Oops! Did you spot the typo? For a moment there I thought it was ‘Spice up your LIFE’ but no, the raffle prize at the recent notorious Presidents Club gala dinner promised to spice up your WIFE. If you haven’t already heard, a course of plastic surgery with the slogan ‘spice up your wife’ was one of the prizes the male diners could bid for. Now, like crime in a multistorey, this is wrong on so many levels. But are we just being prudish and overly PC to object?
Well, to begin with, any man bidding is publically stating before the assembled gathering that he considers his wife sub standard and in need of improvement. The generic nature of the prize implies that any woman could do with some surgery to perfect her.
It is a men only event, so he is bidding without recourse to her. With no consent sought, she is being treated as an object. The subtext is that he will pay for her to be titivated for his gratification and of course his status. He sees no need to consult her wishes or think of the possible risks. He just wants hot totty on his arm. Some arm candy that’ll make his mates go ‘Phwoar!’ A nice bit of skirt to keep him warm.
So no prizes for guessing that DRG would never give plastic surgery as a raffle prize. Our surgeons treat everyone who comes to an appointment as a unique individual. As the New York Times said this week: ‘More than the physical exam, blood tests, X-rays, and MRIs, the doctor-patient conversation is the most powerful tool in medicine.’ They will take time to listen to you, to find out what you want to achieve, why you are here, what you would like to be different. They will tell you what can and cannot be achieved and how realistic your expectations are. Don’t be surprised to be told that you don’t actually need surgery, perhaps just a tailor-made skin care regime or ongoing surveillance.
If you think surgery will transform your life and the person you are, they will gently put you right. It might transform your face or your figure, but the same you will be inside, albeit a more confident version. It cannot spice up your partner but it can help you be the very best version of you. I’ll drink to that!
Patience Wellbeing, Plastic Surgery Blogger