PRESSURED TO EDIT

We are who we are from birth, what we look like is totally up to nature, and growth is just a development of those features we were born with.

You don’t get to choose what you look like from birth and the look you are born with is what you carry for the rest of your life which I think is unfair, but hey, it is what it is and there is not much you can do than to embrace it-- But that was then.

You see, in this modern world of advanced medical technology, anything is possible. Well, except maybe create a man from scratch, and even if that were possible, the breath of life is not exactly sold on the black market and God, well, I don’t think he bargains that much, but almost every other thing is possible with cosmetic and plastic surgery from breast enlargement to nose reshaping, to eyelid surgery, to tummy tuck and complete gender reassignment, even limbs can be re-attached, how cool is that!

While this is a huge success in modern medicine, it is sometimes used for the wrong reasons.

    The human mind can be quite fragile and it thrives on self-esteem, like a battery it needs to be optimal so it can feed the soul with confidence and positive energy. It's bad when it gets low and even worse when taken away and the quickest way to take away a person's self-esteem is by body shaming. Body shaming is when you make people feel unappreciated and unwanted. Words like ugly, fat, short, thin and the likes hurt people more than you can ever imagine and can lead to serious depression and insecurities.

Some take to the gym to get the shape deemed worthy by society, some have mastered the act of ignoring their bullies, some resort to a grandiose scheme while some simply turn to cosmetic surgery as a solution.

    Cosmetic surgery focuses on body enhancement so they go under the knife to tweak their natural looks in order to get back at their critics, give them attention and attractiveness or maybe an attractive partner, and just like that, like a computer file the human body gets edited; only it’s not that simple.

    Like many other things in life, there are no guarantees that you're going to get the exact result you wanted. 

For some people, it proffers a solution to their self-esteem issues, they get exactly what they want, and like a phoenix they rise from the ashes and fly high into the sky, towering above the mountains and they-- "ok that’s a bit too much", and for some, not so much.

You can't control how people will react to the change, they may see you as vain, some may say your body is fake and think less of you, while some may even begin to avoid you. 

Also, there are some unforeseen physical, emotional, and cultural side effects that may make you think twice about taking nature into your own hands. 

The scariest part is the potential deformities. If there's a problem and you're not emotionally stable and financially secure, the result may be devastating.

A person who is already insecure about their appearance may suffer severe damage to their already depleted confidence if the surgery goes south.

Also, the aftermath of surgery and the healing process can cause a lot of emotional and mental strain. The lack of sleep, pain, fatigue, and swelling can cause most people to experience even more depression. 

Some never get satisfied so they keep doing more and more surgery. They get the nose fixed and then it’s the eyebrows and then they think maybe the ears need a little fix, and they just keep going on with it until they wish they could have their old body back.

    It's a cruel world that we live in, and people hurt each other mostly with the things that they say, but that's the way it is and sadly, it's never going to change. So whatever you do make sure to love yourself, look in the mirror, and tell yourself you're perfect, be healthy, and most importantly, don't give in to peer and societal pressure. Don’t let no one tell you this or that is what you should look like. You have just one life to live don’t risk it trying to satisfy anyone. Don't be pressured to edit.

OSINAYA EMMANUEL [TEO]