An American author and poet has this week gone viral since posting a Facebook status about women who choose to undergo cosmetic surgery.
“Women, please stop injecting shit into your lips,” the 300-word status began.
“Stop taking flesh from your ass and putting it in your face. Stop getting silicone sewn to your chest. I am sick of women looking the same,” she wrote.
Describing herself on her website as a “21st century feminist beat poet,” Robinson said she was sick of blondes with “tits that aren’t real,” and eyebrows that look as though they’ve drunk 10 espressos in a day.
“Let your body god damn be,” she wrote.
Robinson then expressed her sympathy to women who have been spoon-fed a particular ideal of beauty since birth.
“I’m sorry you ever thought you were anything but the perfection you entered this world as…
“I’m sorry you thought you’d be more worthy, more beautiful if you tucked and plucked and sucked and painted it all away,” she said.
Robinson concluded it should be a crime to, “alter anything about our flesh,” and insisted we need to get into our soul, rather than fixating on our faces and bodies.
The status attracted more than 1,000 comments.
One woman wrote, “So the skinny white blonde says. LMAO fly away on your kale carpet. No one wants to f*cking hear it,” which received more than 4,000 likes.
The discomfort with Robinson’s subjectivity continued throughout the comment section, with many pointing out that she is, “the literal embodiment of our social conventional beauty standards,” and will always enjoy a certain privilege in the world.
LISTEN: Women are getting plastic surgery to look like Kylie Jenner. We discuss on Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues below.
Other commenters told their stories of having breast reductions due to health issues, removing excess skin because of dramatic weight loss and one woman whose life was saved by a plastic surgeon after her face was mauled by a dog.
But those who chose to have surgery because they felt it enhanced their looks were just as disappointed by Robinson’s tirade.
“This might come as a surprise to you,” one woman wrote,” but you CAN be a soulful, kind, enlightened, gentle soul AND choose to enhance your looks or participate in cosmetic surgery. It isn’t ONE WAY or nothing at all,” with another accusing Robinson of “internalised misogyny”.
In January 2015, author of Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, also wrote a Facebook status about plastic surgery, but with an entirely different tone.
“The history of women’s bodies and women’s beauty is a battlefield of epic (and sometimes violent) proportions. The last thing any of us need to be doing is judging each other and turning on each other,” she wrote.
“What really frustrates me is the patronising tone that is sometimes adopted, when a woman who has made a certain set of decisions about her own face and her own body criticises another woman who has made an entirely different set of decisions about HER own face and HER own body.
“You know the tone. It goes like this: ‘I just think it’s so sad that she felt she needed to do that…’”
“This is a tone of voice that fills me with ire, because: REALLY? Does it make you feel ‘sad’? Are sure you’re using the word ‘sad’ correctly? Does your neighbor’s boob job really make you feel ‘sad’? Does that movie star’s plastic surgery genuinely make you feel ‘sad’? Are you honestly crying into your pillow at night about somebody’s Brazilian butt lift — the way you would cry about a death in the family? Honestly?
“Or are you just judging a sister, and hiding your judgement behind a screen of moral appropriation?”
Gilbert’s message was simple: a woman’s body belongs to her. Even her lips. Even her butt. So back off – and be kind.
You can read Elizabeth Gilbert’s status in full right here.
Where do you stand?
Top Comments
“Gilbert’s message was simple: a woman’s body belongs to her. Even her lips. Even her butt. So back off – and be kind.”
Ahh I took other messages away from her rant... shes looking at life through the eyes of a beautiful woman (and the ENORMOUS benefit that comes with that). Try walking a mile in the shoes of someone considered unattractive by most standards (male or female)... shes a condescending, ignorant fool with zero self awareness.
I think she makes a valid point and being white and blonde does not negate that as it seems most of the plastics look like her to start with anyway.
The reality is surgical enhancement and surgery and botox etc has become so normal is makes those who don't participate feel like they are no longer"normal".
it also looks weird when over done.
when the average skinny white chick feel pressured to get a boob job we have a problem. when looking "normal" required a lot of money we also have a problem and another widening gap with socioeconomic consequences.
It does not make individual bad people but the long term consequences of collective surgery is a major issue that effects all women.
I hate it as i feel like I being a 40 year old women will sad out like sore thumb for not participating and that makes me sad.
I always think of all those fabulous French actresses who age with elegance and grace. There is something to be said for a confident woman who can “own” her own look! All the women having surgery look homogenous and plastic and overdone. I’d much rather keep my ability to have facial expressions, and spend my money on some stylish clothes and a striking haircut rather than surgery, confidence speaks volumes!