27 Oct 2011
By: NG WAN CHING
In the pursuit of perfection, people, notably some models, have starved themselves to death.
Eating disorders are becoming increasingly common here and Singapore General Hospital records an average of 120 new cases each year.
Increasing numbers of others have gone under the knife, a few with unfortunate consequences.
Such statistics tell us that the desire for perfection continues to drive us.
Cryolipolysis, or freezing fat to death and becoming slimmer as a result, sounds like progress and is non-invasive to boot.
If you have the money (quite a lot of it), it could be a neat little ego booster.
This is just the latest in a long line of procedures and machines dreamed up to help keep people looking their best.
The aesthetic industry is estimated to be worth at least $200 million a year and it is still growing.
In itself, there seems nothing wrong with wanting to get rid of a little bit of stubborn fat.
But when we obsess over the way we look, who knows where it may lead?
Why are so many willing to part with hard-earned money to get there?
Political sociologist John Conway wrote, “in a word, it is about commodification”.
More of us are willingly turning our bodies into commodities in order to make a better presentation of ourselves in the marketplace.
Dorian Gray, the protagonist from Oscar Wilde’s novel, who sold his soul to remain forever young, would not have felt out of place in this brave new world.
Is it worth it?
Email: wanching@sph.com.sg
Click for pdf format
« Back to previous
page
back to top