There’s really two ways to look at plastic surgery: 1) to reform or fix a physical defect; or 2) to enhance one’s own quality of life by increasing their aesthetic appeal. For the most part, when we think of plastic surgery we think of the second, neglecting the first, despite the fact that plastic surgery has been used to correct severe functional impairments caused by burns; traumatic injuries, such as facial bone fractures; congenital abnormalities, such as cleft lip, or cleft palate; and the removal of cancers or tumors, such as a mastectomy. But thats not what the debate or issue is about. Its about the second aspect of plastic surgery. Its tie to nose and breast augmentations and how people demonize those who decide upon the procedure without a valid scientific basis. But in all honestly, who are we to judge what someone does to their body.
Is it based on social perceptions of beauty? Yes, but both men and women are judged in that fashion. In the same way that a wave of metrosexuality has afflicted Iranian men, the obsession with tiny waists has affected Iranian women. And with all do respect, the social obsessesion with rhinoplasty in Iran does not cut through gender lines. Just as many men get nose jobs than women do. Physical augmentations are really nothing new. In fact, in many ways, one can perceive the wearing of the Islamic hijab in the same fashion as a nose job. It augments one’s physical appearance in order to attract or unattract one’s perception of another’s physical body. Here’s some additional interesting thoughts:
1. As noted by Iranian plastic surgeon, Nabiollah Shariati, “Because of the hijab women have to wear, the face becomes the most prominent part of the body.” In other words, the enforcement of “Islamic” morals has influenced how women display their attraction. Ironically, in Saudi Arabia, a social phenomenon exists where a woman’s appeal is based on the beauty of her hands in areas of the country where the niqab is enforced. Its an issue of sexual selection which impacts all cultures, races, and genders and changes with every generation.
2. According to the BBC, Tehran has become the “men’s nose job center of the world.” While more women get plastic surgery done, on average, it would be foolish to view this from purely a feminine perspective. This is not an issue of gender, but social psychology concerning attraction.
3. There is no plastic surgery phenomenon in Iran. True, Iran is the nose capital of the world (as least by some), but all forms of plastic surgery continue to be restricted to those who can afford. The average yearly salary of Iran is around $1200 according to UN reports. Cosmetic surgery in Iran ranges between $400-$3000 for a nose job. In general, they cost about $1000. Based on the math alone, therefore, Iranians generally cannot afford cosmetic surgery. Rather, and the BBC points this out, it has become a tool in competitive circles amongst Iran’s affluent population to compete with one another for the rights to someone of the opposite gender.
Personally, I don’t agree with plastic surgery. I think it makes a woman look plastic and manufactured. At the same time, who am I to judge what someone else does? If an Iranian woman wants to wear the hijab in order to conform to perceived Islamic norms, thats her body and her right to do so and a woman wearing the hijab doesn’t expect to be judged. So what right do we have to judge another woman, or man, who similarly augments their physical appearance? The fact is we don’t. Technorati Profile
16 comments
VERY WRONG!!!
STRUGGLING TO PROVE THAT HIJAB IS “OK”, YOU FORGOT WHATS THE REASON WOMEN WORE HIJAB IN ISLAM…
HIJAB IS NOT THE SAME AS PLASTIC SURGURY !!!
Ayman,
I’m not sure I understand your argument, I’m not even sure if you’re stating this in support of hijab or vise versa! Moreover, why does the reason behind hijab even matter, the point is that hijab is a way of changing your look! By putting it on you are essentially taking away some of the beauty out of a woman’s image, while cosmetic surgery adds to the beauty. I’m not judging either one, and I personally don’t agree with parts of the argument above, but I don’t see how your point in relevant!
You know what’s amazing about the argument above is that if you take it to Islamic countries where hijab is a law, and people buy this reasoning, plastic surgery will be outlawed in a second! I’m sure some doctors in Iran will be really really pissed at Nima if that happens!!!
This argument doesn’t make any sense at all. The difference is that the point of plastic surgery is to alter how you appear to the outside (more often than not, because of some insecurity on the inside).
The point of the hijab in islam is to remove focus from the outside. Moreover, hijab is a public demonstration of your ideals and values. It’s like wearing a cross or yamaka.
One indicates insecurity and the other indicates submission to an expectation perceived from a book (koran). Neither one good, in my opinion.
This is a weird and unrelated comparison.
I am a plastic surgeon and I should defend cosmetic surgery. I should admit that nose job or breast augmentation is not suitable for every patient who desires for surgery. The surgeon should select the suitable patient especially taking psychiatric side of the patient into account. We have very good results in cosmetic surgery meaning not good results only physically but also making the patients mood more comfortable.
DUH…OF course Hijab is not the same as Plastic Surgery. Although Islamically, Hijab is supposed to lessen the focus on external beauty, the article is showing that in Iran it has actually INCREASED the value of beauty, because only the face can be seen; therefore the nose gains greater prominence among the features.
I myself have been researching rhinoplasty in Iran because I have an indent from a ball on the side of my nose but none of the Irani surgeons have galleries!! I am interested in Nabiollah Shariati and Mohsen Navaqi. My background is Indian. ANyway I will post on her when I pick a surgeon-it would be great to have someone accompany me.
well the shia position on facial surgery is that it is not a problem if it doesnt involve haram touching or looking.
i am shia and all our major scholars have decreed this. i must be honest at first i found it hard to believe, i always thought beyond a doubt that it would be a sin because it is expressing discontent with Gods creation. but then i thought some more, and i also looked up the sunni position on it. i searched as to what proof both sides provided as to why cosmetic surgery would be haraam or halaal. the sunnis used their hadiths about Allah(SWT) and his Prophet (SAW) suppposedly cursing the women who gave and recieved tatoos and removed hairs from their face etc.
i personally found those hadiths funny because they make it sound like muslim women have to keep themselves be ugly especially when it came to plucking eyebrows! the prophet himself cared about his appearance and is said to have coloured his hair at times, hijab is meant to expose the face as a womans beauty.. islam doesnt hate physical beauty in order to tell women to be ugly.. no! it hates the over-exposure of beauty to non-worthy eyes. so it would make sense that the face should be as beautiful as it can be if this is going to please a womans husband or improve her confidence in herself, you must understand that physical appearance is not so much about how others veiw us, but how we view ourselves.
another reason i felt sunnis are wrong in ths case is because they are against women wearing perfumes..which the Prophet(SAW) wore. and in another part of their hadiths.. Aisha is said to have encouraged a woman to pluck her eyebrows to look beautiful for her husband. i dont think beautification facial surgery is such a problem provided the intentions are noble. e.g to please your husband or to improve a persons self esteem as long as its not to run for a beauty pageant or become a singer or some shit like that. we are complex when it comes to physical appearance.. if something bothers us we tend to become pre-occupied with it to the point of depression and self-loathing and this could draw us away from faith. ironically i think improving somebodies self security through cosmetic surgery will help them focus their mind on other more important things.
I have never understood the insistance on seeing parallals between plastic surgery and wearing a scarf.
People who wear scarfs, often argue that this is commanded by God in order to be humble, lessens the impact of ones exterior and so on.
Hijab is not religous, but that is a seperate discussion and no point in raising that in this thread.
However plastic, surgery is not commanded nor linked to any religious. It is more or less a choice, of spending ones money on imporving a feature or increasing vanity. Depending on what the reason is.
But the argument perhaps is more interesting, when we consider the basic fact, that Muslim females, who wear hijab are practising all the beautification and vanity as the blame the West for.
Tight and figure hugging clothes (skinny jeans, slim fit jeans, skirts, dresses), perfectly plucked eyebrows, makeup (eye shadow, eyeliner, masacara being the absolute minimum), lipgloss, fancy scarfs with various catchy motives, designs and colours, with beads, pearls, broderies, glitter hanging from them. Humble?
Lessen beauty, do they? Decrease attention from the male sex? Of course not. Vanity is not confined to a certain geographical places or ethnicity. It is all around.
So the whole argument that it is down to humility in the eyes of God and such is not valid anymore.
On Arab tv a programmed called ‘Ma’a Joelle Ahahla was shown regularily. A make over show. When girls with scarfs and without in the middleast get a makeover via plastic surgery.
Nose jobs and breast augumentation as well hymen surgery are among the most popular procedures practised around the world and also in the Muslims countries. So vanity and beautification is a much a trademark for the “humble” scarf girls as it is for the non scarf girls.
In the Quran God clearly says that a woman should show her beauty only to her husband and clothes should be long and modest. Howeverthis verse bears little importance. Preference is given to erreanous interpretation of the socalled hijab verses which dont mention hair, “hijab” or scarf. Just that woman should cover themselves.
So today covering has become a mockery. Girls cover their hair while they put everything else on display. That is their business but then they can not at the same time suggest that it is religious or even sign of humility while they as much as the next girl are involved in beautifying themselves, following the latest fashion whatever that might be.
I may not have understood your article in full but I do agree with your conclusion and think it is a nice one. Reflective. Keep up the good work.
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my girlfriend had a breast augmentation surgery and she really like the result because of a very good surgeon ‘,’
vanity leads to more plastic surgery procedures. people are becoming more conscious about their appearance ;“
vanity leads to more plastic surgery procedures. people are becoming more conscious about their appearance ;“
vanity leads to more plastic surgery procedures. people are becoming more conscious about their appearance ;“
not everyone would need a nose job but my girlfriend really needs some rhinoplasty coz her nose is kind of crooked .:”
not everyone would need a nose job but my girlfriend really needs some rhinoplasty coz her nose is kind of crooked .:”
not everyone would need a nose job but my girlfriend really needs some rhinoplasty coz her nose is kind of crooked .:”