Perfectionism

Perfectionism

The Oxford English dictionary defines perfection as “the condition, state or quality of being free or as free as possible from flaws or defects”. This definition has been taken by society, which has then been included to the massive amount of expectations women should have, in order to experience perfection. In the novel Beauty Junkies author, Alex Kuczynski goes around the world to show how plastic surgery makes people insane. Also, in Vanity Fair, Rebecca Sharp manipulates everyone, including her own husband, by seducing every other man so they would give her money. Consequently, what can be noticed by the two novels is that with the aid of manipulation, including seduction or getting surgery, women can eventually find themselves at the top of society. However, the downside to being at the top of society is that it causes ill health and loneliness. Therefore, one may notice that in the novels Beauty Junkies and Vanity Fair the need for fame and wealth caused the women to manipulate others with their appearance and body, which later caused them to harm their health or to be lonely; as a result, society should stop the amount of pressure they have on what perfection is for women.

When women reach the top of an obsession to have a supposedly perfect life, it has been noticed to be the result from having manipulated others with their surgery-done face. In Beauty Junkies, Alex Kuczynski explains how a, “...face-lift...returns [the] tautness of youth [and how] a liposuction... molds girlish [thighs] out of a flank stippled in cottage-cheese-like fat,” (Kuczynski 86) and since having a flawless face has been considered to be looking younger, women get several surgeries done and manipulate society into thinking that they look young at such an old age. A plastic surgery clinic in Puerto Rico has even manipulated women into thinking that “people are [always] unhappy with the way they look [and that] plastic and cosmetic surgery can give [them] the...