Cosmetic Surgery – the recovery images we never see

I have a sigh that you might find familiar. It’s my Sad Saggy Old Boobs Sigh. It comes involuntarily when I’m straight from the shower and I catch myself in the mirror, and I’m pretty sure most other women have something similar. Maybe it’s for your bum, or your tummy or thighs. Or for your boobs, like me.

Intellectually, I don’t buy into the concept of perfection. My breasts are fine. They’re just deflated, flat, and floppy, but, well they belong on a woman who is 40. That’s the reality.

They’ve never been great. My nipples have always pointed outwards, away from each other. Like they’ve had a fight, and they’re each looking to hook up with someone else. Now, thanks to gravity, they nestle under my arms, like they’re coyly avoiding eye contact with the rest of the world. Sort of like breast geishas.

Of course, I’ve flirted with the idea of a boob job. But, firstly, I really want to be stronger than that. I want to like myself regardless of my body shape. And I want to show my 5 yr old daughter that being a good person is defined by your compassion and kindness and cleverness and humour.

I want her to understand that we are all different, and there’s an inherent beauty in that. It’s not easy. Somehow, whether by conditioning or by biological imperative, we tend to see difference as inadequacy, rather than something to be celebrated. I hear it when my sweet precious daughter compares her curly hair to her straight haired friend. And that kind of breaks my heart.

But still the Sad Saggy Old Boobs Sigh hits me. So I have to admit, if there was a quick-fix that didn’t involve a scalpel and more pain than a coward like me can handle, I might go there.

And because of that, I absolutely DO NOT judge people who do cosmetically alter their bodies. Potentially the only difference between them and me is a higher pain threshold and $10,000. (My attitude to money is in direct contrast to my skin elasticity – super tight.)

Instinctually I’ve known, however, without ever seeing it, that the recovery must be hideous. And now, Brooklyn based, South Korean artist, Ji Yeo has captured exactly that in her art project Beauty Recovery Room.

Through an incredible commitment to supporting these real life women, including making them soup, driving them to appointments, having them stay at her house, Ji was given permission to capture their private moments as they recover from plastic surgery.

She’s an artist, so I’m not going to reprint her images here without her permission. But they’re haunting, beautiful and challenging, and I REALLY want you to check them out.

Not surprisingly, some of the images are super confronting. But exactly what we should all see if we’re considering going under the knife. We’re so used to seeing the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots, but the ‘during’ shots are just as important to be fully educated.

Or for a real eye-opener, you could just watch this CUH-RAZY YouTube clip of the chick with her butt implant FLIPPING BACKWARDS. UNDERNEATH HER SKIN!!!

You might have already seen it, and apols for the caps, but seriously, that is all kinds of wrong. Foreign objects are not supposed to be able to move inside your body parts. That’s just standard, as far as I’m concerned.

I’m sure there’s no general warning when you have your first consultation in search for a booty like Beyonce, but really they should mention that you might end up with a terrifying inside-outy party trick.

For me, at this stage of my life, I’m settling for a really good push-up bra. It ticks the 3 boxes I apply to pretty much anything I need in life. Cheap, pain-free, and I can get it at Target. And the only warning I’d give is, make sure you hand wash. Those underwires can really cause some damage.