Here in Austin near the corner of 12th and Lamar, is a billboard for Westlake Dermatology. It has been there for years, and I have passed it many times. The specific image or advertisement has changed occasionally but the main message as far as I can interpret has not. The standard for women is that they should look like any young model who has a “perfect body and skin.” It even says in the bottom left corner of the images on their billboards and website the word “Model.” Not one of their happy customers, just an image and a standard for the viewer to judge themselves against, and somehow also the effectiveness of the services offered. Has this model had Smartlipo? I suspect not but who knows.

Obviously, every person has a right to do what they want with their bodies. And men, in particular, should not be dictating that in any way to women. No doubt there are some good people working for this company, who want to help and do the right thing. There are services that they offer that are very relevant to healthy aging and legitimate medical issues.

But using images of young models to advertise plastic surgery procedures, especially those related to weight loss is just wrong. It’s a perpetuation of the unfair beauty standards that have been imposed on women for decades. These billboards are all over town, and every time I see one I feel sad and disappointed. Life is hard enough, and then maybe you’re an older person who sees this billboard and thinks, I need to look like that model. I need to spend thousands of dollars so I can stay young and relevant, so that I can look as perfect as possible for as long as possible, so I will be loved and not be rejected or discarded by society.

I’m not saying I have anything figured out. As a man, I am not immune to similar messaging aimed towards men. I have my own body image issues and struggle with food and exercise and being way too critical of my body. And I know I have been affected by the same advertisements my whole life, and likely am attracted to certain women partially because of how I’ve been trained. My disappointment with these kinds of manipulations might not have any easy solution. I just had to get it off my chest.