How Far Would You Go to Look Good?

Hispanic women are increasingly turning to cosmetic surgery. But what is it really like to go under the knife? Latina finds out.



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In a perfect world, we'd all love the bodies we were born with—buxom or flat, curvy or not so much, J. Lo booty or no booty. But even among proud Latinas, body image issues persist. More of us are getting plastic surgery to achieve our beauty ideal than ever before: According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Hispanics have led all minority groups in the number of procedures performed in recent years. And we're not slowing down—we had 67 percent more surgeries in 2005 than in the year before. Why are so many Latinas having work done?

Money, for one. "Latinas are coming up in the socioeconomic world, so they can afford what used to be a luxury," says John Diaz, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California. Financing plans make it even more affordable. Most of Dr. Diaz's patients are middle-class—teachers, administrative assistants, real estate agents—proving that you don't need star status to get a nip or a tuck.

Then there's that box in the living room. "Television is making us more comfortable with cosmetic surgery, especially when shows feature Hispanic patients and surgeons," says Onelio Garcia Jr., M.D., a past president of the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons who estimates that half of the patients in his Hialeah, Florida, practice are Hispanic. In a recent study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, four out of five cosmetic surgery patients said reality television had a direct impact on their decision to have surgery. The influence was strongest among those who regularly watched plastic surgery-related reality shows—and 75 percent of Hispanics surveyed said they did.

The tube may glamorize perkier breasts, smaller waists and smoother thighs, but the shows only tell half the story. So Latina sent a writer into an OR to see what happened during one Hispanic woman's surgery:

The Preparation

Paul LoVerme, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Verona, New Jersey, let me observe a liposuction, one of the three most popular surgeries among Latinas (the others are breast augmentation and nose reshaping). His patient, Hindira Marrero, a 30-year-old from Elizabeth, New Jersey, is stunning. The daughter of a Puerto Rican father and Salvadoran mother, she's 5 feet 8 with thick dark hair, sparkling brown eyes and a ready smile. I can't fathom why she's here. "I've been working out for years, but I still have the same problem areas a lot of Latin women have: my stomach, the backs of my legs and my thighs," says Hindira, who, at 160 pounds, wears a size 10. She decided on surgery because she'd seen it on TV and many of her friends have done it, and it doesn't hurt that her sister is a receptionist in Dr. LoVerme's office, so she knew how it worked and how much it cost. She paid $500 up front and will pay another $225 a month: a new body for just $6,700. After two one-hour consultations with Dr. LoVerme and years of contemplation, she's eager to get started.

Does she want to downplay her Latin looks? No way, she says: "I love my curves. I'm just trying to get them smooth." But some think a Caucasian look may be a powerful motivator for Latinas to seek plastic surgery, even when they don't realize it. One recent study by Rose Weitz, Ph.D., a professor of women and gender studies at Arizona State University, found that "conventional attractiveness"—looking mainstream or Caucasian—is a realistic way to ascend in society. "Women deemed attractive are more popular, more likely to marry and more likely to marry men of higher socioeconomic status," Weitz writes. Plus, they're more often hired and promoted and are better paid. That's a big reason to have surgery, says Myra Mendible, Ph.D., professor of cultural studies at Florida Gulf Coast University and editor of From Bananas to Buttocks: The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture. "Judgments are made about a person's ability that are directly tied to appearance," she explains. "A heavier woman is more likely to be viewed as lazy or slovenly, and that has real-world consequences."

Latina.com. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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