Would you get plastic surgery?

By Tenisha Mercer
www.HairNista.Blogspot.com

Fashion and plastic surgery are synonymous -- so  many in the industry have gone under the knife, from celebs and models to a growing number of everyday people.

FLOTUS Michelle Obama

Now, First Lady Michelle Obama has weighed in on the topic. Just a few days away from turning 50 on Friday, FLOTUS told People Magazine that she's not ruling out a few procedures when asked about Botox and plastic surgery. 


“Women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves,” the first lady told People magazine in an interview that will appear on newsstands on Friday, her birthday. “Right now, I don’t imagine that I would go that route, but I’ve also learned to never say never.”


I can respect FLOTUS' opinion. The decision to have or not to have work done is a very personal one, and it's a decision that only we can make. Usually, there's a wide gulf in the plastic surgery debate -- on one is the woman who has had lots of work done, almost excessively. And then there's the woman who avows any procedures at all.

Is there a middle ground?

A little nip and tuck

As a woman celebrating her 40th birthday in November, looking in the mirror can reveal all kinds of stuff. I'd never want a procedure that would totally change how I'd look. But if I had the gumption (I'm a total scaredy cat about elective procedures) there are a number of things I'd have on my wish list -- breast lift, a tummy tuck and maybe a few lines of forehead smoother (don't judge me).

What woman hasn't thought about what she might change? For the record, I'd probably never go through any of it. At the same time, though, I know there are entire industries that are based on women's insecurities with our bodies and growing older.

We aren't our mothers -- a woman in her 40s, 50s and beyond looks very different than a woman of the same age 30, 40 years ago. And we should. Who says we have to look matronly and motherly? Hell, Tina Turner is my idol and I plan to enter my older years  with a closet full of high heels, body enhancing fashions and of course lots of style!

Aging gracefully 

Yet, at the same time, I think there's something to be said for the woman who embraces her body -- wrinkles and all -- and takes the time and puts in the hard work to change the things that she's unhappy about. 

FLOTUS also says that she looks forward to aging gracefully and cites 80-year-old Cicely Tyson and her 76-year-old mother Marian Robinson, as role models because they are confident and self assured in their beauty. 

No matter your opinions on plastic surgery, I can agree with this:

The first lady says she is “more self-assured now. Each decade just brings a greater sense of calm and certainty and maturity and confidence.”

Amen!