How men are choosing surgery over going to the gym to transform their bodies
The number of cosmetic procedures performed on men has rapidly increased, as they turn to surgery to fix their physical “imperfections”. With 9% of men accounting for cosmetic procedures in the UK (The British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons, 2015) and 10% in the United States (The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2015). This may not sound like much, but the UK had seen a huge rise of 13.5% within just one year. The US and UK share similarities such as the top surgical procedures being liposuction and gynecomastia – removal of excess breast tissue.
“Men are taking a growing interest in their appearance and how this reflects on them as individuals… They recognise that such procedures, and the medical science behind them, can help them to achieve their desired results” – Dr. Catherine Porter, spokesperson of the CPCA.
Dr. Steinbrech, a plastic surgeon specialising in male bodies, outlines four main types of men that seek procedures on his all male website – male actor/model, bodybuilder, athletic dad, and boardroom executive. All of which suggest the procedure ‘Hi-Def Liposculpting’ (liposuction) in order to remove fat from the abdomen, waist and hips.
It is surprising to find out that even some bodybuilders, who are dedicated to their training and diet regimes, feel the need to undergo surgery. This just goes to show that there is a tendency towards perfectionism and an endless pressure for the ‘perfect’ body.
Watch the video below, from Dr. Steinbrech’s very own YouTube channel , examining the abdominal implants he inserted for a bodybuilder. He claims his philosophy is to keep the male body looking as close to natural and real as possible.
Dr. Steinbrech explained, “Men get surgery as a key tool to help them succeed. In a marketplace where looking fit, younger, and more masculine is imperative, the better you look, the better your chances of ascending the corporate ladder”.
Or will it just better your chances of being accepted by society?
Meet the surgeon who live streams his operations
Social media enables individuals to create and share content, even doctors are using it. Plastic surgeons have been gravitating towards the social media platform, Snapchat, to publicly record procedures that used to be kept behind closed doors. And it has become the newest sensation!
Dr. Salzhauer was the first surgeon to broadcast on Snapchat after his content was removed from Instagram, he looked to document elsewhere. He rapidly escalated to fame across the Internet and is now better known by his screen name Dr. Miami.
“A typical Dr. Miami Snapchat story features bad jokes, a king costume, and a rotating roster of guests set to a hip-hop soundtrack.” (Racked, 2016).
His videos are hugely popular due to his entertaining approach, although, they do contain extremely graphic and explicit footage. Which is why he has been criticised for his content, as well as for marketing plastic surgery to the young audience on Snapchat.
Watch this ABC report about Dr. Miami, his Snapchat account and his views towards broadcasting his surgeries in real time.
In this video, we are introduced to Cynthia, a patient who flew over 1000 miles to see Dr. Miami. She discovered his work through Snapchat which ended up encouraging her to get plastic surgery as well. From showcasing his body “fixes” on a daily basis, it can heavily impact his audiences’ views on their own bodies – being shown constant body images of what is expected in society.
“We used to get maybe ten appointments a day [but then] we got so many appointments we had to stop taking appointments … because we had a backlog already for more than a year out,” Dr. Salzhauer said. “There’s a waiting list”. Page views to Dr. Miami’s RealSelf profile have increased by 150%, when comparing first quarters of 2015 and 2016 (Racked, 2016).
Also notice the hashtags #BeautyWarriors and #BeautyIsPower. These subliminal messages can have a significant impact on one’s self esteem and perspective, especially with over 488,000 followers on Instagram. And I’m certain he has many more followers on Snapchat, seeing as who one chooses to follow is kept personal – in other words, there is no shame.
The Human Ken Doll
Justin Jedlica, also known as The Human Ken Doll, is described as being the “pioneer of the modifiable male aesthetic” on his website. He too has taken to social media to show off his body, consisting of muscle augmentation (implants) including to his chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, thighs, glutes and calves.
He promotes a different route to achieving the “perfect body” by undergoing cosmetic procedures, using hashtags like #LifeGoals and #PlasticMakesPerfect. It stimulates a crave for perfection and the idea that men must choose one process or another in order to attain masculinity.
“There’s an overarching problem here about men trying to achieve an unrealistic body and an unrealistic ideal of masculinity,” says Psychologist Julie Malone (Insight, 2013).
Social media and the ‘selfie’ culture has resulted in an increased focus on body image and thus are fuelling the harsh pressures faced today. It is also the reason as to why plastic surgery has become a popular alternative. However, it has raised many questions in the bodybuilding industry regarding ethics and competing professionally.
Today, surgeons are able to provide almost any change to the human body. Spending hours working out in the gym along with dedication is no longer appealing when there are much faster and longer-lasting alternatives like such to “beautify” one’s physique. And with live streamed operations on Snapchat and transformation pictures on social media, it has had an increased appeal as people are now given the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into what goes on. And therefore, society becomes familiar with the process – accepting the trend.