Beauty and the Knife

26 Aug 2013 by Natasha Kim CM-

 

The world is such these days that everyone wants to meet society’s standards of attractiveness. This is where products like collagen, sheep placenta, and cosmetic surgery come into play, all in order to attain that desired image in hope of better opportunities. In my opinion, society has set a pretty high standard of what looks good and it’s difficult to keep up. Everyone seems like they’re in a race to defy time in order to hang on to their youth.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, which means we are all beautiful in God’s eyes no matter how we look, but there is no denying that there’s always something that we wish we could improve about ourselves, it is part of being human.

SunwayMas Community Centre recently had Dr Heng (Consultant Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon) to give a very open and honest talk about beautifying ourselves including the pros and cons of the matter.

 

 

First of all, plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery is not an issue that had been existing thousands of years ago. Nothing in the Bible indicates that plastic surgery is wrong. However, although the act of the procedure may not be a sin, the reasons behind the procedure can be.

It is not a sin for a woman to want to be attractive. According to the Bible, Paul was not prohibiting these things; he was simply saying that the top priority for women should not be intentionally drawing attention to themselves through physical beauty.

 

 

In the world, there are two sides to the matter:

Proponent

• Not all people are fortunate enough to be born with everything it takes to be happy in life, including good looks.
• The fortunate ones will never know what it feels like to ‘lack’ something, including lack of confidence. As such, casting judgments on the ‘less fortunate’ ones is unfair.  
• As long as plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery takes them to where they want to go and what they want to be in life, it is acceptable.

 

 

Opponent

• One’s physical appearance should not be given more weight than one’s abilities, which should more than adequately, make-up for all deficiencies present.
• People condemn plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery, judging those who went under the knife as silly, sick, and ungrateful creatures of God for wanting to change what He has originally designed.

       

"And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.” (1 Timothy 2:9 – 10)

 

Opinions aside, keep in mind that anything unnatural like cosmetic surgery (depending on what is done) does have its side effects because the body tends to react against anything foreign. As a Christian who has been working in this line for many years, Dr Heng consults people before they opt to go under the knife to find out their true intentions for surgery.

 

 

In many cases, there are people who experienced a burden or carry a torn in their hearts due to their looks. There are also many cases where people are made fun of because of their physical flaws and it really hurt them inside.

Dr. Heng helps those who cannot function normally in life and feel tremendously insecure about their looks, e.g birthmark on the face, drooping eyes that interrupts vision and more. Ultimately his purpose for serving is to help people regain their confidence which allows them to take their first step to concentrate on something other than their looks.

What he does not agree are people who try to use cosmetic surgery to their advantage; for example, prostitutes who want to improve their looks to get more customers or others who want to improve themselves with wrong intentions.

 

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”  (Proverbs 31:30) 

 

Beauty begins in the inside. A gentle, modest, loving character gives light to the face that cannot be duplicated by even the best cosmetic surgery. In terms of beauty, the Bible challenge us to be more concerned about our spiritual appearance, than our physical appearance. We are to be attractive by the good things we do for God and His people.

 

 

Do not forget that even the most skilled surgeon cannot hold back the hands of time, and all cosmetic surgeries will eventually have the same result. Those lifted body parts will sag again in time and those cosmetically altered facial features will eventually wrinkle.
 

“You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.”  (1 Peter 3:4 – 5) 

At the end of the day, no matter what you choose to do, remember that God remains the only reliable source of unconditional love that transforms us internally, freeing us from the pressure of constantly having to prove to the world that we measure up. Don’t get caught in the world’s unrealistic standards that have been set for you.

 

 

Picture Reference

www.workingatperfect.com