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This morning, I read an article about the big new plastic surgery trend: an upper arm lift. Apparently, upper arm lifts saw the biggest increase between 2000 and 2012.
Now, normally with this kind of thing, I would scoff and wonder who would go through that kind of procedure. I’m not normally big on plastic surgery. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t judge anyone who gets it (unless you’re Joan Rivers – guys, I met her once and she literally looks like a mannequin. It’s not okay!). I’m not exactly against plastic surgery, I’ve just never felt like it was for me before. I don’t like doctors, hospitals or surgery recovery – and anyway, the best way to love our bodies is to learn to accept them, not change them… right?
Why am I suddenly questioning myself? Well, here’s the thing: I absolutely hate my upper arms. And to be honest with you, getting work done on them to make them look better actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
Who am I?! I’ve never wanted plastic surgery in my life! I’m feeling seriously guilty about this. I spend most of my time writing to you girls about how you need to learn to accept your bodies no matter what they look like and gain confidence and be happy with the body you were given. And here I am, seriously thinking about what my life would be like if I had an upper arm lift. Is that really wrong? I just feel like getting this surgery would really, really boost my confidence and make me feel better about myself. Am I totally vain?
It just feels like I’ve been fighting a never ending battle with my upper arms. They’re not fat, exactly, but they’re not thin either. I do a lot of arm exercises with weights to try and tone them up, but it takes FOREVER. It’s painful and I don’t always have the time for it. And if I don’t keep up with my arms on a constant basis, they just look terrible (to me, at least).
The issue I have with my upper arms has, unfortunately, gotten in the way of me living my life sometimes. I’m super, super self-conscious of them and so I try to cover them up as much as possible. During the winter, it’s no problem. I wear long-sleeved shirts or sweaters over short-sleeved shirts and I’m all good. But I’m sure you can imagine how annoying this is during the summer, when it’s way too hot to wear long sleeves. I go for as long as I possibly can before I have to break out my arms in tank tops and short sleeves. Last year, when I went on a boating trip with my boyfriend and his friends, I insisted on wearing a sweatshirt the whole time because I was ashamed of my arms. I obviously spent the whole day sweating. It totally wasn’t worth it – but that’s not the first or last time I’ve done something like that.
The other annoying thing about my arms is that it makes it difficult to buy certain items of clothing (and I already have enough of those issues!). If the material isn’t stretchy, a shirt or dress sometimes just refuses to fit my upper arms. Since they are bigger in proportion to the rest of my body, it’s really hard to buy a lot of different shirts, blazers or jackets – everything fits except for the arms, which need a size larger. I’ve had to put back so many cute things because they’re just so uncomfortable on my arms.
Honestly, even writing this post is hard for me! I’m SO self-conscious about my arms that I very rarely talk about how much I dislike them. In fact, this is probably the most I’ve talked about this issue ever (not exaggerating). I hate pointing out how I feel about my arms or what they look like because I hate to feel like people are staring at them (even though they’re most likely not).
My point is, thinking about a world where I don’t have to stress over what my upper arms look like sounds like a dream world to me. And if that world involves plastic surgery? It just might be worth considering.
But be honest with me: do you think this is ridiculous? Would you ever get plastic surgery on the part of your body that you hate the most? How do you feel about plastic surgery? Do you ever feel this way about your upper arms? Tell me in the comments.
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I hate, hate, hate my upper arms. I was so toned for most of my life and then got very sick. Lots of bed rest and depression eating led to a weight game. From 148 to 228. I have lost and kept off 50 lbs for over 5 years now. Gone from size 18 (which was tight) to size 12. Wear a medium top unless it has sleeves then I go to at least a large which then does not fit my body right.
I really understand how you feel about your arms. I walk everyday besides trying other forms of exercise. The arms are toned on top then drop nearly 4″ with flab. I do not believe anymore that exercise will help. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.
I wish I could see how someone really looks after the surgery because I want so bad not have the wiggle. To see a piece of clothing I want to wear, in my size and style and then not have to put it back just because of my arms.
I think you should get it, because you had already tryed with exersice and it didn’t work for you. You are here to teach us to love our bodys but also to give us confidence. If you are gonna be more confident because of that, do it! Please tell us if you ar going to get it or not, the same with that other post where someone had a problem with her friend!!
If your arms are really troubling you that much, I don’t think you should thrash the idea of plastic surgery yet. It’s not a huge surgery, so I think it would only be good for you, at least if you’re really sure it’ll help you! I absolutely HATE my nose, so I’ve been thinking about getting a nose job for years. If I can save up the money, I’m probably gonna go for it, even though a lot of my friends and possibly my family will be against it. It’s my body, so I’ll decide what to do with it! And the same goes for you.
I think minor surgeries are ok because it’s actually healthy. It boosts confidence so that we go through life not worrying and having anxiety. When I’m older im getting a nose job. Right now I go to school every day and I have the lowest self esteem. I hate pictures which means Im missing out on capturing my high school years! But I can’t help that my nose takes away my confidence. So when i do get my surgery, I will live each day to the fullest and not worry “omg that cute guy just looked at me but I was facing him at a bad angle! He saw my huge nose!” That kind of thinking is not healthy for me or anyone. MINOR cosmetic surgery is not bad girls!
In this world, it can be tempting to get plastic surgery, and I’m there with you – I hate parts of my body too. But I think that whether I look good or not to myself is trivial and that my confidence is more important. Working out and exercise are for ME, not for anyone else. My focus is to get in the best shape I can be in personally, not how much I can look like a model. I know I’m not built that way. I know I’m built what’s best for me. And that’s all I care about.
I think you should do whatever you want to. You should remember that people probably don’t care about or notice your arms and also think about the pros and cons of getting plastic surgery. But I defiantly understand how you feel, because I am also very self conscious about my arms, and I do the same things as you, like wearing long sleeves all the time. My problem isn’t the size though, it’s that they are really hairy, and I can’t seem to find a solution to it. If you really think plastic surgery will help you be more confident, go for it!