The World's Strangest Plastic Surgery and Me

I recently watched a Channel 4 documentary titled The World's Strangest Plastic Surgery and Me, presented by Mark Dolan. In this program Mark meets a range of people from different backgrounds who have all undergone major plastic surgery to change their looks for one reason or another.

The first person we meet is "American Barbie doll" Jenny Lee, who has had a total of 44 procedures including rhinoplasty, breast augmentation and a scary sounding "full body lift". As the interview progresses it becomes clear Jenny is suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Mark finds out that her quest for perfection actually stems from a past abusive relationship. She claims "My goal has always been to find contentment," but even now she shows no signs of stopping. She has had so much surgery it is actually starting to affect her health, her nostril even collapsed during filming. The documentary also filmed Jenny getting botox injections which showed that disturbingly she actually really enjoyed getting these procedures done, it has basically become part of her life now, a part that she was not willing to give up anytime soon.

The next person Mark met was Angela Bismarchi, a porn star and model, who holds Brazil's record for the most plastic surgery. She has just undergone her 42^nd procedure to make her eyes appear more Japanese. (Why? I hear you say, well your guess is as good as mine.) She is currently married to her second husband, plastic surgeon Wagner, and as a wedding gift to him she underwent a procedure called hymenoplasty, which reattaches the hymen to give the impression of a virgin. Angela’s first husband was also a plastic surgeon who operated on her many times, but now Wagner is finishing off his work and has currently performed 10 procedures on Angela. She claims "I feel he has power over me, like he owns me," "I am his property."

The last person Mark meets is Denis Avner, aka the Stalking Cat, recognised by Guinness as "the world's most modified man". Denis has had many many procedures to turn himself into a cat including a cleft lip, pointed ears, extreme dental work and facial tattoos and implants. Again Mark finds out that Denis has had a troubled past and used to be abused by his stepfather as a child. He has also suffered from depression and has gone from being a Navy technician to working part-time as a home help for the elderly.

I found this program really interesting and slightly disturbing. It clearly shows that there is a relationship between bad pasts and experiences and wanting to take control of your life and create something perfect. I think this could be a key factor as to why so many people chose to have surgery to change their looks and bodies.