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Dear Annie,
What do I say to my friend who wants to get plastic surgery? My friend wants to get a BBL and I’m worried about her safety and self esteem. She is so beautiful and I don’t think she should go through with such an invasive surgery.
Help please,
BBL hater
Dear BBL hater,
We’ve all seen the girl whose butt juts out like a perfect, round peach. If your friend wants that spherical booty and understands the risks, getting a Brazilian butt lift, or BBL, is her prerogative. You can hate plastic surgery, but don’t judge your friend for it.
A BBL is a procedure in which the plastic surgeon extracts a patient’s available fat, usually from the stomach, and injects it into their backside to sculpt the roundest, perkiest and fullest butt possible. Many untrained, cheap surgeons have performed botched BBLs, leading to deadly results. After the surgery, you can’t put pressure on your backside for weeks, meaning you might have to sleep on your stomach and avoid sitting directly on your rear end.
You’re right — your friend probably shouldn’t go through with a BBL. A BBL is an invasive, elective surgery with a long recovery — and especially dangerous if you get the procedure from a “chop shop” to save money on the multi-thousand dollar operation. But if she wants control over her appearance and accepts the dangers, it’s your job as a friend to provide support. If you are already worried about her self-esteem, criticizing her desire for a BBL is only going to make her feel worse.
When talking to your friend about her desire for a BBL, focus on offering her a nonjudgemental, listening ear. There’s a lot of social stigma surrounding plastic surgery, so people like to keep the decision private lest they face society’s judgment. Any plastic surgeon will say “good plastic surgery is invisible.” If she’s talking to you about it, she trusts you.
You can tell her she’s beautiful, but don’t overdo it by implying she’s too beautiful for plastic surgery. Beautiful women get plastic surgery all the time. You should still tell her she’s stunning, but don’t expect it to change her decision, even if you might disagree with her.
Some people want their body to look a certain way. And if it makes them feel better about themselves, why shouldn’t they do it? In an interview on “Call Her Daddy,” actress Megan Fox discussed her lifelong struggle with body dysmorphia, divulging the plastic surgery procedures she’s received. She claims she’s wanted huge boobs since she was 3. When she got the money, she got a boob job. While getting bigger boobs may not have cured her body dysmorphia, it made her feel a little better because she had something she wanted.
Many people consider getting plastic surgery at least once in their life, whether it’s a nose job, a boob job or a minor procedure like lip filler. Many don’t extend their desire beyond a Google search after seeing the price tag and recovery process. But a lot of people go through with surgery. If you are going to face social judgment for not having perfect features or for doing something about it, you have to pick your poison. You wouldn’t want your friend to judge you for not having the perfect body, so don’t judge her for making decisions about her own butt.
Injecting understanding,
Annie
