Driving through Utah, it’s impossible to miss the billboards lining the highway advertising cosmetic and plastic surgery. It may come as a shock to learn Salt Lake City has the second highest number of plastic surgeons per capita in America while it is one of the most religious states in the country.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported in 2016, Americans spent $15 billion on cosmetic and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. In a state where 87% of Utans identify as white and 57% as Mormon, you can’t help but question some sort of correlation between the two factors.
Whether it’s a trend or a way culture has told young women how they should look, it’s definitely noticeable among women in Utah who follow perfectionist ideals.
Lindsey’s story
BYU communications major Lindsey Harper, 23, can relate to many girls who have struggled with body image because she went through an identity crisis after two plastic surgeries.
“Looking in the mirror and your face is different from the same face you used to look at every day… and ‘I looked better’ — it was an adjustment. I actually had a side profile, a jowl and not a gummy smile,” Harper said.
In September 2018, Harper’s orthodontist recommended facial reconstruction surgery to help her underdeveloped jaw. This procedure required breaking both jaw bones and cutting off most of her chin to help reconstruct her face.
“It’s like the surgeon looking at you and telling you everything with your ‘gummy smile’ and saying ‘I can fix this,'” Harper said. “I was overwhelmed but excited about the results.”
After the procedure, Harper missed two weeks of school, couldn’t speak for five days and lost about 15 pounds. She said that her teacher did not recognize her at first sight and how the boys began to notice her more. Although it was a strange change for her, it helped her in more ways than people knew.
About six months later, Harper decided to have a nose job to correct her deviated septum so she could breathe more easily. Doctors told her she could only breathe 30% of air because her diaphragm was severely deviated.
“I thought about the ‘why’ behind what I was doing and as a cheaper option to get a nose job to change a little insecurity, I decided to go for it,” Harper said.
Although it was a small physical change and mostly meant to help her breathe better, Harper said it made her feel more beautiful. Being recognized as “prettier” was a hard pill to swallow and an acceptance she had to realize was more than just plastic surgery solving her problems.
Harper had an important conversation with a loved one after the surgery that helped her understand how God sees his children.
“Would God want you to say these negative things to yourself about how you look?” Harper asked, reflecting on the conversation. “God doesn’t love you because you’re beautiful.”
Social pressures and media influence
There is an unconscious and ingrained pressure created by society that women are valued for their appearance. Body image is usually a term used to describe the positive or negative feelings and thoughts you have about your body. This, in turn, has taught girls at a younger age to be more aware of their bodies and how they see themselves, especially with the constant reminder of television and social media influences.
In Utah, there is a common “look” portrayed by women. Some might say it’s collectively how culture has defined beauty here. Here are some comments from women living in Utah about how they perceive the state’s body image culture:
“I feel like there’s an ideal look: the wavy hair, the blonde, the same haircut, the spray tan, the same style of clothing. I’m not sure what it is specifically, but I think it’s a combination of a lot of things in the LDS bubble of a lack of diversity and just wanting to fit in,” Makana, 27, said.
“I’ve literally never heard of young women getting botox, breast augmentation, lip fillers, permanent makeup, regular professional facials and such, unless they were celebrities. “I thought these were just things rich old ladies did, but after moving to Utah I felt like I was one of the only ones who didn’t do these things,” Olivia, 24, said.
“I feel like a lot of marketing in Utah is about the ‘Utah look,’ so definitely variety in something as simple as modeling for retail stores would send a huge message because it seems like no matter what product they’re trying to sell, every girl looks the same,” Zoe, 20, said.
The common perception of the “Utah look” seems to set its own standard of beauty among Utah girls and women. With the mentality that everyone looks the same and to fit in you have to reach a standard of beauty defined by your environment, it is realized with money and resources you can change your body to match the trends.
The mom makeover
Dr. Elise Mecham is a local plastic and reconstructive surgeon originally from Utah Valley and the only female plastic surgeon in this area. He said the perception of plastic surgery has evolved drastically. With her extensive background in cancer and trauma rehabilitation, cosmetic surgery, burn/wound healing and body contouring, she has truly seen it all.
Over the past few years, with the economy on a downward trend and a global pandemic, there has been a wave of uncertainty about the future that has greatly affected many lives, Mecham explained.
“Women suddenly think they have to look better to attract a partner or my husband who’s not doing his job and rebound, whatever, ‘I have to look better,'” said Dr. Mecham. “Maybe they don’t realize that’s why they’re doing it, but it’s a direct correlation that you’re seeing a lot of these non-invasive procedures being done right now when people are feeling uncertain about the future.”
From this year, Utah is also known to be the youngest state with an average age of 30.7 years and one of the highest birth rates in the country at 14.9 births per 1,000 population, according to the Worldwide Population Review. As marriage is an important aspect of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is centered in Utah, younger couples appear to be starting smaller families than the national average.
As part of the natural process of having children comes with drastic changes to the female body, the “mommy makeover” has evolved to restore the body to its youthful pre-pregnancy appearance. This can include a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a breast reduction or lift.
“For many of these women, it’s not necessarily an external pressure, it’s an inherent desire to have their bodies match how they feel, which is much younger than what they look,” Dr Mecham said. “They undergo these procedures and try to allow this mental idea of how they feel to match their physical appearance.”
