I am staring at Mademoiselle's November issue. From the cover, a model with high cheekbones and dark blue eyes stares back at me. She is only 18, same age as I, and already her face is plastered on one of America's most popular magazines. Suppose she is a snob. Suppose she has no manners and throws hysterical fits when she is not the center of attention; however, you would never know any of this from her pictures on the magazine, so who cares? All you can see is her face. She is beautiful. I think we can all laugh at the saying, "Looks do not matter, it's inside that counts." As much as I wish that this saying was true, reality is much different. Besides, I cannot recall ever seeing a nun on the front page of Cosmopolitan. Ever since childhood, beauty has been associated as good; whereas evil pairs with ugliness (Arohnson and Epstein 2). For example, Ariel, the green-eyed, sweet-hearted petite mermaid in The Little Mermaid, fought the wicked octopus/lady, Ursula. Was it a coincidence that Ursula was overweight with blue skin and white hair? Longing for beauty is universal. However, not everyone is born attractive. Are these people doomed to live life shunned and unfairly treated? Not necessarily. A person may use make-up, though he or she has to go through the hassle of applying and reappyling. Another option is plastic surgery, a procedure that seems to be growing with "Generation Xers." What does this mean? Plastic surgery's growing popluarity with "Generation Xers" shows their bold characters and realistic view of the world the live in.

A person with severe burns who undergoes plastic surgery is viewed different from those who prefer a smaller nose or a poutier set of lips in that the burn victim seeks an appearance that was taken away. The debate occurs when a person simply wants to look different. The increase in plastic surgery shows that "Generation Xers" are curious and willing to experiment with change. This generation wants to stop the dreaming and start the doing. They cast aside their hesitation and jump in with both feet. In addition, some "X-ers"consider the benefits of surgery early in life. Aged skin may not redrape smoothly over the altered structure becuase of its reduced elasticity and healing may be prolonged due to lesser nourishments to the tissue (Arohnson and Epstien 28). Furthermore, "Generation X-ers" are facing reality; the way one looks does have a strong impact on most everyday situations, such as workplace and school. For instance, teachers tend to judge students' potential classroom performance by attractiveness (Lackoff and Scherr 127). Just the same, a person's attractiveness helps to shadow his or her incompetence (Lackoff and Scherr 128). Socially, attractive individuals tend to receive more positive gestures than unattractive individuals, "-the smile, nods, touches, and other marks of interest and favor that are part of our normal interchanges are different depending on whether we are in conversation with an attactive or unattractive individual-the attractive, of course, receiving more positive signals (Lackoff and Scherr 130).

Beauty is emphasized everywhere. On television, ladies with bouncy bodies and perfect faces dance all over the screen advertising numerous products. Bone-thin actresses star in sit-coms and comercials leaving the viewer not with a memory of the product being sold or the jokes being told, but with the image of the model's fat-free body. Celebrities, such as Pamela Anderson, are greatly admired for her synthetic body parts. In the same way, actress Tori Spelling is notorius for altering her appearance. Famous faces glamorize these procedures. With these overwhelming pressures from society, more and more "Generation X-ers" are influenced to alter their appearance.

As for myself, I view plastic surgery the same way that I view make-up: a little is fine but you should not over do it. Whether plastic surgery is acceptable differs from person to person. Some may not have a problem with plastic surgery, while others are totally against it. Nonetheless, more doors for opportunity tend to open for those who are physically attractive. As unfair or manipulative as it sounds, that is the reality that Generation X-ers face.