Beauty in the Eye of the Employer?

Would you be willing to undergo the knife to get or keep your job?

Everyone is familiar with celebrities’ both successful and garish experiences with plastic surgery. In fact, Michael Jackson and Joan Rivers are the first images that come to my mind upon hearing the word. It’s not for the common folk, right?

With many companies feeling the strain of the low economy, one industry is using it to their advantage. The increase of people embarking on unexpected job searches is causing many to consider more extreme measures to improve their marketability. Everyone knows that the future belongs to the young…or maybe just the young looking.

Our society’s focus on appearance is not only reinforced, but justified by books such as My Beautiful Mommy.

This is a book written to help the children of parents who undergo reconstructive surgery, by explaining the “necessity.” Or perhaps the more true-to-life satirical take by the Onion will help the child actually considering plastic surgery for herself.

Who could blame us? Shows like The Swan, and Extreme Makeover familiarize people with the concept of image-altering surgeries. They transform average folks, thus transporting them into a world of no problems, right?

26-year-old, Nancy says, “I had more opportunities for jobs and I was more accepted in all sorts of ways,” she marveled. Though, I couldn’t possibly imagine what sort of a job a 26-year-old would need to look younger for, it seems that this is the wave of the future. Plastic surgeons are developing a much younger clientele

Dr. Tom Haas, of the Imaage Surgery Center, says that consultations for surgeries have jumped significantly [since the recession started]. Some of the most common procedures he’s doing are liposuction, breast jobs, and nose jobs. In the last three months, he’s performed nine times as many nose surgeries as the same period last year.

One patient justifies it, saying, “I’m out there competing with women in their 30s and 40s, and I just turned 50…Of course, the economy has gotten a lot scarier, and I lost money in the stock market like everyone else. … But I want my clients to know I have energy and will be there tomorrow. Presenting a fresher face makes people feel like you’re awake at the wheel.”

You need surgery to do this?

One patient says, “I just feel good about myself. But you have to do it all the time in order to stay looking young.”

All the time? Is this really affordable? Is this even healthy?

A large part of the reason younger people are more attractive to bosses is they tend to have a lower salary expectation. It seems strange that older employees would be willing to undergo the knife if it meant a lower salary.

It is true that every surgical procedure, even legitimate ones hold risks. For some this is the answer and it does change their lives for the better. There are many people who have undergone surgeries who are very happy with the results.

So have we found our fountain of youth? In a society that most definitely values image over skills, is this the answer? Some are willing to take grisly measures to get the job they want. Which career do you think would be worth the knife?

c.2009