Neurotic quest for physical pluperfection
WE’VE watched many TV shows on cosmetic surgery before, but “Botched” is strikingly different because it’s about the mistakes that plastic surgeons have made in the past—and what can be done to rectify them.
This self-critical point of view could tick off surgeons whose flubs and flops are held up for criticism, but the sting is reduced by the fact that no erring doctors are named. “Hate the sin, not the sinner” appears to be the rule for the razzers —and the razzed.
“Botched” is uniquely viewable because it offers televiewers a cautionary survey of what could go wrong for people who may be thinking of improving on their God- given looks themselves.
If you see what could go wrong, you might decide to be happy with the real, imperfect you, warts, wattles and all!
The medical program is an effective “leveler” of social and financial classes because it shows that not all the money in the world can assure the artificial attainment of pluperfect looks.
It even provides less than profligately rich viewers the smug satisfaction of sneering at the millionaires and billionaires who think that they can transform their looks, from zero to hero, or from Woody Allen to George Clooney, if they have enough money to throw at the world’s best plastic surgeons.
Alas, even the best are capable of the big botch—so buyers, beware!
Recent telecasts of “Botched” provide graphic examples to guard against.
For instance, a wealthy woman who wanted to rectify a number of failed efforts to give her a beautiful nose finally ended up consulting the show’s resident surgeons, Terry Dubrow and
Paul Nassif, and they had to work really hard just to get rid of the surgical short cuts that her previous doctors had perpetrated on her poor proboscis!
Only after they had gotten rid of all the bad implants, wires and scar tissue from previous operations could they proceed to start fresh and more correctly “sculpt” the nose she yearned to have.
When the bandages were removed, the lady was so relieved and overjoyed that she broke down, eternally grateful to her medical saviors.
On the other hand, the show also featured cases that its cosmetic surgeons decided to turn down, like the filthy-rich young man who had had all sorts of surgical procedures done on himself to achieve physical “perfection.”
He was so fixated on looking like a god that he even designed, in advance, the improvements he wanted the program’s resident surgeons to effect on his already intricately sculpted body.
He was willing to pay a fortune for their obedient services—but they turned him down because they resented the fact that he likened plastic surgeons to tailors because they similarly “cut and stitched” according to his specifications.
“Not true!,” they sneered back at him, as they threw the fortune he offered them—right back into his “perfected” face.