Under the Sun, under the Knife - Venezuela's women seek surgery and a white American ideal body - Brief Article
UNESCO Courier, July, 2001 by Rakel Sosa
Venezuela may be in the economic doldrums, but cosmetic surgery is booming, highlighting the power of hidden racial discrimination and the ever-present North American concept of beauty
A few statistics are sometimes more telling than heavyweight sociological analysis. Venezuela has won more international beauty contests than any other country in the past 50 years, including five Miss World titles, four Miss Universes and countless other crowns and prizes. This is no accident: the record is proof in Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America of some very deep social trends. Like in Brazil, the official line is that Venezuela is a tolerant multiracial country. But under the surface lies a subtle racism against the descendants of black slaves. It is expressed by an ideal of beauty which vaunts white skin, blonde hair and light-coloured eyes.
"They come to my clinic wanting thinner noses, slightly fuller lips, big breasts, firm bottoms and above all slimness--they all want to be slimmer," says Dr Pedro Meneses, a member of the Venezuelan Plastic Surgery Association.
Beauty in Venezuela has become a social value that often defines success or failure, personally and professionally. It is a value that sits atop the many other conventions demarcating the role of the woman in a society that has yet to accept various key feminist principles.
Torn between racism and machismo, many women regard beauty as an efficient way to leap upwards through the social ranks and often the only way to live.
The cult of beauty in Venezuela explains the country's huge boom in cosmetic surgery over the past decade. There are no official figures, but the reality is probably similar to that described by the American Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAPRS), which reports that the number of people seeking cosmetic surgery has risen by 60 percent in the past two years. Between 1992 and 1998, the association says, the most popular operations were liposculpture (up 264 percent), breast enlargement through implants (up 306 percent), face lifts and nose jobs.
Beauty budgets
Notions of beauty, however, are constantly changing. "The ideal for the last decade has come from the United States, which is only two hours by plane from Venezuela," says Meneses. "The difference is that our women are not blonde and blue-eyed, yet they struggle to make their bodies and features resemble this white ideal. I've never operated on a white woman who wanted a broader nose so she could look more like a black woman. It always goes in the other direction."
Despite the country's vast oil wealth, 70 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty. But when it's a matter of looking good, no expense is spared. A 1999 study by the U.S. market research firm Roper Starch Worldwide showed that Venezuelans spend a fifth of their income on personal grooming and beauty products.
Breast surgery, one of the most common operations, costs between $1,000 and $3,500 for each implant. Given the overriding importance of appearing and feeling attractive, even women from the poorer end of society manage to find the money needed.
More and more women between 17 and 35 are seeking not only slimmer noses and bigger breasts, but also different shaped bodies. "They resort to surgery because they feel socially rejected or aren't satisfied with their image," says Dr Alberto Salinas, who has been operating on stomachs for more than 15 years and is one of the country's few experts in the field. He reduces the size of a stomach so the patient eats less and gets thinner. "Half my patients don't want to feel better, they just want to look better," he says.
Images of success
Although they are not fat, many teenage girls are referred to his surgery for psychological reasons. "The social pressure is so strong that these kids swallow a box of diuretic pills and a box of laxatives every day," says Salinas. "When they're doing this and risking addiction to medication, I prefer to operate."
Many professional people, meanwhile, turn to the operating table in the hope of improving their social image and self-esteem. Morelia Pelayo, a successful dentist, says the breast operation she had a few years ago changed her life: "I've always regarded myself as a successful woman personally and professionally. But I had a complex about the size of my breasts. Since the operation, I've dressed differently. Because this is a Caribbean country with a lot of sunshine, I can now show off my figure to more effect and wear dresses with a lower neckline."
She nevertheless admits to being pushed to the big decision by the subliminal effects of television advertising. "All the women you see there have big breasts and bottoms, spectacular bodies and look beautiful and successful. It's natural to want to be like them," she says.
Amid this confusion between being and appearing, the fascination of Venezuelans for the quick and drastic changes the surgeon's knife can bring is starting to become a cultural trait--imported from abroad, yet strong enough to change the very nature of Venezuelan society.
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