For the last several weeks, contestants on Bridalplasty (E!, Sunday, 9 p.m. ET), have completed wedding-related challenges to win plastic surgery procedures. Each bride-to-be has had her eyes on the grand prize: A "perfect" wedding day body (through an unlimited supply of tucks, lifts and enhancements). Meanwhile, each week's eliminated contestant has been told, "Your wedding will still go on, but it just won't be perfect."
The media reaction to the show can best be described by headlines like Bridalplasty: 15 Things That Made Me Die Inside, and Bridalplasty: Reality TV Becomes Self-Parody.
The finale airs this Sunday. Which shameless contestant will win the fake body of her dreams? Since it's hard to find anyone who admits to watching this show, that question doesn't seem relevant. A better one might be: How many different types of people has this show managed to alienate during its two months on air?
Obviously, feminists haven't been pleased. Ms. Magazine has condemned Bridalplasty's producers for capitalizing on the insecurities of women who fail to meet an unattainable beauty standard. This, says writer Stephanie Hallett, naturally signals a greater societal problem. (It's worth noting that the show's plastic surgeon, Dr. Terry Dubrow, agrees with her assertion that the show is a sign of a wider societal trend. He just doesn't see anything wrong with that. "We are really not sending a message, but really just turning the camera on what's happening across the board in the United States," he told CBS News. "People are having plastic surgery before big events like getting married."
Plasic surgeons, too, have condemned the show -- for undermining their credibility. "Under the American Society of Plastic Surgeons code of ethics, we're technically prohibited from giving procedures away as a prize for a contest. It totally undermines the doctor-patient relationship," says Dr. Gayle Gordillo, associate professor plastic surgery at Ohio State University. "The ethical and social implications of this [show] are frightening."
The show has also raised the ire of psychologists, who've chided its producers for making light of a clinical disorder called Body Dysmorphic Disorder (in which the patient is excessively preoccupied with a perceived physical defect). Since the women are already relatively attractive, their desire to look even better could point to this psychological issue. If that's the case, they are being exploited.
Then there's the Huffington Post blogger, who's simply concerned that shows like this one are distorting peoples' idea of what it means to be beautiful. "I think the most beautiful women are unusual looking," writes Meredith Fineman. "I understand women wanting plastic surgery, but what I don't understand is this pursuit of artificial-looking beauty."
Indeed, if Bridalplasty has succeeded in any area, it's in angering an impressively wide array of viewers. Oh, and one bride gets to look "perfect" on her wedding day.
Do you have your own objections to Bridalplasty? Chime in below!
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/everybody-hates-bridalplasty/1-a-317996
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