Plastic surgery is primitive

Aesthetic programming is next

“In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.”
― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies

I’ve been thinking a lot about plastics in the flesh—microplastics, plastic surgery, plastic in the fish and animals we eat, and plastic in testicles and fetuses. I also won a raffle recently, and the prize was a free consultation for “facial balancing” with an award-winning plastic surgeon.¹ In receiving this “prize,” and I use that term generously, I learned more about many cosmetic procedures and their recovery times. The experience opened my eyes to just how many procedures exist and how very common many of them are. I now spot facelifts and cheek fills everywhere I look. Plastic surgery has become so prevalent, especially where I live in South Florida, but I believe it will soon seem primitive.

Collage by Charlotte Dune

Granted, I haven’t personally done any cosmetic procedures myself, and I’ve got no shade for anyone who has or will have plastic surgery; I have friends who underwent procedures and loved their results, but I think in the future we will look back on this era of plastic surgery and see it like bloodletting and lobotomies.

Some medical treatments stand the test of time, such as using ginger to treat morning sickness, nasal rinses for allergies, or poppies/morphine for pain, but the ones that last are usually painless, cheap, effective, abundant, and easy; plastic surgery is none of those things.

Despite the growing prevalence, lowering costs, and nonchalant attitudes around things like boob jobs, butt lifts, blephs, and liposuction, these operations are still very painful, risky, traumatizing to the body, difficult, lengthy, and not always accurate or effective. People die from BBLS and liposuction. Every surgery comes with potential complications and unpleasant recoveries.

The human body is such a complex, intelligent, and responsive creation, to insert a silicone piece into that mix, or to suck out living fat cells from one place and manually squirt them somewhere else, is more clunky than modifying cars at the mechanic's shop.

We need to move onto a process for improving aesthetics that is more like updating firmware from the cloud, and I think that will happen in the not-too-distant future.

One day, instead of the operating table, we may understand the human body operating system enough to communicate with it via code.

I see a future where we can program the body to shift fat or thicken bones, to create new cells, or build more muscles in certain areas. We should be able to inject instructions instead of Botox, or even read them in our mind with devices like Neuralink to change our body types. There should be minimal pain and no downtime.

Humans will never stop wanting to be beautiful, so we will make it easier. That’s just how humans are. Anything we really want, we eventually innovate.

Maybe celebrities will brand these beauty codes like filters on Instagram so you can just grow your own Ice Spice booty.

Using the beauty codes will be as common as wearing makeup is today, because it will be easy and painless.

I call this “Aesthetic Programming.” It’s an emerging field. Body codes is a good term too.

It seems possible. Then, our kid’s kids will look back on us with our silicone breasts and plastic chins, tummy fat in our bums, and think we were so, so crazy.

That’s all.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

XXXX

Charlotte Dune

P.S.

I asked ChatGPT if a sci-fi novel already existed that explores a future where everyone uses technology to become more beautiful, and it suggested Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. I haven’t read it yet, but it looks pretty cool.

In Uglies, set in a dystopian future, everyone undergoes extreme cosmetic surgery at the age of 16 to become "Pretty." Society is divided into "Uglies" (those who haven't yet had the surgery) and "Pretties" (those who have). However, this results in many people looking the exact same… gee whiz, I wonder what that reminds me of… Can you say, InstagramFace?

The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies is the first book in the Uglies series, which is YAish, and is followed by Pretties, Extras, and Specials. All take place in this same twisted world obsessed with beauty and body modification.

The series also questions if looking the same makes you think the same and explores how our physical appearances influence our thoughts and emotions.

Can you think of any other novels related to this theme? Or about plastic surgery?

Invisible Monsters Remix by Chuck Palahniuk

I also loved

Chuck Palahniuk

’s novel involving facial reconstruction plastic surgery, Invisible Monsters, which is definitely worth reading if you’re into Palanhiuk. It’s probably my second favorite of his, after Fight Club. I especially loved the ending, and like all of his books, it includes many great quotes, which is where I’ll end this very lengthy P.S.

“The books on plastic surgery, the pamphlets and brochures all promised to help me live a more normal, happy life; but less and less, this looked like what I'd want. What I wanted looked more and more like what I'd always been trained to want. What everybody wants.
Give me attention.
Flash.
Give me beauty.
Flash.
Give me peace and happiness, a loving relationship, and a perfect home.
Flash…
It's the opposite of following your bliss.”

- Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

1. More on this “prize” in another, longer post, because it was a disturbing experience that I want to fully flush out and share in depth.