Plastic Surgery is NOT Entertainment

It’s no secret I’m not a fan of the reality TV show genre.

Oh, sure from time to time, I’ve caught a few episodes of the competition-type of show (Top Chef, America’s Got Talent, Last Comic Standing), and that’s usually because Rhonda has control of the TV.

I almost never voluntarily put on a reality show, though. I’d rather watch a scripted show with real actors. To me, most of the popular reality shows are just excuses for people to act badly in the hopes of getting bigger ratings, and really, is this the kind of society we really want to celebrate?

So all that said, while I tolerate the reality show genre as a whole, I am totally appalled at a new competition show airing on E! Television called, “Bridalplasty.”

The whole concept of this show is that they have 12 brides who’ve made a wishlist of cosmetic surgeries they’d like to have done before their wedding.

They then compete against each other in challenges related to weddings – cakes, flowers, etc. If they win a challenge, they get to pick one surgery off the list and have it done.

The final bride – the big “winner” – gets everything off her list done and a $100,000 wedding. The show is hosted by former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, who has had plastic surgery done on her own body.

Now, granted, some of the contestants have some legitimate reasons for wanting a particular surgery. A breast cancer survivor who had a mastectomy wants implants. Another lost 100 pounds and wants the extra saggy skin removed. But for the most part, it’s just wanting to conform to the ideal of being perfect.

In one of the clips I saw, the winner of one elimination challenge got to take a syringe upstairs to the doctor on hand and have any injectible procedure done (botox, etc).

To me, this show just trivializes how painful and even life threatening plastic surgery can be. It just glamorizes the world of plastic surgery without showing the risks and dangers. This isn’t like “Nip/Tuck” where it was all make-believe. This is real life, with real consequences.

And really, what is the entertainment value of watching 12 women, unhappy with their looks, compete for the chance to be transformed via plastic surgery? I mean we’ve obviously become a very voyeuristic society with top-rated shows like “Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives of …..” and all those “I’m going on TV to find my true love” type of shows (really, you can’t find someone in real life, so you have to go on TV with a bunch of strangers and make that life-long connection in a matter of weeks???). But I really think this show has crossed the line.

I haven’t seen the ratings on this show, but I’m hoping it gets canceled before the end of this first season. I’d really hate to think this is where we are headed as a society when we find this kind of show “entertaining.”

[Photo of Bridalplasty contestants and host Moakler courtesy of E!]

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About zengrrl

I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!