Posted on June 30, 2015
Written by Aly Walansky
We already know that plastic surgery, performed by the hands of a talented board-certified surgeon from the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) can enhance how you look.
It can be minimal, (a bit of lipo here and there) or a bit more dramatic, (a plumper butt, bigger breasts etc.) and today, you can change just about everything with one plastic surgery procedure or another. We can look thinner, more voluptuous, younger… but that’s only skin deep. What does it do to the inside?
Chances are, when you make these changes; you may feel better about your body and yourself. You may feel more desirable, younger, sexier, and this may change your personality – it may make you more social, more outgoing. In essence, you are more likable, but it’s not because you look different – it’s because of how you feel about how you look.
“Ever meet someone who wasn’t the most conventionally attractive guy or girl on the block, but was alluring and dynamic as hell? Here’s how plastic surgery can improve your likability: It can reconfigure your self-image to make you feel more attractive. Whether others might agree or not when glancing at before and after images is beside the point,” says Constance Dunn, a researcher focused on people perception and self-identity, Communication Management/Branding instructor at UCSB Extension (University of California, Santa Barbara) and author of Practical Glamour.
If you believe you are more attractive, it is highly likely that you will perform and behave with more confidence, more joie de vivre, and as a result, be perceived as more likable by others, says Dunn. “It’s a simple matter of “think and ye shall become.” That is because our perception of others is not merely based narrowly –on the arrangement of facial features. It’s a medley of variables that work in concert, including how we speak, dress and move, just to name a few,” Dunn says.
A friend who had plastic surgery anonymously concurs:
“I had breast reduction done in 2001. After years of yo-yo dieting, my breasts were too big and pendulous for me to function physically. I have scoliosis and my chest wasn’t helping my situation. It was also affecting me socially. Too many unwanted stares and comments from men and women (who were more prone to touching me than men) made worse when I met new people. I usually stood with my arms crossed in my front of my chest. I felt very uncomfortable walking into a room where I didn’t know anyone. So I met with a plastic surgeon for a consultation who thought breast reduction was the right choice for me.
Post-surgery, I no longer feel like I stick out as a sore thumb. I can face any situation without feeling like all eyes are on my chest. Men make eye contact with me –it’s been a while! I no longer worry what other people are thinking about me. It’s cliché, but plastic surgery gave me back my long-lost confidence.
What I didn’t realize was how my body anxiety was taking a toll on my friends. My complaining didn’t exactly make me someone they wanted to hang out with. They’d worry how awkward or cold I’d act to someone I just met. I didn’t realize how I hijacked their good time because of my insecurity. Soon, I was a little more chill in newer situations, to the point that I’d just roll with anything coming my way. “
So, what do you think? Have you or someone in your life had plastic surgery? Has it changed how likable you or they are? Have you noticed this difference, above and beyond the physical ones?
