Beauty ideals and cosmetic surgery in Scott Westerfeld's novel "Uglies"

The exploration of beauty in contemporary society reveals its dual nature as both a privilege and a source of pressure. Successful and attractive individuals dominate media, shaping our perceptions and aspirations. This obsession with beauty leads to envy and a relentless pursuit of an ideal that often results in harmful behaviors, including excessive cosmetic use and eating disorders. The paper provocatively imagines a world where compulsory cosmetic surgery equalizes beauty, challenging the societal norms that fuel this competitive and often damaging beauty culture.