Is it wrong to undergo breast augmentation?
Wow, that is a very loaded question to ask at the BEA. However, given that I have been around for so long and consider myself rather level-headed I would like to look at this in a slightly different way this time...
Is it ever right to undergo breast augmentation?
Well, the answer to that is also loaded, but not as judgemental because there are circumstances and people that get a benefit from a procedure. The most obvious are those that have reconstruction after surgery or an accident where there is a medical AND mental need for the modification.
Then, moving away from physiological necessity, there are persons who psychologically need to modify themselves to match their mental self-image. I will not touch on how appropriate this may be, but it is valid to say that many get a greater satisfaction with themselves and their life when their inner and outer selves match.
Moving even further away we get those that essentially are changing themselves for mostly external reasons or pressures. They are motivated by some perception of external gain, regardless of how valid. They are not doing the procedures for themselves directly, but they do get or think they get some residual and reflected positive aspect from it.
Lastly, we arrive at those that have some motivation that is obviously not based on need or even wants. These are people to choose to surgically modify themselves because of some actual mental defect or other atypical fixation. They have some "problem" or "mania" that moves them to pursue a surgical intervention rather than more subtle or organic means of self-modification.
There is a final level - however these people have obvious psychological and dismorphic problems that manifest in their augmentation taking on a life of its own. This is not a size based expression but rather a potentially self-destructive behavior which just happens to have a breast / body augmentation based focus.
So - there we go - a range along which a person may fall or express their "justifications" for breast augmentation.
1. Medical / Physical / Reconstructive Need
2. Psychological / Self-Image Need
3. External Pressures / Perceived Gain or Want
4. Fixation / Mania / Unsubstantiated Want
5. Self-**13** disorders / Medical Addictions
A person will sit somewhere along that range from 1 to 5. They may sit at 2.25 or 3.5 or 1.75, etc.
Obviously a level 5 person is essentially wrong and a level 1 person is essentially right to have a procedure.
It is just that most everyone sits between these two extremes. So, it is not so much a degree of personal choice, but rather the sources or manner of motivation for the augmentation. From just a sideline view it would reason that the bell curve of people fall near to level 3.
And that is why answering the thread's question is so cumbersome. The majority of people getting beast augmentation are getting it for a myriad of reasons, some more "right or wrong" than others. How could someone who sits at say, 3.125 on the scale be said to be wrong? Is a person right at 3.00 said to be half-right?
So - there we go. It really comes down to justification for this plastic surgery. Are we rebuilding after a double mastectomy or going under the knife to replace our 5th set of implants while also doing a tummy tuck, chin lipo, tattoo on some eye-liner and 3rd botox this week?
Bottom line is your friends could be total jerks or they could be justified in their reactions.