"Tell Me What You Don't Like About Yourself"

This catch phrase, is the opening line to the controversial TV drama "Nip/Tuck” that sums up the plastic surgery clinic’s attitude towards their patients. But according to EurekaAlert, UCLA scientists report in the October issue of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery that most women, and large numbers of men, are interested in having cosmetic surgery. I'm not sure just what that says about us as a society, or about our cravings to be 'enhanced', but I agree that the pressure is intense -- "Especially for women, there never seems to be a reprieve. Your appearance is judged to be an important part of who you are."

My alter ego, Halle, received this email/phone message from her friends in LA, as a part of publicity push for the opening premiere of Nip/Tuck Tuesday evening, presumably as a joke. Neither of us is sure whether to laugh or be insulted.

Admittedly, the images are alluring -- the mythic fallen angel with her wings clipped -- although it is not the most intellectually stimulating fare on cable (it is, like House M.D., an oh-so-bad-but-I-can't-look-away drama), I can tell you a lot of students are going to be doing pop culture analysis on the ethics of plastic surgery and enhancements. Oh well, it's one way to get them to think about the issues. [Hat tip to Jay Hughes for the EurekaAlert article.]