Adjusting our Looks: from braces to padded bras to cosmetic surgery....where do we draw the line?

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What are everyone’s thoughts on the morality of re-designing our bodies through various techniques?

Is it wrong to disdain breast augmentation, yet wear a padded bra? :confused:

What about braces? This is not a simple endeavor–it takes years of adjustments, some degree of discomfort, not to mention the financial commitment–and usually it’s for cosmetic rather than because of a true anatomic deformity.

And makeup? Isn’t it really adjusting the physiognomy we’ve been given by God?

My feeling is that most people in these forums would say that braces, using padded bras, makeup are morally fine, but that cosmetic surgery is stepping over the line.

My question: why? Why is it ok to alter one’s body up to a cerain point?
 
PRmerger said:
What are everyone’s thoughts on the morality of re-designing our bodies through various techniques?

Is it wrong to disdain breast augmentation, yet wear a padded bra? :confused:

What about braces? This is not a simple endeavor–it takes years of adjustments, some degree of discomfort, not to mention the financial commitment–and usually it’s for cosmetic rather than because of a true anatomic deformity.

And makeup? Isn’t it really adjusting the physiognomy we’ve been given by God?

My feeling is that most people in these forums would say that braces, using padded bras, makeup are morally fine, but that cosmetic surgery is stepping over the line.

My question: why? Why is it ok to alter one’s body up to a cerain point?
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HMMMM --I have done a few of those things you have mentioned. I am not sorry I did them because it did make me feel better and gave me more confidence.

I honestly think it depends on why you do them. If I had plastic surgery so every guy would look at me and think Im sexy–well then that is wrong.

On the flip-side I guess you could look at it as telling God you dont like what He made:( Trust me I have thought of this.

I know my church doesnt really agree with plastic surgery but the rest of the stuff is probably considered ok.

There was a discussion on this in Sunday school once a while ago and a woman made a good comment.

She said the decision is between that person and God. And that it is far worse to judge that person.😉

Another older woman said she thinks of wearing make- up like painting an old barn.😃

Ultimately, I think it has to be a personal decision between that person and God and let them hash it out.👍 I think I just outed myself:o
 
I think there’s a question of moderation. We all want to look attractive. We choose clothes in a color and style that’s flattering. We choose hairstyles that look good on us and may wear makeup to enhance our looks. I don’t see a problem with any of this. And I don’t think it’s a problem if it extends to cosmetic surgery. I think all of this can be done in moderation.

However, we’ve all seen celebrities who have had so many procedures done that they no longer look normal. They’re clearly at the other end of the spectrum where it becomes an obsession to keep changing their looks.

I think the person who wants to look a little more attractive and thinks that a new nose or fuller lips will do it is probably OK. I think the person who is absolutely determined not to age or who is unsatisfied with their looks no matter what probably has a problem, either spiritual or psychological.
 
Braces are not only for appearances. When teeth are not straight, they is a greater likelihood of food particles getting trapped causing decay, even with proper brushing and flossing, this is still a possibility.

Padded bra’s if worn Only to enhance your sweater may be wrong, but for some women who have tender breasts, the extra padding that is provided adds comfort.

Like so many “enhancements”, it would depend on the reasons why people choose to change/add/subtract from their appearance.
 
love4mary said:
Like so many “enhancements”, it would depend on the reasons why people choose to change/add/subtract from their appearance.
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What about a guy having hair implants?

Many men facing hair loss, especially younger men, face a loss of self confidence and self esteem. So would there be anything wrong with wearing a toupee or having implants to help prevent too much of a loss in self value?

Certainly it is cosmetic, but the fact remains that society places some value on looks and people can be mean. Women, simply fixing their hair and wearing make-up are enhancing their looks, probably as much for themselves as for others.

Personally I see nothing wrong with any of these things with the presumption that one is not doing it to flaunt themselves aggressively to others (as a stripper would do with breast implants . . . but its likely she would not be a practicing Catholic!)
 
We only lose self-esteem when we are focused exclusivley how we look for others that have set this standard. I submit it is an unnatural standard we have allowed ourselves to fall to.
 
Personally, I think there’s a difference between enhancement (makeup, special bras, good hair styles, jeans that make your butt look smaller) and causing a permanent, physical change in your body it did not recieve naturally.

I mean, personally, I’m the kind of girl that puts on makeup in the morning even when I’m just doing housework and never leaves the house without it on. However, I would NEVER consider plastic surgery to change my features. I use makeup, hair styles, flattering clothes to work with what God gave me, instead of changing His work with surgery. My two pennies. 🙂
 
RenaissanceMare said:
Personally, I think there’s a difference between enhancement (makeup, special bras, good hair styles, jeans that make your butt look smaller) and causing a permanent, physical change in your body it did not recieve naturally.

I mean, personally, I’m the kind of girl that puts on makeup in the morning even when I’m just doing housework and never leaves the house without it on. However, I would NEVER consider plastic surgery to change my features. I use makeup, hair styles, flattering clothes to work with what God gave me, instead of changing His work with surgery. My two pennies. 🙂
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So what do you think about braces? That is a permanent physical change to your body, that is, physically altering what God has given you.
 
PRmerger said:
My question: why? Why is it ok to alter one’s body up to a certain point?
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As we all know, our society places an inordinate amount of emphasis upon looks. I am no fan of cosmetic surgery for non-reconstructive purposes, but if someone feels that they need to “have some work done,” who am I to judge them? If it crosses the line into vanity, that’s between them and God, it’s not my business. A well-groomed appearance can make a person more attractive on a number of levels, and this can enhance our witness for Christ. But good grooming does not have to include invasive procedures. Someone who is always going under the knife to fix their perceived flaws has deeper issues to deal with.

My #1 peeve is when I see women getting boob jobs in order to please their husbands. “I love you, baby, but I’d love you more with bigger ones.” How insulting, when you think about it! A former coworker of mine did just that, and then her now-ex-husband wanted her to wear immodest clothes and parade herself around so everyone could see what a “hot” wife he had. That was degrading and disgusting. :mad: He was controlling and abusive in other ways, and she finally left him…and regretted having had that surgery!

I consider myself blessed to be contented with the features that God gave me, despite the effects of 50+ years’ wear and tear. I have no plans to surgically alter anything. But I’m the low-maintenance type – minimal makeup, sensible and comfortable clothes, naturally-graying hair. Vanity is not among my top 10 personal sins, but I have other, far worse sins which I wish could be surgically removed!
 
Braces – For me personally, I would say it was medically necessary. Trust me, you don’t want to know the dental details.

Padded Bra – Have never worn one and do not plan to. I would however understand it if someone had surgery due to breast cancer.

Make-up – As a rule I don’t like it and have only rarely worn it, and then it was mostly for Halloween or attending Star Trek Conventions or exhibits as a Vulcan, Borg, or Andorian. For my own everyday comfort level, I feel that my own face is good enough, I’m content with it. I HAVE worn lipstick when going on job interviews, having observed that people judge your fitness for employment even on things like whether you accept their offer of coffee. One Halloween when I dressed as an Egyptian, I discovered that I actually like purple eye shadow, however, I also discovered that placing chemical powders around my eyes is not a good idea in my case, so I once ended up being a bridesmaid who refused for medical reasons to wear the eye makeup that all the others wore. (The bride wanted us all to have on the same eye shadow. I was a bridesmaid with absolutely no makeup.)

As for cosmetic surgery, my philosophy is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

~~ the phoenix
 
Braces can be for valid reasons besides looks. It can be for mouth conditions and speech improvement.
 
Padded bras are wonderful. They are so modest (you know, in cold weather) and eliminate various discomforts. I do not wear them for looks. I wish I’d tried them when I was younger. I only bought one because I desperately needed a new bra and it was the only one I could find that fit one evening. Now I love them.

Not dressing according to society’s standards is a severe handicap in many work environments. You have to look right or they are going to pass you over. I don’t blame someone for trying to pass muster.
 
To the OP are you saying that you’d rather look at women without padded bras on in the winter? I am not sure what you mean by padded as most bras are lined with some padding.
 
maria29 said:
To the OP are you saying that you’d rather look at women without padded bras on in the winter? I am not sure what you mean by padded as most bras are lined with some padding.
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I am talking about bras that enhance your figure. (That is, bras that make your boobs look bigger! :blushing: )

How could a woman disparage another woman for getting a breast augmentation, yet not see the hypocricy when she herself is wearing a padded bra, or dyes her hair, or high heels…all those things are not her “true” self.
 
I would also take issue w/ the idea of classifying braces as ‘cosmetic’ rather than due to anatomic deformity. Sure there are degrees–but I don’t think people would subject themselves to that w/o good cause. And lowering the risk of decay (trust me, when your teeth overlap, flossing just isn’t going to be effective) is a good cause.

In my case, I had braces as I had inherited my dad’s tooth size and my mom’s jaw size. I’ve had four teeth + all four wisdom teeth removed, and no one can tell that there are teeth ‘missing’ except for my dentist who has to track which teeth are actually present and what their condition is.

My oldest son has no permanent teeth for the two lower center teeth–we’re going to do braces–remove those two baby teeth and pull everything forward to close the gap–this will reduce his risk of needing a partial denture or other such work in the future, and I think it’s worth it.

Middle son–we’re hoping we can avoid it–but his two front center teeth are so wide-spread pointed away from each other (in his words, the teeth ‘hate each other’) that the dentist says that statistically they’re unlikely to close the gap naturally, and they’re impeding the eruption of the adjacent permanent teeth as-is.

There are a lot of things going on in the mouth that can have overall health improvements due to braces that don’t involve ‘anatomical deformities’ to the point that children run in terror and others avert their eyes.

Cosmetic surgery may seem over the top, but then again, there may be real medical issues that those other than the individual, maybe very close family, and the medical people are unaware of. Vanity is an issue, but not all ‘cosmetic surgery’ is due to vanity.
 
PRmerger said:
I am talking about bras that enhance your figure. (That is, bras that make your boobs look bigger! :blushing: )

How could a woman disparage another woman for getting a breast augmentation, yet not see the hypocricy when she herself is wearing a padded bra, or dyes her hair, or high heels…all those things are not her “true” self.
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Again, there is a difference between “enhancing” what God has given you and ALTERING what God has given you. In the first case, you are accentuating something that is naturally yours. With padded bras, or miracle bras, or lifting bras, women fit their clothes better and get greater support for their breasts, which are prone to the effects of gravity!
In the second case, you are telling God you don’t like how he made you. Or you reject the natural process of aging. Or you want to be sexually alluring to men. Or you have attached way too much importance on the physical and material aspects of your person. Or you are vain, or in competition with other women.

There are glaring differences between the particular alterations you have mentioned. A teenager with braces is not having their teeth fixed for the same reason that a 26 year old woman is having her breasts augmented 3 times their normal size.
 
ALLFORHIM said:
HMMMM --I have done a few of those things you have mentioned. I am not sorry I did them because it did make me feel better and gave me more confidence.

I honestly think it depends on why you do them. If I had plastic surgery so every guy would look at me and think Im sexy–well then that is wrong.

On the flip-side I guess you could look at it as telling God you dont like what He made:( Trust me I have thought of this.

I know my church doesnt really agree with plastic surgery but the rest of the stuff is probably considered ok.

There was a discussion on this in Sunday school once a while ago and a woman made a good comment.

She said the decision is between that person and God. And that it is far worse to judge that person.😉

Another older woman said she thinks of wearing make- up like painting an old barn.😃

Ultimately, I think it has to be a personal decision between that person and God and let them hash it out.👍 I think I just outed myself:o
Click to expand...
You are wise in this matter. 👍
 
Orthodontics can be a “two way street”…

On one side it is a valid procedure to align teeth for proper bite, speech, and long-term care. The other would be if someone had “good” teeth, and just wanted them perfectly aligned.

What about “Lasik”…?

My wife had 20/300 (yes YIKES) vision. Absolutely had to wear 1/2" thick glasses or contacts to even function… literally anything 6" or more away from her nose was a blob.

She had the procedure done at 35yrs old. After 30 years of corrective lenses, in 45 minutes she walked out and was reading street signs 3 blocks away! I don’t consider this indulgent, I think this was true “Quality of Life” improvement.
(My DD inherited the DW’s eyesight - at 18, or when the doc’s say her eyes are stable I’ll pay for the procedure for her too!)
 
Hmmmm, let’s see…I dye my hair. I also blow dry and curl my hair. I wear makeup. I buy clothes that fit well and which I like the way they look. I wear heels. I even have a pair that are 3 1/2" high, which I love. I love a spa day – manicure and pedicure, etc. I can’t see where there is anything wrong with any of that. I don’t hate the way I look without these things, just I happen to care how I look, and enjoy these things.

I think you could also ask yourself where we draw the line in the other direction. Should we not cut our hair or shave? Should we all wear the same thing?

I don’t know. It seems kind of silly to worry about it. I don’t spend too much time worrying about what I am going to wear, and as far as my morning routine goes, I can shower, dress, do my hair and make up, get four kids up dressed, fed, lunches made, etc. in 45 minutes. So, I don’t really see it as something that is causing me to lose focus on more important things. Honestly, I almost wonder if spending too much time worrying about such trvialities, is what is really wrong.
 
We are to make the best with what we’ve got but not to change what we’ve got – there in lies the difference.
 
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