You can't turn around anymore without hearing about plastic surgery in popular culture. There are at least three prime time tv shows all about making people over, including Extreme Makeover (ABC), the revolting The Swan (Fox), and MTV's I Want A Famous Face, in which young adults go under the knife so they can resemble their favorite celebrity.
Will this become more than a passing fad, and veer into dangerous territory?
I was perusing the TV Guide while waiting in line at the grocery store. This week's cover story is all about I Want A Famous Face. Detailed is how much money it would cost someone to look like Britney Spears. The first thing that came to my mind was "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You."
For those of you not familiar with the original Twilight Zone episode, "Number Twelve" deals with a society that forces all of its citizens into physical conformity. In their teenage years, citizens must choose among pre-defined bodies. Since there are no visible differences between each type, say for example, number twelve, people wear name tags to distinguish themselves. The punishment for choosing not to undergo the surgery is execution. The storyline follows a young woman who fights against the surgery. She says, "I may not be pretty like you, but I'm not ugly. And I'm beautiful on the inside."
We are a very sick society. We have become so hung up on physical appearance to the detriment of everything else. As Johnny Lydon once sang, "Develop your body -- but your mind is still a slum."
