The Value of Vanity

Good morrow Cyberspace, I hope this post finds you well.

I was recently enlisted as a chauffeur for a friend - he was going to a cosmetic surgery office to see about getting a mole removed.  I'm not really the type to be overly concerned with my appearance...you can usually find me in jeans, a hoodie and baseball cap. When appropriate, I may upgrade to some khakis and a polo, but I've never been the type to stand in front of the mirror. So maybe that's why I don't understand how places like this stay in business.  

Let me relate some of the highlights of my experience.

The first thing that threw me off was the sign. It was ridiculously small and hard to find. I thought to myself 'Wouldn't a business that respected itself and its clientele want to advertise?' I brought this up to my friend, who very quickly pointed out the fact that he was embarrassed to be walking into a cosmetic surgery clinic and most of the people going there probably felt the same way. I conceded the point.

The next thing that caught me off guard was the door. We had to be buzzed in. Why? What reason would a place that sells self-image have for keeping the door locked at all times? Is it common for someone to run in and demand a nose job at gun point? Is the staff so terrible at their job that the patients want to murder their doctors after they recuperate from an operation? It seemed extremely strange to me.

Then there were the people. Those in the waiting room and the staff. The receptionist wore so much make-up I wasn't sure if she was actually trying to be serious. The people in the waiting room were looking at themselves in their handheld mirrors. Clients came from behind closed doors, the skin on their face tight enough to show every structural bone in their face. But the people that really got me were the two standing by the door. I'm not going to lie to you, I was eavesdropping like I never have before. The conversation was absolutely sickening.

There was a man and a woman both dressed very professionally. They were discussing some aspects of the business - from what I gleaned, the woman was a doctor and the man was an owner or investor. The conversation swirled from clients (isn't there supposed to be a doctor/client privilege?) to business strategies to complaints about the attitudes of stockholders. Some quotes that I overhead included "I don't know what [other operations] we can tell her she needs, but she won't argue with me," "So I sold her the lotion...I didn't tell her yet that it won't do the job alone," and "The stockholders are getting too big for their britches, they should just shut up and let us run this the way we want."

It pretty much confirmed what I already thought about privately owned cosmetic surgery clinics - they are in  place only to take advantage of the insecurities of the population. The laugh lines, the crow's feet, birthmarks...all those things that make us unique have been labelled as ugly. We're told everyday, you don't want to be yourself...you want to look this way - it's the only way you'll ever be happy. I call bullshit.

If you're thinking about going to get some work done, take a good long look in the mirror. Ask yourself if you would feel better if you looked different. Ask yourself why. Then ask yourself who you really want to change for.

Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger

As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!