Are people who get cosmetic surgery committing the sin of vanity? - Page 2

itullian · #16 Jun 17, '12, 1:19 am

if it makes you feel better about yourself,i think it's fine.

Seira · #17 Jun 17, '12, 2:39 am

So if a child who has cosmetic surgery to fix a cleft lip, that's comitting a sin of vanity? If a morbidly obese person who has no other option but to get a gastric bypass to save their life (which they will have to learn to eat right anyway in order to keep the weight off), that person is adding the sin of vanity? A child/adult gets their face disfigured in a horrific accident, they're commiting the sin of vanity for going through reconstructive cosmetic surgery? If a woman who has a mastectomy gets a breast implant, she's commiting the sin of vanity? What if a woman has a breast reduction because she's tired of the unwanted stares & ridicule... sin of vanity?

brendan0 · #18 Jun 17, '12, 3:19 am

Yes it's wrong. Anything immoral it seems is always being untruthful in some way. Either with God, ourselves or others. The untruth lies where the person is a sinner, in need of constant mercy (in fact the only thing that's sustaining our life is Gods mercy) and at the same time, wants to glorify themselves, for the purpose of being attractive to others.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Our body is designed to honour, glorify, worship and love God, not ourselves. The whole plastic surgery culture is purely about sex, since it wasn't popular before the sexual revolution.

In regards to surgery for health reasons, then obviously that's different. If some want to respond with "But it's my body, not yours" - well, that won't work well with God, since it's his and not yours, we're just responsible for our bodies, we don't own them. This goes for tattoes (paganism) and piercings, only serves to glorfiy oneself.

It's astonishing how Catholics actually see this as okay..

lerapt78 · #19 Jun 17, '12, 4:56 am

I don't view plastic surgery in terms of black and white. Sometimes I think it's justified, sometimes I scoff at it. OP, in addition wanting gastric bypass to look better, it is obviously a matter of health - so I say it's perfectly fine.

On the other hand, I can see undergoing body modifications (including tatoos) as having the potential to become addictive, especially in this day and age, so one has to be careful.

**Trishie** · #20 Jun 17, '12, 6:10 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seira

So if a child who has cosmetic surgery to fix a cleft lip, that's comitting a sin of vanity? If a morbidly obese person who has no other option but to get a gastric bypass to save their life (which they will have to learn to eat right anyway in order to keep the weight off), that person is adding the sin of vanity? A child/adult gets their face disfigured in a horrific accident, they're commiting the sin of vanity for going through reconstructive cosmetic surgery? If a woman who has a mastectomy gets a breast implant, she's commiting the sin of vanity? What if a woman has a breast reduction because she's tired of the unwanted stares & ridicule... sin of vanity?

Remedial cosmetic surgery is a charitable not a vanity issue.
I don't believe generalizations are fair or just.

And as it happens, I have only the faintest scar, and no one has ever commented, but I was born with a cleft lip, a fact which scared a young nurse so dreadfully that though a newborn, she dropped me on the labor-room floor...my first experience of life!
Not only was my parents' seeking its repair helpful to feeding and speech, but I believe my parents made the charitable choice.

And humility isn't necessarily downgrading oneself or neglecting the gift of God that we are to our loved ones and ourselves. Our lives and selves are precious gifts of God, and our bodies serve as gateways for our souls to attain heaven through God's mercy.
Some persons might wear humility with such pride that it is no longer humility.
St Therese wrote, 'humility is truth'.
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, gifts of God to ourselves, and it is a honor to Him to quietly make the best of them in a reasonable and respectful manner.

perlamaria · #21 Feb 1, '13, 12:23 pm

Well all the ones that use plastic surgery are going to have the comfort that when they die they re going to be very pretty corpses

Snowball7 · #22 Feb 1, '13, 1:07 pm

I had a friend who died of complications from
gastric bypass surgery. He was only 27 years old.
The lap band procedure is much safer.

VeritasLuxMea · #23 Feb 3, '13, 9:37 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendan0

Yes it's wrong. Anything immoral it seems is always being untruthful in some way. Either with God, ourselves or others. The untruth lies where the person is a sinner, in need of constant mercy (in fact the only thing that's sustaining our life is Gods mercy) and at the same time, wants to glorify themselves, for the purpose of being attractive to others.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Our body is designed to honour, glorify, worship and love God, not ourselves. The whole plastic surgery culture is purely about sex, since it wasn't popular before the sexual revolution.

In regards to surgery for health reasons, then obviously that's different. If some want to respond with "But it's my body, not yours" - well, that won't work well with God, since it's his and not yours, we're just responsible for our bodies, we don't own them. This goes for tattoes (paganism) and piercings, only serves to glorfiy oneself.

It's astonishing how Catholics actually see this as okay..

The Church doesn't teach that tattoos or piercings are inherently sinful.

LaSainte · #24 Feb 4, '13, 7:28 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

My own personal beliefs on the matter are as follows. Basically, if someone is getting cosmetic surgery just so that they look pretty or sexy or whatever, that is the sin of vanity. However, if a person is getting cosmetic surgery to repair a serious injury or something then that is not the sin of vanity. As for gastric bypass surgery, I would say that in most cases, it is not the sin of vanity since it is usually only done on those who are morbidly obese and who have tried other methods to lose weight and failed.

I know people who have gotten boob jobs after having kids because they don't like them anymore and want bigger ones. Is that sinful? I don't know. I think it's scary to go under the knife and maybe never wake up when you have little kids and a husband. But maybe I would do it if I had something that really bothered me? I dunno. I go back and forth on this issue.