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« Sonia Sotomayor: 'I Feel Your Pain' | Main | Up Takes Disney Higher »

June 2, 2009

Is it a Sin to Nip and Tuck?

Cosmetic surgery may be one more manifestation of Paul's warning about self-improvement.

Christine A. Scheller

"Beauty often wins love. It just does," write Karen Lee-Thorp and Cynthia Hicks in Why Beauty Matters. No wonder women and, increasingly, men are willing to endure the pain and risk of elective cosmetic surgery to attain it. New York Times reporter Alex Kaczynski states it bluntly in her cosmetic surgery expose, Beauty Junkies. "In the end it all comes down to sex. . . . We are looking for love. And we will accept lust."

Few admit this with the aplomb of Cena Rasmussen, a former model who readily confesses that her cosmetic surgery addiction was fueled by the bliss of turning heads. By her own admission, Rasmussen has spent years looking in the mirror. Aesthetic surgery was a biannual ritual that continued for two decades. There were rhinoplasties, breast surgeries, lifts — eyes, face, neck — and non-surgical procedures as well.

Although she had medical complications along the way, her regimen ended with a hyalauronic acid peel in 1999 that burned the skin on her face so badly, it left her looking like a "freak of nature," she says. Since then, Rasmussen has had nothing but $4,000 worth of laser treatments to reduce the scarring. Still, she remains undaunted and is planning another facelift — her third, or is it the fourth? She can't recall.

Rasmussen may represent an extreme in the use of cosmetic surgery, but the trend saw no signs of slowing until the economic crisis. In 2006, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that Americans spent just under $12.2 billion on 11.5 million surgical and non-surgical procedures. That's a 446 percent increase from 1997. Surgical procedures increased by 98 percent, and nonsurgical procedures by 747 percent. Liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), and breast reduction were the top surgical procedures that year, while Botox injections, hyalauronic acid, laser hair removal, microderm-abrasion (skin peel), and laser skin resurfacing were the most popular non-surgical techniques.

So is it a sin to get a nip and tuck? It depends on whom you ask.

Lilian Calles Barger, author of Eve's Revenge, says the choice to have cosmetic surgery is not a free one. "If you tell me, 'my mother had cosmetic surgery. She's a very independent woman. She really loves God and she wants to do this, and this is her choice,' I say, 'This is not a free choice. This choice is under duress.'

"The body is not just a hunk of meat," Barger insists. "The Bible talks about how we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. The question is, what are we offering our bodies up to when we do that?" She concludes that we're offering them up to "false beauty and to cultural norms that we should be challenging," but adds, "so that is where you can be compassionate, because you can understand that sin is not the sinner by themselves. It is collaborative, communal, reinforced. We support each other in this."

Barger's claim was born out in interviews I conducted with several cosmetic surgery patients, all of whom made their decisions within the context of relationships both personal and professional.

"I don't think [cosmetic surgery] is a spiritual issue in any way," says Rasmussen. "I personally believe that when we die, we're going to have a glorified body that's not going to be physical in any way. So what does the Lord care what we do to our skin?" Rasmussen explains that she both saved for her procedures and tithed faithfully throughout the exercise of her habit.

A middle-aged patient who asked not to be named has had eyelid surgery, a chin implant, a mini-facelift, and Botox. She says that as she struggled with the idea of tampering with the body God gave her, she sensed him saying, "My beloved, you're beautiful. You don't need to do this." She doesn't believe, however, that tuning out the voice of God was sin. What matters, according to this patient, is "where your heart is."

Cissy Brady-Rogers is a therapist who has had a mastectomy, but no reconstruction after breast cancer years ago. She says that our culture "sets women up to feel shame about our bodies." Body shame originates at home where children are not taught what to do with developing bodies and sexual impulses. It is then reinforced in school and through the larger culture. This coincides with what she calls "disembodiment," the phenomenon by which a subject looks into the mirror and sees that he or she does not measure up to cultural ideals and then comes to view their body as an object in need of repair.

Brady-Rogers holds a Master of Divinity along with her counseling credentials. She says patient/consumers are trying to figure out how to save themselves, just like the Galatians were, and, in the process, are biting and devouring one another by increasing the social pressure on all of us to conform to false ideals. "There is always going to be some law, some culturally offered avenue to save ourselves, to make ourselves okay, to fix what's not working," she says. What Paul said is that it's not going to work. Christ is the only one who can save us. "We are free to have plastic surgery. There is not a biblical law that says, 'Thou shalt not have plastic surgery or drive a BMW,' but what Scripture says is: do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love serve one another."

For a woman contemplating aesthetic surgery, she advises, "I would like her to have a group of soul sisters who could support one another in becoming who they are in Christ, and support her in a process of discernment about that decision, not as a solo journey. That may be part of the problem; too many women are making these decisions in isolation from other women."

Comments

I see cosmetic surgery like I see fashion in general. Most people would say there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. Why else would we dress in nice clothes, spray ourselves with fragrances, etc.? None of these things are necessary or even beneficial except on a superficial level, but is it wrong or unhealthy? Depends on the degree of the vanity. Same with cosmetic surgery. Appearance does matter. Even among Christians.

As with almost anything, I think it depends on the motivation for the action to figure out whether it is a sin. Cosmetic surgery based on vanity or pride is obviously out, but there are a lot of reasons besides those which might happen. Reconstructive surgery after an accident or to repair a birth defect, implants after a mastectomy, or any number of other things. Our culture doesn't help in all this, as it (WE) push for the ideal feminine body and face, and punish us with shame if we don't measure up. Our culture is almost entirely dysfunctional in this area; it's up to us to use discernment. Anything which becomes more important than God is sin... and that could include both cosmetic surgery or your morning latte.

I also think it depends on the motivation. Only God can see into a person's heart,so it's best not to pass judgment when it comes to an issue that is not explicitly addressed in His Word. A friend of mine (who is far from vain) confided that once she starts to show signs of aging, she wouldn't rule out minor plastic surgery that would enable her to compete in the job market in a society where age discrimination is all too common. This is very different from women who have multiple plastic surgeries because they are obsessed with physical perfection. I do think that our culture objectifies women, and it's sad that so many women perpetuate this trend. But I wouldn't go as far as calling it sin. Christians are too quick to condemn.

Christine, so glad you got a chance to share this material! Great article.

I can understand why women would have surgery, especially as, at 57, the mirror increasingly shows my mother looking back at me. However, just because everyone does it, doesn't mean it's right.

Apart from the fact that people who have had surgery often end up looking slightly odd, or even worse, plastic, it also indicates insecurity of the heart. Christians suffer from all sorts of problems that everyone else has, but the one thing that is different with us is that we are in relationship with One who loves us perfectly, just as we are.

I always feel really sad when I see a sister who is caught up in the quest for eternal youth rather than eternity. I want to look good, I keep my weight down and wear make up and have my hair done.. but I"ve earned these laugh lines.

The other thing is that looking great doesn't equate with staying young. Marlene Deitrich once said 'a good beautician can take 20 years off your age, but you can't fool a long flight of stairs'. You've got to be on the wrong side of 40 to understand the truth of that.

Thank you for highlighting this issue.
I'm especially interested in such topic.

3 agreements with the article:

1) The culture of indulging in false beauty is communal.

2) Decision to go for cosmetic surgery is made under duress.

3) "...do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love serve one another.â€

3 critics on the agreeable points:

1) Is there such a clean-cut to differentiate between 'real' and 'false' beauty? Beauty can extend simply from our clothes, our behaviour, to extremes like cosmetic surgery. So before we declare what constitute 'false' beauty, we need to be clear of that.

2) All decision that we made are influence in one way or another by our surrounding and experiences. Hence, all decision are made under duress. The issue is not even the degree of duress but by which duress are we being influenced under.

3) Not sure if self-indulgence can be so uncritically defined and applied in cosmetic surgery. Isn't afraid of hell in the after-life a type of self-indulgence? Perhaps, I'm extending the meaning of the term used by the author of the article. If no, then again, I have to ask where to draw the line between self-indulgence from self-preservation (in this case, socially and culturally)?

My 2 other responses:

1) So far the author did not highlight cases where the patients' features are severely disfigured (like those who has nose cancer). For these patients, in order for them to lead a normal life back into the society, reconstruction surgery is needed (unless the author distinguish between 'reconstruction' from 'cosmetic' surgery. If this is the case, again I'm required to ask where to draw the line?).

2) So far the author didn't demonstrate any theological response to the issue. What she did is just pick out some verses and apply it to the issue. I'm not against this practice but such practice is often uncritical and premature when it comes to contemporary issues.

Thank you for highlighting this topic. I'm especially interested in these sort of issues.

3 agreements with the article:

1) The culture of indulging in false beauty is communal.

2) Decision to go for cosmetic surgery is made under duress.

3) "...do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love serve one another.â€

3 critics on the agreeable points:

My 2 other responses:

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. This post was redeemed from an article I worked on in 2007 that never made it to print. The original article is much longer and included some pushback from two cosmetic surgeons, a theologian and a bioethicist. I've just posted it on my blog, Exploring Intersections if you'd like to read it.

The books mentioned in this post are all excellent. I'd especially advise anyone who is considering elective cosmetic surgery to read Kaczynski's book first. Be an informed consumer!

I think it's condemning of our culture that we're even having this conversation.

Reconstructive surgery is one thing, but nip-tuck-look-good surgery is another. How is it not an affront to a loving Creator to take what He's made and change it? Your eyes, your nose, your lips - are formed just like He wants them to be.

It's nice to say that it's a matter of the heart, but doesn't is clearly communicate one's heart? Jesus said that where your treasure is, there your heart will be. If we're investing money in our vanity, that's where our heart is.

And what about finances? For $38/month through Compassion you can give a child a new life. $10 pays for a mosquito net for a family at risk of malaria every night. There are so many suffering and in need, and we spend thousands on trying to look good for a few more years.

Who is our first love? Who is our provider? Us or Him?

Kate,

You make a good point about stewardship. However, if we really want to grapple with that issue, we need to deal with the fact that the percentage of resources spent on elective cosmetic surgery is miniscule compared to what we Americans spend on heroic measures in the last six months of life.

Finding the line between what is redemptive and what is indulgent is much more challenging than it appears at first glance. Read the full article for a taste of that discussion.

I thank God that he brought me together with a man (my husband) who sees the beauty that God has created in me, both inside and out, no matter how it has changed over the years. I thank God that he has brought me to a place where I am accepting, content, even confident in who I am, including my appearance.

I don't know about plastic surgery being a sin. I would be hesitant to say that. What about someone who was disfigured in a fire or accident? What about a child with a correctable (but not health-affecting) birth defect? I would take it on a case-by-case basis and be sure to understand the motives and circumstances before counseling anyone.

A petite, physically fit woman with unusually large breasts gets them reduced because they're causing her intense back pain. She can't even lift her toddler because of all the strain they put on her back.

Is her breast reduction a sin?

A friend of mine used an allergy-fighting nasal spray, and it ate away tissue in his nose, causing it to collapse. When his nose collapsed, he had trouble sleeping because his breathing was impaired. He had surgery to repair the nose, and now had a "normal" face - and more importantly, he can sleep at night.

Was his facial surgery a sin?

It is quite obvious that nowhere in the Bible do we read "thou shalt not have a tummy tuck"! However, while there are no specific scriptural prohibitions on cosmetic surgery as a "beauty" aid there are principles by which we can be guided.

Obviously some plastic surgery is in order medically. Patients disfigured by traffic accidents, severe burns, etc. are often given certain surgery routinely. Surgery that reduces or eliminates the prospect of a person looking grotesque or deformed is universally accepted as proper.

The same does not apply to cosmetic surgery which, more often than not, is rooted in vanity, cultural acceptability and unscriptural notions of "beauty". This is where scriptural principles should inform us.

In the Bible you will find at least the following principles:

1. True beauty is an inward thing, and has more to do with holiness and righteousness than physical "looks".

2. All persons are made in God's image and are inherently beautiful regardless of physical appearance.

3. Physical bodies are "temples" and their "adorning" should be primarily spiritual.

4. All physical bodies whether (from the perspective of others) "hideous" or "desirable" will be changed inevitably.

5. All physical "imperfections" are the result of the presence of sin in the world and can only be permanently "corrected" when mankind is finally removed from the presence of sin.

6. Believers in Christ are "not of this world" and therefore ought not to be governed by the world's standards of beauth and desirability.

Finally, (and I am taking this out of context), the Christian should not be too concerned about outward beauty, because while man looks on and sees only the outward appearance, we are reminded and encouraged that "God looks at the heart".

To a certain extent, this argument seems like a straw man. Of course Christians are against "vanity," and if cosmetic surgery represents vanity then we're against that, too.

After reading this article, I went to the only real scriptural reference, Galatians, and read what is there. It says many things that support the argument against cosmetic surgery, such as "live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." and "Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." If we assume that cosmetic surgery is an act of being conceited, for the purpose of gratifying a sinful nature (i.e. associated with immoral sexual desires), or the result of envying the good looks of others, then, yes, I would say this says we shouldn't pursue it.

But it also says, "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load." Another powerful reminder that we should help and counsel one another, but God is the only Judge, and if a person in his or her own heart can reconcile cosmetic surgery with a Love for God, then we should accept their decision with love and support.

But what I think is most significant is the discussion of circumcision. "they want you to be circumcised that you may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything what counts is a new creation." Because the flesh does not matter, what is done to it or not done to it is insignificant. What matters is redemption in the heart.

Let us remember that ostentatious forbearance of cosmetics, sackcloth, and other superficial "markers of holiness" can be just as much a sign of vanity as cosmetic surgery, a pretty dress, or mascara.

My apologies, the final quote from Galatians should read, "they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything what counts is a new creation." And while I'm at it, I should mention that the quotes are from the NIV.

A lot of nip & tuck falls under the category of medically necessary (or at least medically advantageous) - rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery, for example. I think the key here is to remember that the money we are spending is God's money and we are to be good stewards. Do we really need to drive a Rolls Royce when a Ford will get us where we need to go?

I have had plastic surgery twice to save my life. First a tummy tuck to close up my abdomen after extensive umbilical hernia repair because the lower abdominal skin was too stretched and fragile to put back together and have it stay closed. Second, breast reduction surgery since I have a genetic defect that allows my breasts to keep on growing bigger each year and by the time they reached my hips (I am 5'7" tall) I was unable to move freely during the day or even breathe properly at night. They removed a small bowling ball or a total of eight pounds of breast tissue and now I can move and breathe normally at all times.

What about dental procedures, such as braces? Those are common place and many (Christian)parents shell out $1000's of dollars as a matter of course. Therefore, who are we to judge someone for cosmetic surgery? Yes, it can be addictive as all things can but for some people it can be life changing.

I had a breast reduction as a young woman and it freed me from considerable back pain and allowed me to finally find clothes that fit. I was able to breast feed three children and am still quite large chested. However, I am able to long distance run and do physical fitness that used to be embarrassing and very uncomfortable. The surgery also helped me to cope with the emotional trauma I suffered from always having to deal with people commenting about my large chest. So, it is not an easy decision but we are not to judge.

This post is not about medically necessary cosmetic surgery. My sister was born without fingers and had cosmetic surgery to create them. Obviously I am not opposed to surgery that is redemptive. This is something different than undergoing major surgery or other invasive procedures in order to conform to cultural beauty standards.

Sarah makes a good point about braces, which are usually not medically necessary. However, braces generally do not involve a lot of medical risk. A breast reduction to alleviate back pain is fundamentally different from a breast augmentation to enhance sexual attractiveness.

We must think these things through carefully.

I think braces is correcting a defect you were born with, so I would put that in a different category - along the lines of taking medicine for acne or removing a birthmark that stains half of your face, or even a cleft palate. I will admit, however, that I spend about $240 a year to make my hair a little less white and a little more salt-and-pepper. Christine above makes a couple of very good points.

I struggle with this issue also. As a Christian I do believe beauty is from the inside and we shouldn't be trying to draw lustful attention to our appearance. But as a 49-year-old single woman living in this culture, and desiring to be married, I know that the ageing and drooping skin on my face isn't going to attract what I desire. I, too, am attracted to physically attractive men. So it's unfair if I no longer fall into that catagory to expect them to continue to be attracted to me. It's hard to understand the way God expects us to live when looking for a loving relationships but also desiring the visual appeal and sexual attraction as well. What to do when age is causing that to disappear?

You are in exactly the situation that many who choose cosmetic surgery find themselves in. The middle-aged woman I quoted was mid-forties, divorced, worked in sales, wanted to remarry. Had surgery, did remarry and then after a few years started to sag and wrinkle again and was going back for more. So, I would ask, what kind of man does cosmetic surgery get you? And, what then does it take to keep him?

Better perhaps to find a man who sees the beauty not only on the inside, but in the wrinkles and sagging. That's a rare man, I'm sure, but worth the wait, IMHO.

Something went wrong there. The previous comment is my response to Rosa.

As I man, I hope to speak softly and sensitively.

First, I think it is necessary to establish a difference between plastic surgery for fashion sake and plastic surgery for medical reasons - breasts that are causing medical problems, facial restructuring, etc. I don't think that Christine intended to suggest that all plastic surgery was questionable. Rather only the latter form.

Second, the aspect of fashion or cultural conceptions of "beauty" are disturbing to me. God give us our bodies as they are. I think of two cultural expressions that are very unnerving for me. There has been a recent increase in black women getting nose reductions and Asian women having slits in their eyes - so they have a fold in their eyes, which makes their eyes larger. Both of these are efforts to meet a certain standard of beauty that is not normal in the genetics of theses women. Individually this is discouraging, but racially it is also discouraging.

I think the same thing can be said of other augmentations such as breasts. There is something dangerous in wanting to be something or someone physically that God did not create you as.

Much of this for me also comes down to cost. As I would struggle with someone purchasing expensive clothing, I struggle with any Christian purchasing modifications - which are by nature expensive. But augmenting one's body is different than purchasing clothing. God does not provide us with "natural clothing" but he does provide us with natural bodies.

I also want to voice that men struggle with body image issues as well. Though I don't believe it is to the same degree as with females, males struggle with having a perfect body like movie stars and/or athletes. For men it isn't often the desire to be "beautiful", but often the desire to be "athletic".

Plastic surgery - for men and women - is a symptom of our perverted views of beauty, attractiveness, sexiness etc. It seems to be a displeasure with our selves and a need to satisfy social desires. Furthermore, I don't disagree that it does - in the immediate - help some people feel accepted and more comfortable with their bodies, but I think that ultimately that disallows us to work/struggle through our issues and reconcile our views of self with being the creations of God.

Women, I do not speak for all men, but I personally apologize in the ways I - being in the socially privileged position as a man - upheld improper standards of beauty and have not fought against the reduction of women to physical appearance. We as men struggle to be good brothers.

Blackwasp 19,

Thank you for chiming in! You bring up excellent points. I agree with you that ethnic modifications are tragic. They indict all of us.

I had a full face/eye lift in 2006 and it took 20 years off my looks. I had been seriously ill for years with an undiagnosed rare disease (Cushing's) that caused me to gain over 100 pounds. I had no wrinkles (I always avoid the sun) but when I was cured of the horrible disease and lost weight, I had sagging, flabby skin on my face and neck. The cosmetic surgery was a celebration of my miraculous healing and recovery and in joyful gratitude from being pulled from the brink of death and despair. It rejuvenated me physcially, emotionally and spiritually. If I had not had the surgery, I would have had a constant physical reminder of the disease that nearly took my marriage, my life and my soul. I am 63, but looked 10 years older when I was ill, and now I look like I am in my early to mid-50s. After being so mysteriously and horribly ill for 10 years, the cosmetic surgery was a crucial part of my overall recovery. It cost nearly $13,000 and we are still paying for it, but it was worth every cent. If I could afford to have my whole body done over (loose jiggly skin from the weight loss) I would do that, too, for the same above reason. But my husband cares less about that than I do. Cosmetic surgery, if done for a good reason, for correction, etc., is hardly a sin, no more than coloring your hair or plucking your eyebrows.

I agree with idea to see cosmetic surgery like I see fashion in general. Most people would say there's nothing wrong with wishing to appear great. Why else would we clothe yourself in nice clothes, squirt ourselves with fragrances? None of those factors are essential as well as helpful other than on a superficial level, but can it be incorrect or harmful? Appearance does matter

I don't know you but my advice to you is wait until you might be at lest 20 before doing it.

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