Zhao 1
Pengchao Zhao
Kristen Foster
CO150.403
18 December , 2013
To those who want to undergo plastic surgery:
I used to be a model 1. Though I was not that beautiful to make everyone remember
me, I’m pretty sure that I was prettier than most people. Unfortunately, I realized the fact
that I was not beautiful enough to stand out among all those models. I mean, I was and
would always be a commonplace model, not a supermodel, for the rest of my life if I didn’t
do anything. And the bitter truth was that I didn’t want to live a life like that, so I took the
action ——I took plastic surgery. I took my first plastic surgery when I was 28. At that time,
I couldn’t be aware of that plastic surgery was a way of no return for me, because I looked
gorgeous after my first surgery. So I kept taking plastic surgery until I finally ruined my
face.
I decided to write this letter to you and tell you about my own story after I had read
Pengchao’s article——“People Shouldn’t Undergo Plastic Surgery”. I think he is right. As
a victim of plastic surgery, there is no reason I would approve plastic surgery. However, I
know, I can’t force people not to take plastic surgery, even though I really want to. But if
my story could make you think twice before you undergo plastic surgery, I would be
satisfied. Because my personal experience does help, though it’s quite rare that someone
1
This is a fictional letter based on the true story of Hang Mioku. She was a model but now a victim of
plastic surgery. (June)
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would suffer like me due to the plastic surgery. Because maybe I just saved you.
Now, I’m peaceful but regretted, shamed but unpretentious. And here is my brief but
true story:
Before I was 28, I had never thought that someone would make fun of my
appearance in the future, even though I was not the prettiest model, I was still prettier than
most people. Also, I had never thought I would work at a recycled clothes shop, even
though I was under the pressure of competition from my career almost every day. However,
when I look back, I find such pressure was a key factor that made me take all the following
actions after I was 28. I always wanted to be famous, but I was not beautiful enough. It’s
almost impossible for a model like me to be the cover girl in this industry. Usually, all I
needed to do was staying at home, waiting for a call from my agent telling me to attend an
interview. But, the competition was always intense and the chance was little. When I was
28, I couldn’t stand such life anymore, so I underwent plastic surgery, hoping it would
make a change.
Actually, it did make a change. The surgery was a chemical peel. My skin became
smoother and softer. I was glad at these changes. It seemed like I got more work
opportunities. I thought I was one step closer to those supermodels. But one day, when I
looked into the mirror, for one instant, I found that face was so strange to me. Until that
time, I realized I would never have the face again, the face I had owned for 28 years. In fact,
I would go farther and farther away from what I was.
Here is the truth: if you want to keep the fruits of victory from your plastic surgery,
you have to take another one and more. I loved my smooth and soft skin, and I thought it
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was the bedrock of my success. I wanted to keep it so badly, and I wanted to keep it forever.
So I took my second plastic surgery. I underwent 3 plastic surgeries in 2 years. They were
all chemical peel, and the process was certainly safe as my surgeons promised. Every time I
took it, I thought I was more like a supermodel, but I was just staying still, maybe
backward, because my skin was not shining as it used to be. Without more obvious effect,
for my forth plastic surgery, I decided to inject silicon into my face to make it firmer.
However, if the first injection really worked, I wouldn’t take the second and the third
injection.
Changes did happen. But contrarily, my face was enlarged obviously. At this point,
plastic surgery became a nightmare to me. I began to be afraid of it, but I couldn’t get rid of
it. I had to face the truth that, plastic surgery had already made my face larger. If I didn’t
take plastic surgery anymore, my face would stay large. Or I could take more plastic
surgery, but I didn’t know what would happen.
I decided to take the second step. However, my physician refused me when I wanted
to take further surgeries because of the obvious enlargement of my face. I was angry at him
because he made my face larger and then refused to fix his “mistake”. So I kept asking him
for another surgery. Finally, He told me to see some psychologists and he said I might have
some mental problems. He thought I got obsessed with plastic surgery. He was right.
Nowadays, when people talk about the obsession with plastic surgery, they usually will
mention me. But how could I realize or believe that I had become obsessed with plastic
surgery when my face became larger, not prettier through plastic surgery. I was supposed to
be more successful in my career through plastic surgery, however, the large face I got
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through plastic surgery would make me lose my job. Such huge fall made me desperate.
For a desperate woman like me, there was no turning back.
Since the physician wouldn’t provide me further surgeries, I thought, I could do it
myself. I went to the black market and bought some silicon, and then I injected them into
my face. After I had spent all my money on the silicon, I injected cooking oil into my
face…
Despite the physical suffering I had been through after the injection, I became a
monster at last. Even my parents couldn’t recognize me. What was worse, my life was
being threatened because the substance in my face could kill me. I had no money left to pay
for the treatment, neither my family. All my money was gone due to the costly plastic
surgeries and materials.
However, the worst thing for me was that I knew I destroyed
myself by my own hands. During that period of time, I didn’t care about the treatment, the
money or the future. Actually, I would rather die. If my parents didn’t stop me, I had
committed suicide already. With no other solution, my parents turned to a TV program.
They had an interview with me and appealed to people for donation when the interview
was presented.
Anyway, my life was saved due to the donation made by those people. I am and will
always be grateful to them. 10 surgeries were operated to remove the oil, silicon and other
substances. They said they weighed over 200 grams. The surgeries were successful, but I
was still disfigured. Now I work at a recycled clothes shop with a given-up supermodel
dream, but I’m totally content.
The interview made me famous. Reporters from all over the world came to see and
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cover me. My story and my terrible face were spread all over the world. I promise I am far
more famous than I was a model. Till now, there are still people calling me “sick” or
feeling sympathy for me. However, I am totally over it. I have put a photo of my original
face on the mirror because when I look at my freak face into the mirror, the photo can
remind me of how I looked like in the past. I always feel ironic: I always wanted to be
famous. My original face failed me, my prettier face after plastic surgery failed me but my
disfigured face succeeded.
That’s my story. Here, I’m not trying to gain your sympathy. Now, I’m living a life
with no dignity, so the sympathy means nothing to me. As I told at the beginning, I wrote
this letter trying to help you because I want to pay them back, those who have helped me
and saved me. What’s more, I don’t want to see similar tragedies happen again. Here is
something more I want you to know:
1. Plastic surgery usually comes with complications. Every surgeon can promise you
that the process will be safe and successful, but none of them can promise you that nothing
will happen in the future. Everyone’s body condition is different. Who knows if you are the
qualified one to undergo plastic surgery? Take me as the example: no one had predicted
that my face would enlarge. Complications can be mild or tough, but I don’t think it’s
worth taking the risk.
2. Plastic surgery is costly. I have spent all of my money on plastic surgery, and
finally gained nothing but failures. Plastic surgery is not a wise investment. Spend the
money on exercise or care products instead of on plastic surgery, and you will have more,
especially a healthier body.
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3. Also, you have to realize that the effect you gain from plastic surgery will fade
quickly. You have to undergo a series of plastic surgery to keep the effect last, which is a
waste of time and money.
4. I know most people turn to plastic surgery because they want to boast their
confidence. In my opinion, plastic surgery won’t work if you were not confident with
yourself before. Maybe plastic surgery can increase it, but it will never generate it. Actually,
true confidence derives from the inner heart.
And here is some advice from my heart:
1. Never rush to make a decision to take plastic surgery. There is no turning back
once you take it.
2. Talk to your family or close friends and ask for their suggestion before you
undergo plastic surgery.
4. If you still want to take plastic surgery, please go to professional hospitals and
clinics.
5. Stop immediately when you realize or someone tells that something went wrong.
Good Luck!
Hang Mioku
Zhao 7
Work Cited
June, Daniel. "Model Injects Cooking Oil in Her Face to Feed Her Plastic Surgery
Addiction." JDjournal.com. JD Journal, 10 May 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.