To an extent, silver surgeries have been normalized by celebrities who openly talk about changing their aging bodies, like Sharon Osbourne
What would you do if you saw a 65-year-old woman walking down the street with perky, F-cup-sized breasts?
You'd probably do a double-take.
Well, that is exactly what Joan Lloyd wants. She is one of three women over the age of 50 the Daily Mail interviewed in piece about "silver surgeries" - the trend of boomers getting cosmetic surgery after they've squarely gone over the hill
Ms. Lloyd says she wanted to have her breasts augmented after her husband passed away because she needed the confidence to help her find love again. Why a F-cup, you ask? "I decided to get maximum impact, so I chose a F cup," she says in the article.
Ms. Lloyd is not alone out there in wanting to improve her look during her golden years. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says that in 2010, there was a 2-per-cent increase in the number of patients, both male and female, who were over 55 that had a cosmetic procedure.
In fact, according to a report in the Washington Post, men had 1.2 million cosmetic procedures in 2010. The same survey showed that most men are opting for face-lifts and liposuction.
Okay, so, body-image pressures are being applied to both male and female boomers. And to an extent, these kinds of silver surgeries have been normalized by celebrities who openly talk about changing their aging bodies, like Sharon Osbourne. Even celebrated old lady Betty White admitted to procedures back in the day.
But what is troubling is that most of the ordinary people interviewed are quick to say that they were unhappy with how they looked, so they changed it. Age had nothing to do with, they say.
Granted, everyone's physique has flaws. Nobody's body is perfect. But after 55-plus years living with your imperfect body, shouldn't you be able to accept it? Isn't adulthood suppose to help us understand the pressures that make us think our bodies are inferior, and help us resist them? Don't boomers know that no matter how much silicone or Botox you inject into your body, it's not the same as drinking the fountain of youth?
Ms. Lloyd insists that changing from an A-cup to a F-cup wasn't a desperate attempt to feel young again. But she was worried about what her kids would think.
"I was worried my children might be aghast," she writes. "But my daughters said: 'Go for it, Mum. You deserve it.' "
What would you do if your mom or dad decided to undergo a cosmetic surgery?
Madeleine White