they were seeking the ideal female image as portrayed in Hollywood.
Why is it that we, as women, see pictures and think that we have to look like the images portrayed? Why do we yearn to look like the celebrities that we watch on TV? Maybe it's because we indulge ourselves by looking at the images in the first place. Our eyes reveal a false beauty, and we're convinced that we need to pursue it. We forget to turn our eyes where they should go--God's Word. And we start pursuing the little rabbit trails of vanity instead. For some people it's the pursuit of bodily perfection, for some it's materialism, and for others it's a lifestyle.
I'm sure that if our pursuits of vanity were portrayed for all to see on the world wide web, we'd also want to sue somebody for emotional distress. Because when all is said and done, our pursuits are pretty embarrassing and meaningless. They're proof that we're not perfect.
It's not easy to look away from the "magic mirrors" in this world. I have to work really hard to remind myself to turn off the TV, to stop shopping for clothes online, to stop reading magazines, and to stop worrying about making my clothes fit perfectly. My life would be so much more meaningful and happy if I would turn my eyes upward and focus on more meaningful pursuits.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible says it so eloquently as it explains Psalm 119:37 "A man should be thankful in this world that he has eyelids; and as he can close his eyes, so he should often do it." And women should be thankful that we have eyelids too; so we can close them and forget about the images of "perfection" that we see.
To the poor women in Missouri whose vanity has been exposed--I hope it was worth it.
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