this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2024
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Plastic surgery.
What are you saying, that plastic surgery is gender affirming care, because it is in most cases. Exemptions would be things like a rhinoplasty for breathing impairments, but if done for looks it would fall under gender affirming care.
Where's the line between vanity and "self-affirmation"? Not a leading question.
Gender is defined by a cultural perception, so all attractiveness would be encompassed within the cultural perception. So a lady who gets her breasts augmented wouldn't essentially matter whether it is to self affirm or vanity or to attract others, it would all just fall into what culture taught that person was appealing.
I'm sure there are many that would pick my wording apart or disagree, but maybe that answers some of your question? Self affirmation and vanity I would say are not mutually exclusive though, there is overlap.
Vanity is making sure others like what they see of you; self-affirmation is making sure you like what you see of you.
I'm not sure that's accurate.
Then correct it.
Probably right around the line between self- confidence and self-worth. They're very similar, but having low self-confidence affects you in different ways than having low self-worth.
It's helpful to think about opposites when considering differences, at least for me. The contrast in the concepts of the opposite of vanity and the opposite of self-affirmation make clear that there's at least some kind of distinction and difference in purpose, even if it's not totally clear.
Breast augmentation is vanity.
Breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is self-affirmation.
What's the line between society and the individual? That's the core question here
If you can answer that I can probably give you a hint, but it's a concept that can't be taught, only learned. And it's an important one, worth thinking over... It's subjective, but key to understanding your own existence
Plastic surgery started as reconstructive surgery after accidents/invasive surgeries like mastectomies. Breast reconstruction and augmentation would both really fall under gender affirming care, although the former would be for losing something about themselves that was part of their gender and the latter for trying to fit social expectations.
Cranial reconstruction and other gender neutral plastic surgeries exist too.
Social expectations is gender though. What is a gender neutral plastic surgery? If you are doing a smaller nose for a woman or a larger nose for a man it isnt neutral.
Reconstructive surgery is a subset of plastic surgery separate from cosmetic surgery.
Reconstructive surgery includes fixing a cleft lip. Repairing a half destroyed face after an accident. Removing extensive scarring that is causing pain because it isn't as flexible as non-scarred skin. There are TONS of gender neutral reconstructive surgeries.
Reconstructive surgery is performed to construct a person's look to fit what is socially wanted, which coincidentally is a part of gender. If it is not needed to breath, it is about attractiveness, which is a social construct separated in categories of gender. Which is why gender "norms" are often considered toxic and don't need to exist. If it is relieving pain or assisting with ones ability to breath/ eat, I would say it isn't gender affirming.
You say there are tons of gender neutral constructive surgeries/alterations,what would they be? One might be considered to be Botox, because it is used by both genders, but where/why it is used is different based on cultural perception of gender, aka gender affirming.
Long story short, gender is a social construct, if you are doing something to fit in with a society, it will likely fall there.
Maybe try reading the words I wrote or the links I provided.
I did. Your link is just one, and starts with "Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance" meaning it is a cultural perception of normal. As for medical necessity that was in my first comment where I discussed breathing in an example of a rhinoplasty (the only example mentioned by either of us). So you supported what I was saying but are acting like you are refuting it. It's fine that we will disagree.