It is common knowledge that many movie actors get reshaping of their faces and bodies before their debut movie because of the fear of the gossip columnists and the paparazzi getting a whiff of it if they have it afterwards. But aesthetic surgery and non-surgical aesthetic procedures aren’t confined to ‘ati sundar’ models and actors anymore. They are also being lapped up by the female equivalents of Tom Dick and Harry. Tom Dick and Harry are getting interested too.
A few years ago, a holy man put me in ‘dharm sankat’ when he came to me for a facial aesthetic procedure. As soon as he observed the frowning on my face, he said, ‘Looks matter- even for us! I face the cameras on a daily basis. Everyone has to be in tune with the times!’
In the past, cosmetic surgery was hidden as masterfully as an extramarital affair. Nowadays, many people don’t hesitate to reveal that they have aren’t as pure as shudh desi ghee. In the future, contests could be held to select ‘Miss Natural Beauty’ at the national and international level. An MRI scan may be needed in such contests as a screening test to check for implants and fillers. In countries like Brazil, the craze for cosmetic surgery has led to high cost of bringing up the daughters because the girls get on with the cosmetic surgeries at a younger age. Of course, unlike Indian parents, they don’t have to arrange for multiple ceremonies at the time of their marriage.
The fragility of marriages and short expiry date of serious relationships means that many men and women have to look for partners even at a ripe age. Those who think that ‘looks don’t matter’ are surely living in Utopiana. Good looks do open doors, of all types- this isn’t my gut feeling but the conclusion of many studies. There is an interesting quote by John Kerr, ‘I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas?’ Of course, one shouldn’t judge anyone just by looks- every human being has got unique gifts from the almighty.
So, cosmetic surgery and anti-ageing treatments are here to stay. Nowadays I often tell the clients who are about to go for anti-ageing treatments, ‘You may buy a car of the old model but keep your own model as new as possible.’ Sometimes, the client asks me, ‘For how long. When will it all end.’ I have a standard reply to this- Continue till you remain excited about all this. This implies that they are likely to get the procedures till the age of around seventy years. But who knows if people will do dishoom with ageing till their nineties in the future. Many are going for multiple supplements, stem cells and what not. Cosmetic surgeons are coming up with newer and newer techniques to cater to the varied demands- the Brazilian Butt Lift is a case in point. Cosmetic surgery for pets may be round the corner. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. But some beauties make all the beholders fall in line!
Jas Kohli is a noted humour writer. He is the author of three bestselling humour novels, ‘Lights! Wedding! Ludhiana!’, ‘Lights! Scalpel! Romance!’, and ‘Anything to Look Hot’.