is a tattoo is any different to dying our hair or getting new breasts?

is a tattoo is any different to dying our hair or getting new breasts?

Is it just me or does everyone wonder if a tattoo is any different to dying our hair or getting new breasts?

There has been a lot of talk about body modification in the past couple of weeks, mainly due to those crazy kids on Married at First Sight. But it’s not just that show, if you turn on the TV these days you are unlikely to see a woman with the lips, breasts, hair, teeth or frown lines God gave her.

In the real world I don’t know many people who have indulged in that sort of modification but we know it won’t be long. The Kardashians are the new normal.
Modern-day plastic surgery came about in the early 20th century to treat war injuries. For the first time in history, soldiers were actually surviving their battle wounds and as they returned to civilian life, plastic surgery was something “that could restore function and aesthetics.” It became a special form of rehabilitation, helping people to get on with their lives after the trauma and sacrifice of war. And maybe it’s not that different today. Some people feel they need help to live the lives they have envisaged for themselves.

I am certainly not immune. I’ve had botox, I dye my hair and I think there is a plaque with my name on it at the fake tan factory. If I can be bothered I wear a push up bra and my middle name is Nancy Gantz. So am I any different to Martha from MAFS? Or someone with a tattoo sleeve or eye brow ring for that matter? All body modifications to make us feel better.

I will always believe injecting stuff into our faces doesn’t come from exactly the same place as putting on lipstick but times change, we are all more image conscious than we used to be and if changing your body makes you feel good you should go for it.
Just make sure it feels like an extension of who you are and not who you think society wants you to be. I love my new tattooed eyebrows, but my small boobs are part of who I am and I wouldn’t want to change.

I am not really mulling this over for myself, by the way, but for my daughters. They are 22 and 24 and perfect in every way. But will they eventually succumb to cosmetic surgery? Not because they are vain, but simply because every other woman is?
Whatever they decide, or what society tells them, I only hope one thing. That none of us ever loses sight of what true beauty really is.
A clean face with a big smile. Freckles from the sun and a round belly from too much good food. Smile lines, kissable lips and hair that smells like shampoo.

Caroline xx