The right to be beautiful

摘要

Of Course, it is ridiculous. What sane person would put metal rings round her neck to stretch it like a giraffe's, or lace her corset so tight that she fainted, or allow her feet to be bound to make them tiny? How backward, how primitive. Completely different, obviously, from the woman who pays huge sums to have her breasts surgically enlarged; or the man who takes drugs to give him an athlete's torso; or the rich, modern men and women who spend $160 billion a year on beauty products whose impact on the appearance is sometimes, um, unproven. From stilettos to diets to cosmetic surgery, women (and, increasingly, men) go to great lengths and huge cost to make themselves better looking. And now, advances in technology allow people to change their appearance not just for an evening out but for ever.