I have, like many of you, come to a point in my life where I've looked in the mirror and said "My God, what the hell happened?". Face it, as we age the older our body changes - the metabolism slows, the allergies grow and, without proper maintenance, the body starts to bloat. We all can't wear the skinny teenage girl dungarees that Father Ted wears. It is that maintenance part that prompts us to start working out after we've avoided the gym like the plague. Rather than continue being doughy, middle-aged frumps we strive to hold off the cold, bony grasp of death by doing cardio, lifting weights, changing our eating habits, changing our lifestyles.
We have, in effect, attempted to grasp at our youth as it slowly slips through our fingers.
However, has anyone tried doing type of cosmetic surgery for anything other than medical purposes? Let's say, oh, I dunno...for vanity's sake?
I will be perfectly honest with you, old friends (and when I say 'old', I mean by age, not necessarily the length of time we've known each other) - I have contemplated it. Here in Northern Virginia there is a place called Reveal which offers 'LipoShaping'. This is a process where they inject soy into parts of your body to help shape and break down fat.
Hey, I love my body. Frequently
However, when it comes to vanity I have considered getting that extra little bit of help to reduce the size of my love handles. I tossed the idea in my head numerous times. And then I talked to my sister.During a visit to my father's grave in Arlington Cemetery she asked if I had heard about mother's friend - let's call her Theresa. She was 34 and had 4 kids, the youngest being just over a year old. My Mom, who just turned 65, considered her a good friend and almost like a daughter. Theresa was like me in that she was concerned with her looks as she got older. She took every opportunity to go to spas, get mani-pedis, facials, etc., etc.
After popping out 4 kids Theresa was fed up with the effects it had on her body. Upon another friend's suggestion she elected to get a boob job. She didn't really research the doctors or the different procedures and went to someone recommended to her. A few days after her operation her husband went out fishing. While he was out he tried to call her and got no answer. When he finally got home from fishing he found her laying on the floor. By the time they got to the hospital she was pronounced dead.
The cause of her death? I've heard that it was an abnormal blood clot of some sort which was the result of her boob job.
What is the price of our vanity? With the constant inundation by the media of young celebrities with their anorexic cigarette and booze wracked bodies, how well do you cope with your self-perception?
Me? Well, I'm not getting soy pumped into me. That whole episode freaked me out. The thought that Theresa's husband is now a single parent of 4 completely gave me the willies.
