For blog homework, @rambo and @missy have asked us to talk about an assumption other people make about us, which we wish we could change.
I think a lot of us on Suicide Girls may be able to relate to this one, actually:
People assume that because I've taken active steps to modify my appearance, I'm not happy with the body I was born in.
My hair is dyed. My face is pierced, my eyebrows are waxed. I have tattoos, I have breast implants. When I was younger I did some corset training. I've dabbled in eyelash extensions and I had hair extensions for years. In 2013, I discovered fake tan and it'd be rare to see me without it for a good year after that. I, for all intents and purposes, am "fake."
The one that tends to bear the brunt of the "but you can't be happy with yourself" accusations is the boob job.
I think the media has played a huge part in telling the general public that plastic surgery is only "acceptable" if there is something "wrong" with us to begin with, and furthermore that anyone who has plastic surgery without the medical or reconstructive need for it must have a cripplingly low self esteem or hatred of their natural body.
I did not choose to have a breast augmentation because I disliked my small breasts.
My small boobs were great! They were cute and perky and easy to dress. I rarely wore push up bras, had no problem getting them out on the internet or during sexy time for partners, and I really did love them! But I've always felt like big boobs are more "me," so I bought some! It was never about insecurity. Every change I make to my body is to make my outer shell a more accurate representation of how I visualize myself.
It's no different to me than the decision to bleach my hair, or wear black most days instead of white. It's just... "me." I loved my brown hair, but my pink hair suits me better. With every tattoo I get, I feel that little bit more at home in my own skin.
I will probably have more plastic surgery one day, and it will not be born out of insecurity, but a desire to look how I want to look! I think the assumption that people who change their appearance are inherently not confident is one we need to squash.
