BRIDAL-PLASTY
1 Corinthians. 13:4-13
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love
Since when do you need to change yourself for your husband? Has our idea of beauty changed so much that a woman now feels pressure to have plastic surgery in preparation for her marriage? Is marriage no longer based on love? Does the above very commonly used biblical quote no longer belong in a wedding ceremony?
Bridalplasty is an American reality TV show where 12 women compete to win a dream wedding… and plastic surgery procedures. The show premiered on November 28, 2010 on the E! Network. Each woman must complete a plastic surgery wish list and compete in wedding-themed challenges in order to win the surgery of her choice. The winner of the competition will get a wedding of her dreams and multiple plastic surgeries from her wish list. The husband will not see his fiancé until the wedding day, when the bride reveals her new look.
Many psychologists are concerned with the issue of body dysmorphic disorder forming among the brides-to-be, and viewers of the show. I am very concerned with the message this show is sending to its audience. This show is glamorizing plastic surgery and idolizing perfection. After every elimination, Shanna Moakler (former Playboy model and Miss USA) the TV series host sends the eliminated bride off with the phrase "Your wedding will still go on, but it just won't be perfect." I think it is a horrible idea. It absolutely plays into this notion that if you achieve the 'perfect' appearance, everything will be better. The message it sends to girls and women, as if you're not beautiful enough on your wedding day, you have to receive plastic surgery from head to toe. I believe this show is demonstrating a very low part of our society. A societal sickness about needing to achieve perfection, as if cosmetic surgery achieves that.
As Judith Mayne would say, a television show is a representation. It is a “re-presentation, recreation and interpretation of the world of objects, dreams, and experiences” (161). It is a “re-presentation” of gender and sexuality. While it is reflection of our culture it is also has effects on its viewers as well. “…representations both reflect the culture from which they emerge, and have the ability to shape that culture in turn” (Mayne 163). I agree with Mayne. I think this show is reflecting the current culture we live in. A perfection, celebrity, material obsessed culture. I think this show is only reinforcing this kind of culture.
There are a multitude of new wedding themed reality shows that also enforce this type of culture. These include Say Yes to the Dress, Bridal Bootcamp, and Bridezillas. Even if brides do not resort to the extremes of reality contestant-dom, there is still a strongly held belief you are supposed to change - not just enhance - how you look to get married. Today at CVS, I saw just as many specifically bridal magazine as there were others. I can attest that these magazines are full of elaborate 12 month-plus beauty regimes and stories of women who have transformed their physiques through surgery. Such magazines are also fixated on advice about making your wedding stand out; from the save-the-date cards to the venue styling and the six types of dessert you serve. It is as if you are branding yourself as a couple, to ensure your day is more memorable than anyone else's (never mind that the only people who need to remember it are the bride and groom). You can see this in the puzzling rise of the wedding ''theme'', where couples are summing up the look and feel of their day as if it is a perfume or trendy cocktail lounge. Be it ''garden fantasy'', ''retro elegance'' or ''outback fiesta'', people are going all out to theme their ''I do''s. Clearly, ''wedding'' isn't theme enough.
If you’re engaged, do you get wedding inspiration from these shows? Do you fantasize about a bottomless budget while watching Platinum Weddings or dream of choosing the perfect wedding dress at Kleinfeld when you watch Say Yes to the Dress? Hopefully woman will realize that these shows are ridiculous and not what a real wedding should be based on. I think it’s sad that television companies are supporting these shows.
Love is rhinoplasty, love is lip injections
It envies, it boasts, it is proud
It is rude and self seeking
Love delights in perfection and impeccability
Love is based on botox and limo rides
It is selfish, and never preserves
Bibliography
Mayne, Judith. “Women, Representation, and Culture.” In Reading Women’s Lives.
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