Download Cynthia Garcia Prof. Jamie Mcbeth-Smith 1010

Cynthia Garcia
Prof. Jamie Mcbeth-Smith
1010-014
15, November, 2010
Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
Today, Plastic surgery has become the new generation. Most of the people talk about it, hear about
it, and want it. This is because the beauty of plastic surgery is advertised everywhere on TV, media,
and other influential sources. Nowadays surgery has become so influential that not just movie stars
are living out of it, but regular people too. The beauty and glam of surgery hypnotizes people and
makes them want it more. Sadly, it has become the new way people see each other and also how
people judge others. Ultimately, what is at stake here are the psychological effects of surgery and
how it may affect people. That is why many debate whether surgery has mental benefits or risks.
Some argue plastic surgery is a solution to low self-esteem and may make your life better. While
others state surgery can become addicting while at the same time bring problems to the inner self.
No matter the psychological effects, people are still willing to pay a lot of money and transform
themselves into beings of society. Into people who fit this world and who around in search of their
inner and outer beauty.
Bennett, Jessica. “The Beauty Advantage.” Newsweek Vol.156, No.4. 26 Jul 2010: n.p. SIRS
Researcher. Web.10 Nov 2010.
Summary: In this article, Jessica Bennett discusses how beauty today influences our jobs, careers,
and lives. She argues beauty is something we can no longer dismiss as frivolous or vain. She claims
beauty affects how other people see us and how they treat us. Bennett claims beautiful people have
advantage in life than people who are not beautiful. She states beautiful people make more money
than less attractive people and all because they can get a job based on their appearance. She also
makes an astounding claim where she states employers look for attributes like beauty and based on
this they hire a person. Bennett also acknowledges that this world is an economy that encourages
plastic surgery and it causes people to go out and search for a remedy to get ahead in life.
Rhetorical Analysis: This article was written by Jessica Bennett who is a senior writer. She writes
about many topics and recently is reporting on a story about sexism at work. She has won prized for
her special reports and recently awarded by the NY press for her story about the dark side of the
web. Her article was published in Newsweek Magazine. The audiences for this article are people
who want to be inform on plastic surgery and want to know how surgery can be an advantage. The
evidence she uses is statistics and facts about plastic surgery and how it can benefit a person in the
work field. This evidence helps people see how beauty can have a big impact on jobs and careers
and how it affects how people look at you.
Assessment: This article made me see the benefits of plastic surgery in someone’s life. It also made
me question why people would judge other individuals based on attractiveness. It made me realize
that plastic surgery has psychological effects not only on the person getting the surgery done but on
the people around them as well. This relates to another one of my sources that talks about plastic
surgery being done for the boost of self-esteem.
Dittmann, By Melissa. "Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast?" Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast 8th ser. 36
(2005): 30. Monitor Staff. American Psychological Association (APA). Sept. 2005. Web. 17 Nov.
Summary: In this article, Melissa Dittmann discusses the mental cost of plastic surgery. She claims
that plastic surgery might make a person feel better but it can also make a person feel insecure more.
Dittmann also shows statistics that analyze how surgery affects patients psychologically. This
research found that it has positive outcomes including improvement in body image and quality of
life. But the research also found that it has several predictors of poor outcomes for those who have
an unrealistic expectation or an anxiety/depression disorder. Researchers found patients who are
dissatisfied with surgery may repeat the same procedures and have problems in their lives. Dittman
also observes that there is still a doubt whether surgery makes patients feel better and how it affect
those around. She also emphasizes that psychologist are now conducting assessments to check for
certain issues before surgery and to better understand the effects of plastic surgery.
Rhetorical Analysis: This article was written by Melissa Dittmann who is a writer for Monitor Staff
which is a series of books about psychology. She has written many articles which are linked with the
American Psychological Association. This article was published in Monitor Staff and the audiences
are people who generally are interested in psychology and its effects. The evidence she shows to
support her thesis is statistics and facts about how Plastic surgery can be negative and positive. The
evidence helps readers see more of a psychologist point of view and how surgery can alter your
mental health.
Assessment: This article helped me see the different perspectives of how plastic surgery can be
negative and positive. Some of the results really impacted my thinking and made me change the way
I thought about plastic surgery. For me plastic surgery has always been about being beautiful and
wanting to be better. But now I see that there are other hidden reasons why people have surgery and
some of them aren’t so positive after all. This relates to other articles about plastic surgery and how
it does affect your mental health. Plastic surgery not only affects you but it affects everyone around
you.
Nowak, Rachel. “When Looks Can Kill.” New Scientist (London, England) Vol. 192, No.2574. Oct. 21
2006: 18-21. SIRS Researcher. Web 06 Nov 2010.
Summary: In this article, Rachel Nowak argues that Plastic surgery leaves psychological effects. She
states surgery operations are never completely free of risk and asks the question whether surgery
brings any long-term mental benefits. She also talks about a study done that found that women with
breast implants are more likely to commit suicide than women with no breast implants. Other
studies also done may link breast implants to auto immune diseases and other types of
complications. The question asked by many surgeons is whether the psychological effects were
caused by surgery or already present before surgery. Nowak states surgeons think many people who
have surgery have BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) which is poor body image. And because of this
many seek surgery to feel better and look better. Nowak also claims TV and Ads promise not only
perfect bodies, but the idea of a psychological lift.
Rhetorical Analysis: This article was written by Doctor Rachel Nowak. She’s New Scientist’s
Australasian editor and it’s her duty to report top science news. She has a PhD in reproductive
biology, and published numerous research articles in her field and won many awards for journalism.
Her article was published in New Scientist magazine and is audiences are people who are interested
in the science field. In her article she shows statistics and facts about plastic surgery. This
information helps me see the main concept of plastic surgery and what the psychological effects are.
Assessment: This article made me think how plastic surgery can affect a person mentally and
physically. It also informed me with some new information about surgery procedures and how
surgery can go wrong. This article made me think about the reason why many people want surgery
and this made me question whether it’s because of a poor image or because they want to fit in. This
relates to one of my other sources that talks about plastic surgery being for good or bad. It makes
me reflect on the negative consequences of plastic surgery and also the psychological reasons behind
it.
Sweeney, Camille. “Seeking Self-Esteem Through Surgery.” New York Times (New York, NY). 15 Jan
2009: E3. SIRS Researcher. Web. 10 Nov 2010.
Summary: In this article, Camille Sweeney argues the point that young people seek self-esteem
through surgery. She argues that there has been an increase of teens getting surgery and all because
of media influence. Being teens and influenced, many teen girls want better looking faces and fuller
figures to compensate what they don’t have at an early age. Sweeney acknowledges that teens are
being barraged with images of ideal women and men that aren’t real. There has also been a study
that shows an epidemic of low self-esteem among girls which makes them more prone to surgery
than boys. She also reports that parents are left with a question whether to allow surgery to their
teen or not. Psychologists argue many of the teens are not mature enough to understand the
consequences of surgery or the consequences it might bring in the future.
Rhetorical Analysis: This article was written by Camille Sweeney who is a journalist and blogger. She
has written many articles from different topics and likes to give her opinion. This source was written
in the New York Times and is meant for people who are interested in surgery or plan to get surgery.
This article also informs people about surgery and what the effects are. The evidence she uses in this
article are statistics and facts about Plastic surgery among teens and how it’s increasing. This
evidence helps readers see how plastic surgery is affecting the younger generation and what the
effects are doing to everyone around them.
Assessment: This article made me reflect on my generation since I’m a teenager and made me see
why teens are getting surgery. Being a teenager I can relate to the idea of getting surgery to raise selfesteem and make your image better. This article also made me question why the media has so much
influence on the young generation and how their influence in some way is manipulating us. It also
made me see the good benefits of plastic surgery and the bad effects of it.
Trigaux, Robert. “Job Makeover.” St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL). 09 Apr 2009: B4 SIRS
Researcher. Web. 06 Nov 2010.
Summary: In this article, Robert Trigaux argues that looking fresh and getting surgery benefits those
who want to stay in their jobs. He supports the fact that since the recession, keeping a job or finding
a job has become difficult. It has specially become a challenge for people who are of older age and
who hesitate each day to stay younger. Trigaux claims that older people want to stay competitive
with youth in the employment field and because of this want surgery. For older people, plastic
surgery means rejuvenation and fresh look. Plastic surgery is an advantage; therefore they seek
surgery to help them maintain their jobs.
Rhetorical Analysis: This article was written by Robert Trigaux, a business writer. He has received
various awards for business writing and a first place in business columns from the National
Association of Newspaper Columnists. His article was written in St. Petersburg Times magazine. His
audiences are the people who are interested in a job makeover and are looking for alternatives like
plastic surgery to help them in their job. He uses statistics and facts in order to support his thesis
that plastic surgery is needed in order to stay competitive in the work field. This evidence helps me
see what his point is about plastic surgery and how it affects people.
Assessment: This article changed the way I thought about plastic surgery and made me some
benefits of it. It also made me realize that old people want to get surgery in order to look young and
stay competitive. This article made me think how beauty changes a perspective and how plastic
surgery is used as a tool in the work field. This source relates to another source that talks about the
beauty advantage and how being beautiful is crucial in today’s world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have learned that plastic surgery can either be good or bad. For most people, plastic
surgery can be positive when they use it as a way to boost their self-esteem and have a better life. It
can also make them be a different person and change the way they see those around them. Beauty
can be an advantage but a disadvantage too if used in a bad way. But for a few people, plastic
surgery can be negative. These are the people who have unrealistic expectations of the surgery and
who secretly have BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) which impairs them to see their good features.
Plastic surgery can also be addicting and dangerous. Surgery can change a person’s mental health
which can affect their whole lives and make them regret having surgery. But at the end, people
should just love their selves for who they are and be happy, but in reality that isn’t the case. The
reality behind plastic surgery is no matter what we change or who we pretend to be at the end a
person is always who he or she is and nobody can change that.