Legitimacy Of Having Jaw Surgery

[overbiter]

Does anyone else worry about whether it is really legitimate to change your appearance through surgery? I mean I read so many posts where people are either seeking to be better looking, or have become better looking after an operation, and no one ever ponders whether this isn't wrong somehow. By seeking to be better looking aren't we really just cheaters/fakers, taking something that isn't ours to take?

If someone is ugly before surgery, then good looking after, have they actually become a better version of themselves. Are they entitled to enjoy the benefits of this, or is it weird and creepy to do so? If someone was an incel loser before changing their face, are they just a creep for trying to 'fool' people? Do you think normal people would respect someone like that, or would they have to spend the rest of their life worrying about being exposed?

[sanddunes]

Even if your sole motivation for having jaw surgery was aesthetics (which is unlikely...most people who have skeletal issues bad enough to require surgery are suffering functional problems also), I still don't see anything "wrong" with wanting to improve your appearance. 

Women get breast implants all the time.  Is that wrong or immoral, are they cheating nature to make themselves more desirable?  I mean, who really cares or thinks about it?  Does any guy really care if his girlfriend has implants? 

I had jaw surgery and you can be sure I don't go around scared that my secret will be "exposed."  Give me a break.

Also, while jaw surgery can certainly improve certain facial deformities, jaw surgery in and of itself will not make somebody "ugly" magically "beautiful."

So the answer to your question is it is 100% legitimate to change your appearance through surgery.  It is your life, your body.  You can do whatever you want to, and anyone who has a problem with it can go screw themselves.

[jusken]

Yep, I'm with sanddunes on this one.

People have been trying to conceal weaknesses in their genetics since the beginning of time as far as I'm concerned.  Even something as natural as a beard can conceal a weak jawline. There is make-up to conceal skin issues.  Fashion does the same thing for certain figure related problems.

Surgery ultimately is a very medieval procedure - kind of a brute force makeup/concealer for certain jaw problems (or for titties, etc).  Imagine a day when, like in the movie Gattaca, we had the power to select the perfect offspring among the countless pairings between two parents.  To me it sounds great, yet I foresee a massive backlash against something like this. But, why would you choose to have your child suffer genetic disorders if you had the understanding and the choice?

[overbiter]

Yeah, I guess you guys are right that it is ok to have the surgery. I am having it done for medical reasons (sleep apnea), it's just that I'm fixated on getting a good aesthetic result as well. I feel a bit fraudulent for wanting a big improvement, but that is just a trait of my own negative personality. I'm not doing anybody down for getting this done, and I don't want to put anyone off either.

[Alue]

I don't know.  For me, I'm considering jaw surgery to undo some of the damage that was done with growth modification orthodontics.  I don't really have any functional issues, but aggressive orthodontics really did a number on my face when I was still growing.  To me it's not hiding a genetic defect, its more trying to get back to where I feel I should be.  I have never really identified with my face, and the more I look into it, the more I understand why.   

[QueenB]

Eh, high risk high reward. That's basically how I see it. Anyone willing to take the plunge deserves support and a good result.

[x]

Does anyone else worry about whether it is really legitimate to change your appearance through surgery? I mean I read so many posts where people are either seeking to be better looking, or have become better looking after an operation, and no one ever ponders whether this isn't wrong somehow. By seeking to be better looking aren't we really just cheaters/fakers, taking something that isn't ours to take?

If someone is ugly before surgery, then good looking after, have they actually become a better version of themselves. Are they entitled to enjoy the benefits of this, or is it weird and creepy to do so? If someone was an incel loser before changing their face, are they just a creep for trying to 'fool' people? Do you think normal people would respect someone like that, or would they have to spend the rest of their life worrying about being exposed?

I know what you mean, i made a similar thread without realizing this had been made

 but personally it's more of an internal crisis regarding the nature and identity of myself then it is about the ethics of fooling another person with your looks which doesn't bother me at all. Most people have no issues fooling you, and do so in various ways with makeup and stuff, so it's a bit unfair to hold yourself to some higher standard. Also if you realize the world is very much a shallow place and once again, you don't control the hand you were dealt, you should feel more liberated to not care what other people might think if your secret was exposed. If they're going to judge you on appearance, you have every right to change it to as you see fit if you feel it will change their perception of you

[Lazlo]

I know what you mean, i made a similar thread without realizing this had been made

 but personally it's more of an internal crisis regarding the nature and identity of myself then it is about the ethics of fooling another person with your looks which doesn't bother me at all. Most people have no issues fooling you, and do so in various ways with makeup and stuff, so it's a bit unfair to hold yourself to some higher standard. Also if you realize the world is very much a shallow place and once again, you don't control the hand you were dealt, you should feel more liberated to not care what other people might think if your secret was exposed. If they're going to judge you on appearance, you have every right to change it to as you see fit if you feel it will change their perception of you

i've never read this thread before, but you know what's funny? I was just at this cafe and this guy in his 20s came in and he was pretty good looking, great facial structure, hair, build everything and he knew it. But there was one wall which was a mirror and he went right up to it and started checking himself out and running his fingers through his hair and I was immediately like "what a f**king loser." I mean vanity in a man is so f**king unattractive it's ridiculous. I'm worried about not being ugly, but I would never preen or even take that kind of obsessive or luxuriate in how I looked. I mean I would find that kind of behaviour in a woman pretty lame as well, but in a guy it's straight up pathetic. And then of course when I heard him talk to the waitress, the guy also sounded like a complete moron and I could tell she was turned off. He had this really dolt-head sounding voice --it was deep but very gruff and uncouth and I realized that whatever it is that makes someone "attractive" definitely extends quite a bit beyond looks. That said, I'm sure there are equally moronic girls who would go for this guy, but they would all be people I would never even want to associate or hang out with. It's funny because I wondered if the guys on this forum would be considered "vain" and I don't think so.

As for this thread, I don't think there's anything wrong with addressing structural or aesthetic issues about your appearance, and besides, I don't think jaw surgery can make such a huge improvement in one's appearance anyway.