Core Post 5 - Tucker Rayl

After our discussion on Wednesday about embodiment and the trendiness of the big booty, I researched a bit about the procedures that some people undergo to fit the mould of what is an attractive figure. In terms of butt procedures, I found that the most common procedure as of now is fat injections. Doctors take fat from a patients body and inject it into their butt. Less common nowadays are silicone implants.

One thing I also found was a story of a woman who pretended to be a doctor in order to give injections to other women. This fake doctor made mixtures of cement, silicone, oils, and other chemicals and injected it into women's butts, faces, and breasts. She was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison because everyone she worked on was harmed by the chemicals, and one woman died because of it. Below is a picture of one of her victims.

I think this fake doctor story points to the power that images of celebrity bodies have over beauty ideals. Big butts and butt enhancing procedures have become so popular because of J. Lo, the Kardashians, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B, that everyone seems to want a big butt. I don't think it's wrong to undergo procedures to change one's body. It can be dangerous, certainly. But I think it's important to know where those impulses to get an operation come from.

Body diversity is a good thing. All sorts of butts and bodies should be seen and represented. I think it gets really tricky when certain looks come to be seen as more attractive than others. That's where shame and dysmorphia come in to play.