Part 1:

JOSSEY-BASS RELIGION-IN-PRACTICE SERIES

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JOSSEY-BASS RELIGION-IN-PRACTICE SERIES

Publishing Mission

Transforming lives through the renewaland practice of faith

Through its Religion-in-Practice series Jossey-Bass intends to become a leading publisher of thoughtful, high-level books on:

Spirituality for engagement with the world

The responsible expression and practice of faith in all aspects of life: family, work, community, and congregations

The renewal and strengthening of religious leadership and the institutions of faith

We serve Evangelical, mainline Protestant, and Jewish communities through our publishing program.

Send query letters and proposals to:Mark David KerrEditor, Religion in PracticeJossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint989 Market StreetSan Francisco, CA 94103800.956.7339 phone

Part 2:

NEW BOOK PROPOSAL

OVERVIEW

It’s been called “the willing wound,” and this year alone it’s lured over ten

million women. Cosmetic surgery—often assumed to be the pursuit of the

vain and the shallow. Or is there more to our desire for beauty than meets the

eye? Is there, perhaps, a timeless link between the heart’s pursuit of beauty

and our soul’s yearning to know ultimate, Incarnate Beauty? Body and Soul:

The Truth About Cosmetic Surgery and Our Longing for Beauty takes a new

and balanced look at cosmetic surgery and beauty through the eyes of

respected craniofacial plastic surgeon Stephen P. Beals, M.D., F.A.C.S. Dr.

Beals explores the body-soul relationship while offering practical tools and

expert insight for women exploring the option of cosmetic surgery.

WORKING TITLE

Body and Soul:The Truth About Cosmetic Surgery and Our Longing for Beauty

AUTHORS

Stephen P. Beals, M.D.with Shelly Beach

REPRESENTED BY

David Sanford, President In cooperation with…Sanford Communications, Inc. Timothy J. Beals, President16778 SE Cohiba Ct Credo Communications, LLCDamascus, OR 97089 3148 Plainfield Ave NE, Suite 111drsanford@earthlink.net Grand Rapids, MI 49525(503) 890-0456

tim@credocommunications.net(616) 363-2686

ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY

This book will help readers evaluate current trends and influences in

society’s ever-increasing pursuit of beauty and assist them in making

informed, balanced decisions regarding cosmetic surgery.

BISAC CATEGORY

MEDICAL / Surgery / Plastic & Cosmetic

AUDIENCE

Primary: The 10 million women in physicians’ and plastic surgeon’s offices

each year (American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2006) seeking direction and

considering plastic surgery procedures.

Secondary: Physicians within the plastic surgery community.

Tertiary: Christian physicians within the general medical community.

PURPOSE AND NEED

Our generation is the first to face the challenge of balancing the pursuit of

beauty in a world with the technological finesse to sculpt us each into our

desired image. Body and Soul: The Truth About Cosmetic Surgery and Our

Longing for Beauty reflectively explores the topic of beauty within

contemporary culture in relationship to the choices of women seeking

cosmetic surgery.

Popular books on the topic present an array of perspectives.

Feminists, such as Naomi Wolf, reject cosmetic surgery as acquiescence to

male domination and cultural oppression. At the other end of the spectrum,

evangelicals purport a somewhat dualistic view, encouraging women to

focus on inner beauty, while denying the reality of the body-soul connection.

Body and Soul explores the reality of body-mind unity and the

longing in each of us to pursue beauty that reflects our spiritual design. The

book begins by exploring the history of American culture and the

deterioration of inner paradigms of beauty based upon character which

shaped self-image in earlier decades. The topic of yearning is then explored,

illuminating how our pursuit of beauty reflects our desire to be complete,

emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Women in the twenty-first century

are challenged to come to grips with cosmetic surgery as a growing influence

within their personal culture—a tool with the capability to be embraced or

rejected, but certainly to be considered as a potential tool of healing and

restoration.

As Dr. Beals presents in his final chapter, ultimate beauty is found in

the gaze of the eyes of Jesus Christ when we come into personal relationship

with him and find the source of all beauty in Incarnate Beauty.

UNIQUE ANGLES

Books for women on the topic of beauty tend to be stratified in their

philosophical approach: those expressing the anti-beauty views of the

feminists, those that focus on themes of inner and spiritual beauty, and those

that promote a popular, commercialized view of beauty.

No book currently on the market, however, offers the reader the tools

to explore the topic of beauty and cosmetic surgery in contemporary culture

within the context of a spiritual framework.

Body and Soul: The Truth About Cosmetic Surgery and Our Longing

for Beauty,, provides a readable narrative and tools that help readers explore

the topics of beauty, self-image, agency, personal story, and the emotionally

and potentially spiritually redemptive applications of cosmetic surgery

within contemporary culture.

CURRENT INTEREST

Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons demonstrate a

consistent rise in the number of plastic surgery procedures over the past

fifteen years and within the past year.

1992 320,487 total cosmetic procedures

2005 1,171,795 total cosmetic procedures

2006 1,228,950 total cosmetic procedures

283% increase in procedures (total of all types combined) from

1992 to 2006

5% increase in procedures (total of all types combined) from

2005 to 2006

READER BENEFITS

If readers in the target market purchase and read Body and Soul, then they

will:

Understand more fully the unity of the soul-body connection

and its implications in our pursuit of beauty

Understand more deeply humankind’s pursuit of beauty as a

reflection of spiritual longing

Understand more deeply humankind’s yearning for

completion and wholeness

Understand the varied and complex reasons for which women

seek out cosmetic surgery, apart from the oversimplified

assumption of “vanity”

Gain perspectives and tools to help the reader evaluate their

own motivations toward cosmetic surgery and their “storied”

body parts in order to more spiritually and wholistically reflect

upon the applications of cosmetic surgery in their lives

Learn about the risks, realities, and benefits of cosmetic

surgery

Share the journeys of numerous women who elected to pursue

a variety of cosmetic surgery procedures with a variety of

outcomes, not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual

This book will:

Explore the cultural, emotional, and spiritual roots of our

longing for beauty

Explore cultural shifts within America over the past one

hundred years that have produced the present beauty culture that

defines a woman by her outward appearance and its subsequent

impact upon women in contemporary society

Present women’s personal cosmetic surgery stories and Dr.

Beal’s insightful observations through narrative presentations,

followed by reflective interaction questions

Offer overview chapters on specific cosmetic procedures

Present a balance approach to cosmetic surgery as one option

of many available in a wholistic approach to beauty that

acknowledges the reality of the body-soul connection

COMPETING WORKS

No similar book on the market currently exists that offers the expertise of a

leading plastic surgeon, coupled with the case studies of individual patients

that allows the reader to explore their rationale and motivation for cosmetic

surgery within a faith context. This book would be a singular voice in the

marketplace for an expression of faith in Jesus Christ through the potentially

life-transforming aesthetic of cosmetic surgery.

No other CBA book that deals with the subject of plastic or cosmetic surgery

could be found. Books on health, fitness, and various facets of beauty are

available.

Leslie Ludy. Authentic Beauty: The Shaping of a Set Apart Young Woman.

Multnomah, 2007. This title is directed toward young women desiring to

focus on inward beauty as preparatory to marriage. Although the subject of

beauty is addressed, the book does not deal with cosmetic surgery or the

concept of seeking balance in the practice of outward beauty.

Elizabeth George. Beautiful in God’s Eyes. Harvest House, 1998. This book

focuses on building inward beauty attributes. Even the chapter on clothing

for beauty dealt with topics of confidence, strength, and joy, taking a

spiritual approach to inward beauty while ignoring the relationship to

physical beauty.

Ginger Garrett. Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Thomas Nelson, 2007. This book

was one of the few that acknowledged an inner-outer relationship in beauty.

However, its focus was on preparation of cosmetics. It did not deal with

cosmetic surgery or present a case for humankind’s yearning for beauty.

Ben Lerner. Body by God. Thomas Nelson, 2003. This book presents a

systematized approach to fitness through diet, exercise, stress reduction, and

godly disciplines, based upon Ben Lerner’s Olympic training. Although it

presents a balanced approach to health and fitness from the perspective of a

profession, it does not touch on cosmetic surgery or beauty.

Jordan Rubin. The Great Physician’s Rx for Health and Wellness. Thomas

Nelson, 2005. This book presents comprehensive health and wellness

information from the perspective of a medical professional, but it does not

offer advice on cosmetic surgery from the perspective of a respected

professional in that field.

Complementary works include:

Loren Eskenazi, M.D., and Peg Streep. More Than Skin Deep: Exploring the

Real Reasons Why Women Go Under the Knife. HarperCollins, 2007. This

book explores the premise that women undergo cosmetic surgery at threshold

moments of life as a means of rite-of-passage. However, More Than Skin

Deep does not offer the reader the opportunity to reflect upon their own

experience through comparative case study narratives or reflective questions.

It does not present an overview of cosmetic surgery procedures.

Additionally, it does not present a personal challenge for faith in Jesus

Christ.

Regina Franklin. Who Calls Me Beautiful? Discovery House Publishers,

2004. This title almost exclusively explores the element of inner beauty, to

the exclusion of physical beauty. Its presentation is more dualistic than that

of Lee-Thorp. Franklin presents a lyrical, although limited argument for the

case for inner beauty as opposed to external beauty. The book provides

personal reflection questions. However, it does not overtly address the topic

of cosmetic surgery.

Steve Jeffes. Appearance Is Everything. Sterling House Publishers, 1998.

Jeffes presents the argument that people make judgments daily based solely

upon the appearance of others. We are judged, right or wrong, upon our

worth, our intelligence, our ability to parent, our worthiness as employees,

and our ability to contribute to society based upon appearance. Jeffes sets

forth forty-five premises regarding appearance discrimination, including:

“Attractive persons are generally provided greater opportunities to socialize

and make friends than unattractive persons of similar capabilities. This

provides the attractive greater opportunities to build networks in order to

succeed in life, business, and other endeavors.” This book contains no case

studies, opportunities for personal reflection, or spiritual content. Information

is presented factually and scientifically, with premises and documenting

arguments.

Karen Lee-Thorp and Cynthia Hicks. Why Beauty Matters. NavPress, 1997.

This book provides a comprehensive exploration of the cultural and biblical

aspects of both inner beauty and physical beauty. However, it does not deal

with the topic of cosmetic surgery as a viable option for women seeking to

correct body deformities. Although its format is similar, with use of statistics

and pullquotes, it was published ten years ago.

Allen D Rosen., M.D. and Valerie U. Ablaza, M.D. Beauty in Balance.

MDPublish, 2006. This book presents an overview of various cosmetic

surgery procedures but does not explore cultural or philosophical aspects of

cosmetic surgery. It also does not present a faith element or narrative case

studies or reflective questions.

Tonya Ruiz. Beauty Quest. Zephaniah Company, 2001. This book presents

Tonya Ruiz’s personal journey from Eileen Ford fashion model to pastor’s

wife and her struggle with the standards of the media and beauty industry. Its

primary focus is to help women to identify media messages of conformity to

cultural beauty standards. It does not present material relevant to women

pursuing cosmetic surgery as a personal choice.

SAMPLING OF AUTHORITIES AND PERSPECTIVES CITED

Joan Jacobs Brumberg. The Body Project. Random House, 1997.

Kathy Davis. Reshaping the Female Body. Routledge, 1995.

Loren Eskenazi, MD. More Than Skin Deep: Exploring the Real Reasons

Why Women Go Under the Knife. HarperCollins, 2007.

Edward Farley. Faith and Beauty. Ashgate Publishing, 2001.

Regina Franklin. Who Calls Me Beautiful. Discovery House Publishers,

2004.

Lucy Grealy. Autobiography of a Face, HarperPerennial, 1994.

Sharlene Hesse-Biber. Am I Thin Enough Yet? Oxford University Press,

1996.

Karen Lee-Thorp and Cynthia Hicks. Why Beauty Matters. NavPress, 1997.

Esther Lightcap Meek. Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for

Ordinary People. Brazos Press, 2003.

David G Myers. The American Paradox: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of

Plenty. Yale, 2000.

John Navone. Toward a Theology of Beauty. The Liturgical Press, 1996.

Allen D Rosen., MD, and Valerie J. Ablaza, MD. Beauty in Balance.

MDPublish, 2006.

POTENTIAL ENDORSERS

Dr. Timothy Johnson, Medical Editor, Good Morning America and author of

Finding

God in the Questions (InterVarsity Press)

Dr. Ricky Clay, Cosmetic Surgeon, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Dr. John Woods, Professor Emeritus, Cosmetic Surgeon, Mayo Clinic,

Rochester, MN

Dr. John Townsend, best-selling CBA author

Robin McGraw, author of Choosing to Live a Life of Passion and Purpose

(Thomas

Nelson) and wife of Dr. Phil McGraw

Tracy Groot, Christy Award Winner, 2007

Lynn Austin, three-time Christy Award Winner

Dr. Stephen R. Spencer, Professor of Philosophy, Wheaton College Graduate

School

Esther Lightcap Meek, Professor of Philosophy, Geneva College

Julie Barnhill, best-selling CBA author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen P. Beals graduated from Wayne State University School of

Medicine in 1978 and completed his General Surgery Residence at William

Beaumont Hospital. He then completed the Phoenix Plastic Surgery

Residency, which included reconstructive and cosmetic techniques, and

followed with his Craniomaxillofacial Fellowship at the University of

Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children. He has been in private practice for XX

years and founded the Southwest Craniofacial Center and the Craniofacial

Foundation of Arizona. Dr. Beals is certified by the American Board of

Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the

American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons. He

is Section Chief of Plastic Surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital. In addition to his

private practice, Dr. Beals is involved in teaching, research and publication,

and holds academic positions at a Mayo Medical School and Arizona State

University. His clinic is currently establishing a residency program with

Mayo Clinic.

As the son of missionaries, Stephen Beals spent much of his

childhood in Africa and has participated in overseas medical missions in

countries such as Bangladesh, Mexico, and VietNam. He and his wife

Martha have three adult children and reside in the Phoenix area.

Stephen P. Beals, M.D. 5360 E. Rockridge Rd.Phoenix, AZ 85018602.840.0282

ABOUT THE CO-AUTHOR

Shelly Beach holds a B.A. from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan,

and an M.R.E. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. She is a freelance

writer, public speaker, nonprofit consultant, and college writing instructor.

Shelly’s devotionals, poetry, feature articles, and fiction have been published

in a wide variety of both secular and religious markets. Her devotional for

caregivers, Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Discovery House) and her first

contemporary novel in the Stewartville series, Hallie’s Heart (Kregel

Publishers) were both released in 2007. Her second caregiving title,

Ambushed by Grace (Discovery House) will release in the summer of 2008.

The second novel in her Stewartville series Gifts from Morningsong (Kregel

Publishers), will release in the fall of 2008. Shelly is also currently

developing a women’s issue title with Moody Publishers.

Shelly is the founder of the Cedar Falls Christian Writers’ Workshop

in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as well as a co-founder of the Breathe Christian

Writer’s Workshop in Grand Haven, Michigan. She speaks at writers’

conferences, as well as women’s conferences, retreats, caregivers’ seminars,

and educational venues throughout the country.

As a mother who pursued reconstructive plastic surgery for her child

and has researched it as a personal option, Shelly has the personal experience

to both market the book and to interact with the media on the topic of beauty

and cosmetic surgery.

Shelly Beach130 Ten Mile Rd. NWSparta, MI 49345616.887.0459 home 616.460.4319 cellsandscribbler@charter.net

AUTHOR PROMOTION

Stephen Beals is experienced in media and marketing and will work closely

with the publisher to actively promote the book Body and Soul.

Past experience:

Producer of award-winning educational and professional

video and film productions:

Winner of the International Television Association Award for his

educational video, Increasing Awareness of People with Facial Differences

Winner of the Telly Award for Increasing Awareness of People with

Facial Differences

Winner of the David and Geck Award for film from the American

College of surgeons for best professional film

Interviewed on nationally-televised programs, such as the

Today Show, for accomplishments within the plastic surgery field

Frequently featured on regional and local television and radio

programming as a health expert

Far-reaching networks and collaborative relationships that

span the globe

Experienced speaker who has presented in international

venues, as well as at conferences, seminars, church, educational,

community, and missions events

Author’s marketing involvement in Body and Soul:

Dr. Beals is willing to promote the book by participating in

Television and media appearances in major markets

Television and media appearances in limited regional markets

Remote radio interviews from his home or office

Limited live radio interviews in major markets

Book signings scheduled with the release of the book and/or

signings to coincide with other scheduled travel

Limited conference or speaking engagements

writing or co-writing feature articles with Shelly Beach on

related issues of beauty and cosmetic surgery to be published in

leading women’s magazines, including Good Housekeeping,

Redbook, O, First, More, Marie Clare and other contemporary

women’s magazines, as well as Christian magazines, including

Radiant, Relevant, and Today’s Christian Woman

Producing a website with marketing and e-promotional

strategies for Body and Soul

CO-AUTHOR PROMOTION

Co-author Shelly Beach is experienced in media and marketing and will also

work closely with the publisher to actively promote the book Body and Soul.

Past experience:

Television and radio appearances, including call-in talk shows

broadcast within local, regional, national, and international markets

Conference speaker, including writers’ conferences, women’s

conferences, educational, and caregiving venues

Networks and associations within publishing, education, and

the medical and caregiving professions

Shelly is willing to promote the book by participating in

book tours

conferences and speaking engagements, especially among

women seeking thoughtful interaction on the topic of aesthetics and

beauty: members of the Renovare Movement, schools offering

degrees in spiritual formation, such as Moody Bible Institute, Talbot

University, and Spring Arbor University, and InterVarsity’s

Emergent Scholars Network

regional and national conferences, such as Women of Faith

Conventions, Emergent Women Conferences, and MOPS

Conferences

speaking tour to promote book in major cities throughout the

United States

live and taped interviews broadcast on Christian radio

stations, including National Public Radio’s Speaking of Faith and

Moody Radio’s Midday Connection

writing or co-writing feature articles with Dr. Beals on related

issues of beauty and cosmetic surgery to be published in leading

women’s magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Redbook, O,

First, More, Marie Clare and other contemporary women’s

magazines, as well as Christian magazines, including Radiant,

Relevant, and Today’s Christian Woman

Incorporating marketing and e-promotional strategies for

Body and Soul into her current website

CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS

Body and Soul presents the realities of cosmetic surgery in today’s complex and beauty-

obsessed culture. Chapter content is illustrated with case studies written in an intimate

narrative form that allow the reader easy identification with the “stories” of the patients.

Each case study is accompanied by reflective questions that engage readers in evaluating

their own interests in cosmetic surgery and examining whether or not cosmetic surgery

may be an appropriate choice for their life circumstances

Chapter 1: The Faces that Shaped the Soul of a Surgeon: Stephen’s Story

This chapter traces the early years of Dr. Beals’ life and the shaping influences of family,

faith, and culture. Through a series of vignettes, he shares how his desire to use medicine

as a tool of healing and life transformation led him to plastic surgery, where his

commitment to faith, beauty, and restoration intertwine.

Nicole’s Story: Nicole shares how shame motivated her to seek a rhinoplasty.

Chapter 2: From Corsets to Chemical Peels: The Changing Face of Beauty in America

A century ago, beauty was assessed by inner character and works of virtue. Today the

focus is external, and with the shift to shape and sensuality, American women and girls

have come to view surface beauty, as opposed to inner beauty, as the primary

measurement of worth. Drawing upon the book The Body Project and using statistics and

current trends, the chapter sketches the popular landscape in which cosmetic surgery is

thriving and shows readers the vacuum in our souls that has been created in the process.

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Ellen’s Story: Ellen relates how a desire to have a more voluptuous body led her to have

a breast augmentation.

Chapter 3: Why Beauty Seeks a Face: Yearning, Beauty, and Image-Bearing

This chapter presents the case for the unity of the body and soul and our yearning for

wholeness and beauty at the core of our being as Image-Bearers. Readers are shown the

connection between our desire to express inward beauty through outward beauty and the

journey to wholeness that physical restoration can bring.

Melinda’s Story: Melinda talks about her journey to restoration as she sought a tummy

tuck after having triplets.

Chapter 4: Entranced by a Gaze: Seeking Beauty in the Eyes of Others

This chapter explores the concept of self-image and finding the source of our significance

in the recognition and gaze of others. It explores the biblical concept that our significance

and identity are found in the Eternal and Fixed Gaze of our loving Heavenly Father.

Jillian’s Story: Jillian shares how she sought a chin implant and lid lift

to correct a “lazy eye” and poor facial profile after years of social ridicule.

Chapter 5: Longing for Wholeness: Writing the End of the Inner Story

This chapter presents the premise that cosmetic surgery is often linked to body image,

women’s stories, “threshold” life experiences, and a desire for restoration and wholeness.

While some women are drawn to cosmetic surgery seeking beauty and affirmation in the

eyes of the world, others come desiring restoration.

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Michelle’s Story: Michelle relates how her childhood feelings of obesity led her to seek

liposuction.

Chapter 6: Faces of Our Unseen Motives: The Challenge of Choice in an Era of Envy

This chapter presents the array of cosmetic choices available to women in their quest for

beauty in the twenty-first century and their power to create an image of themselves. This

chapter explores the role of motive (our inner prompting) and goal (our desired outcome)

as we make choices to cultivate our beauty.

Rachel’s Story: Rachel shares how she sought multiple procedures at one time in order to

achieve a total body makeover.

Chapter 7: Facing the Options: Realities, Results, and Recommendations Regarding Cosmetic Procedures

This chapter presents an overview of the realities, recommendations, cautions, and

expected results for the most commonly sought-after cosmetic procedures.

Kathy’s Story: Kathy shares her journey to the choice of breast reduction surgery.

Chapter 8: When the Choices Are Hardest: Cosmetic Surgery Choices for YourChild

This chapter presents an overview of common cosmetic surgery scenarios faced by

parents on behalf of their children, along with counsel regarding how to best make

informed decisions and help your child through the cosmetic surgery process.

Bill and Janet’s Choice for Brian: A father and mother relate how they made the decision

to have their young son’s ears pinned.

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Chapter 9: The Face I left Behind: Choices and Challenges of Cranio-Facial Surgery

This chapter offers an overview of the types of cranio-facial procedures performed and

the types of follow-up procedures often necessary for maximum correction, depending

upon the patient’s situation.

Jared’s Story: Jared’s parents shares how his cleft palate surgeries impacted his early

development as an infant and how correction affected him both physically and in his

speech and social development.

Chapter 10: Reflections on Body and Soul: Beauty and Yearning Fulfilled

Dr. Beals shares his philosophy of Incarnate Beauty and humankind’s yearning for transformation fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

Glossary

Appendices

Self-assessment tools, including:

Tips for evaluating physician credentials and plastic surgery certifications

Tips for helping determine your doctor’s credentials and “fit” for your

surgical need

Self-evaluation questions to ask yourself before pursuing surgery

Suggestions for helping to deal with family and friends

Tips for pre-operative and post-operative care

The most important questions to ask at your surgical consultation

Helpful websites

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Special Features:

Reflective questions at the end of each chapter

Textboxes and pullquotes that highlight statistics and information from

contemporary media:

o ABC News 20/20: Beauty and the Breast and The Gift of Breast Implants?

(aired 7/20/07)

o CNN Showbiz Tonight: Reality Show Plastic Surgery (aired 8/14/07)

Voices sections interspersed throughout the book that juxtapose alternating

perspectives on cosmetic surgery and body image expressed by women

OTHER DETAILS

Format: Hardcover

Word Count: 65,000 to 70,000

Deadline: To be negotiated

LINE EXTENSION POSSIBILITIES

The Face I Left Behind: The Challenges and Choices of Cranio-Facial Surgery

When the Choices Are Hardest: A Plastic Surgeon’s Guidance on Cosmetic Surgery for

Children

SAMPLE CHAPTERS

Chapter 2 follows on pages 22 to 38.

The case study story for Chapter 7 follows on pages 39-49.

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CHAPTER 2

From Corsets to Chemical Peels: The Changing Face of Beauty in America

Nowhere is the changing face of American beauty portrayed as vividly as on our

television screens.

“Tonight on 20/20, we’re obsessed with our looks, risking everything to satisfy

our vanity . . . Tonight, beauty and the breast. High school girls getting their diplomas,

then getting implants as graduation gifts from their parents.”1

Scenes flash as we watch a series of high school girls discuss their boosted self-

esteem since receiving enlarged breasts.

“My boyfriend says I’m not allowed to watch Dr. 90210 because it becomes a

shopping list,” states Erika Lamoreaux, a plastic surgery patient on CNN’s Showbiz

Tonight with host A. J. Hammer.2 Erika‘s fascination with acquiring the newest and best

cosmetic procedures have taken on an increasing intensity in her life since undergoing

her first procedure.

A segment on ABC’s Good Morning America featured a hot new trend in

cosmetic surgery—permanent, “extreme” eyelashes.3 Even business reports like Money

Matters are chiming in on the media frenzy, reporting cosmetic surgery’s impact on the

travel industry. On a show that aired August 29, 2006, reporter Ryan Owens highlighted

the growth in medical tourism, with Americans increasingly packing their bags and

heading overseas for a nip and a tuck in a posh resort environment at cut-rate prices.

The parade of primetime specials featuring segments on cosmetic procedures has

become television’s daily fare. Yet as a society, we seem to be strangely ambivalent in

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our regard for cosmetic surgery. The same networks that produce alarm-inducing specials

on cosmetic procedures are often staffed by media personalities such as Greta van

Susteren and Barbara Walters who have purportedly sought out cosmetic procedures

themselves in order to maintain appearances in a beauty-driven profession. Feminists

decry beauty as a “myth” while rising statistics indicate the feminine pursuit of beauty at

escalating rates.

So how did we come to be a culture with such ambivalence toward beauty—one

minute falling at its feet in worship and the next recoiling at our own self-obsession?

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Facing the Facts:Plastic Surgery Trends in America

Breast Augmentation 1992 2005 2006 % Increase 1992-2006 % Increase 2005-2006 32,602 279,073 315,516 868% 13%

Eyelid Surgery 1992 2005 2006 % Increase 1992-2006 % Increase 2005-2006 59,461 122,744 124,076 109% 1%

Liposuction 1992 2005 2006 % Increase 1992-2006 % Increase 2005-2006 47,212 268,899 251,602 433% -6%

Tummy Tuck 1992 2005 2006 % Increase 1992-2006 % Increase 2005-2006 16,810 129,052 140,060 733% 9%

Vaginal Rejuvenation 1992 2005 2006 % Increase 1992-2006 % Increase 2005-2006 793 1,030 30%

TOTAL COSMETIC SURGICAL PROCEDURES 1992 2005 2006 % Increase 1992-2006 % Increase 2005-2006 320,487 1,171,795 1,228,950 263% 5%

American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2006 Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Trends. www.plasticsurgery.org

Perhaps a look at who America’s women have historically been can help us discover who

they have become.

The Hidden Relationship Between Corsets and Character

A glance through our family photo albums can give us our first glimpses of how

our attitudes toward beauty have changed. Photos of an average grandmother taken at the

turn of the century shows a woman staring solemnly into the lens of the camera, her

hands folded sedately on her lap, her matronly shape erect and corseted. The expression

on her face is somber and reserved, as befitting a wife and mother of her generation.

Grandma’s steady gaze, her facial expression, posture, and deportment before the camera

show that she is a woman who takes responsibility seriously, who is committed to the

social norms of the day, who desires to portray dignity and grace.

In her book The Body Project (Random House, 1997), Cornell University

professor Joan Jacobs Brumberg presents an overview of a century of American history

through the eyes of American girls and their attitudes toward their bodies. Brumberg’s

conclusions reveal a great deal about the shifting patterns of thought that have shaped our

current attitudes toward beauty. According to Brumberg, during the 19th century, society

placed greater emphasis upon spiritual values and internal character rather than physical

matters and outward beauty. Girls were discouraged from becoming overly concerned

with outward appearance and, instead, were encouraged to direct their attention toward

cultivation of moral character and the good of others. Young women were encouraged to

engage in endeavors of self-sacrifice, family commitment, and community, while keeping

the focus on their self-interest in check. These attitudes are reflected in the novel Little

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Women, where the sisters Meg, Jo, and Beth March give up their Christmas presents and

buy a gift for their mother because it’s war time. They then provide breakfast for their

needy neighbors. In a conversation between the sisters, a disdain for focusing too much

on superficial appearances in a conversation summarizes the attitude of the day: “. . .

[You] waste time on frivolous things, you are contented to be petted and admired by silly

people, instead of being love and respected by wise ones.”4

As Brumberg further

observes, over the course of the

twentieth century, the roles

typically fulfilled by female

relatives and mentors began to

fade. The family began to fan out

from the homestead, and aunts

and cousins who had

traditionally played an

intergenerational mentoring role

in young girls’ lives began to

drift away. The projects and

responsibilities of daily

subsistence began to diminish as

technology rose. Single-sex clubs

came on the scene for a time—Four H, YMCA, Girls’ and Boys’ Scouts, as well as

religious youth groups. These organizations provided mentoring roles and placed an

3

“Beauty imperatives for girls in the nineteenth century were kept in check by consideration of moral character and by culturally mandated patterns of emotional denial and repression. Nineteenth-century girls often noted in their diaries when they acquired an exciting personal embellishment, such as a hair ribbon or a new dress, but these were not linked to self-worth or personhood in quite the ways they are today. In fact, girls who were preoccupied with their looks were likely to be accused of vanity or self-indulgence. Many parents tried to limit their daughters’ interest in superficial things, such as hairdos, dresses, or the size of their waists, because character was considered more important than beauty by both parents and the community. And character was built on attention to self-control, service to others, and belief in God—not on attention to one’s own, highly individualistic body project.”Joan Jacobs Brumberg, The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls. (New York: Random House, 1997), xx.

emphasis on internal character and values. But over the past quarter of a century, the role

of these organizations diminished. As a whole, the family and cultural institutions that

once instilled character and ethics in the lives of young women began to disappear.

Physicians and schools took on the role of dispensers of sexual knowledge. Marketers

began to play an increasing role in advising young women in areas of feminine hygiene

and beauty. Slowly but surely, women began to measure their value and worth not by

standards of internal character, but by visual, external standards that conformed to a

cultural message.

Compacts, Cosmetics, and Learning to Put on a Face

In the early twentieth century, American women began to explore new aspects of

beauty. They bobbed their hair, shortened their skirts, and embraced a focus on the

external in a new way. For the first time, ladies began to experiment with styles of make-

up and carry compact mirrors that became an icon of their new fascination with outer

beauty. Marketing shifted into high gear, as manufacturers recognized almost limitless

possibilities for creating hair, skin, bath, and cosmetic products, all packaged with the

promise to enhance a woman’s appearance and life. The emphasis on internal character

had disappeared from our cultural portrait. Grandma’s gaze was no longer dignified and

fixed. The reserve and conformity of past generations had given way to a fascination with

the promise of new technology. Corsets had disappeared, and women found new

freedom. Or had they? Had an abandonment of whalebone stays given way to a new kind

of conformity? As Brumberg observes, “. . . women exchanged external controls for

internal controls—or the ways in which the body became a central paradigm for the self

3

in the twentieth century, thereby altering the experience of coming of age in some

fundamental ways.”5

More and more, women were coming to live in a world that focused on the

external while denying its relationship to the internal. And without internal controls—an

internal moral compass—women’s search for beauty would become an unending search

to hit a continually moving target.

Slim, Slender, and Starved into Sameness

In the Roaring Twenties, the shape of the American woman took a dramatic turn.

Thinness was no longer viewed as a sign of poor health. The image of the “flapper” was

waif-like and flat-chested, with a pencil-straight profile. “Slimming” products became

popular, and dieting was introduced to the standard beauty culture, with the marketing

dollars to insinuate weight loss products into all avenues of American advertising. The

modern science of the turn of the century had discovered the calorie, and with that

discovery came the ability to calculate and measure a woman’s ability to gain and lose

weight, based upon her calorie consumption. Calorie counting was born, and with it, a

national obsession.

Sharlene Hesse-Biber, professor of sociology at Boston College and founder and

director of the National Association for Women in Catholic Higher Education, looks at

America’s obsession with thinness in her book Am I Thin Enough Yet? (Oxford

University Press, 1996). Hesse-Biber quotes social historian Roberta Seid, author of

Never Too Thin: “While . . . slenderness had been associated with sickness and fragility,

now many health authorities cautioned against overeating and excess weight.”6 With our

3

nation’s new-found focus on dieting, American women became even more consumed

with body image and focusing on external aspects of beauty.

Technology brought its own mixed blessings in regard to our relationship with

beauty. As we grew into the twentieth century, manufactured clothing became available

for the first time in history, and with manufactured clothing came the movement to

standardize sizes. Women now had a new basis for comparing their bodies against the

bodies of other women. Clothing purchased “off the rack” didn’t necessarily fit every

woman’s individualized shape. And clothing purchased in stores began to take on a more

stylized, standardized appearance. Fashion styles and “trends” began to appear, and

women were faced with the double-edged choice of convenience with conformity to the

fashion standards of the day or the option of making their own clothing and pursuing

individuality through their own fashion creations. Increasingly, they chose the path of

convenience and popular fashion. As the fashion industry grew, so did its power of

influence.

The Bodies We Love to Hate

But as emphasis on thin bodies escalated in the twentieth century, so did the

pressure for women to conform to society’s definitions of beauty. Increasingly, fat came

to represent lack of self-control and to be associated with slovenliness and social failure.

“Our culture considers obesity ‘bad’ and ugly. Fat represents moral failure, the inability

to delay gratification, poor impulse control, greed, and self-indulgence.”7

Over time, women’s focus on thinness grew to obsessive proportions. Anorexia

and bulimia became part of the American vocabulary. Other obsessions with external

3

appearance surfaced in popular culture, and self-mutilating behaviors such as cutting,

burning, carving, stabbing, hair-plucking, and head banging were added to the list of

escalating struggles of the young and body-conscious. According to Richard Lieberman,

a school psychologist who leads the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Suicide

Prevention Unit and serves as co-chair of the National Emergency Assistance Team of

the National Association of School Psychologists, “Self-mutilation is one of the least

understood behaviors of adolescence and appears to be increasing at a staggering rate.

Today, for every 100,000 adolescents, it is estimated that between 750 and 1,800 will

exhibit self-injurious behaviors (SIB). This translates to 150,000 to 360,000 students

nationwide, more than 70% of whom are female.”8 And the impact on body

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Facing the Facts:

Statistics on Eating Disorders

Findings from 2003 show Findings from a 2003 study indicate a 40% increase in newly identified cases of anorexia in

girls 15-19 years old. This same study traced a rise in the incidence of anorexia in young women between the ages

of 15-19 in each decade since 1930. The incidence of bulimia in 10-39 year-old women tripled between 1988 and 1993. Over one-half of teenage girls use unhealthy weight control behavior such as skipping meals,

fasting, smoking, vomiting, and taking laxatives. 42% of 1st through 3rd grade girls want to be thinner. 46% of 9-11 year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets. 82% of their families are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets. 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting; of these, 20-25% progress to partial

or full-syndrome eating disorders. 45% of American women are dieting on any given day. Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year.

The National Easting Disorder Website, National Eating Disorders Association. www.NationalEatingDisorders.org. Retrieved August 25, 2007 from http://www.edap.org/p.asp?WebPage-ID=286&Profile_ID=41138

consciousness seems to be spilling over into the world of males, as numbers of eating

disorders and self- mutilation behaviors among young men begin to rise.

Beauty and the Boss

Today the pressure for women (and men) has taken on a higher standard; not only

does a woman have to be thin, but she needs to be buff, with lean abs, sculpted thighs,

and a tight derriere. If she’s image-conscious, the media tells us she needs to show signs

of physical conditioning, spa treatments, and an appropriate beauty regimen. And if she

works in an industry where she’s formally or informally assessed on those qualities, she

may be placing her career on the line by not measuring up. According to author Steve

Jeffes and his book Appearance is Everything, “Attractive persons are assumed to

possess greater ability in a job than unattractive persons . . . The more a manager is

consumed by their own appearance, the more likely they will be to be concerned with,

and discriminate against, yours.”9 Robert J. Barro, a professor of economics at Harvard

University and a senior fellow of the Hoover Institute in an article in Business Week,

entitled, So You Want to Hire the Beautiful, Well, Why Not?, states: “Research studies,

such as those by Daniel S. Hamermesh and Jeff E. Biddle in the 1994 American

Economic Review, indicate that the wage differential between attractive and ugly people

is about 10% for both sexes.” The reality of today’s beauty culture has a direct impact on

the workplace—especially in markets where communication, marketing, and public

image play key roles.

3

Annette McConnell, a successful, award-winning employee at an Arizona

company, experienced this reality firsthand. She didn’t fit the company’s profile for

beauty and body image, so she was told she could find work elsewhere.

“I was told by my manager that they were going to lay me off because people

don’t like buying from fat people.”10

Beauty and image discrimination have sparked such controversy in the nation that

anti-discrimination laws based upon weight and appearance have been enacted or are

under consideration across the country. Currently Michigan is the only state with weight

discrimination laws on the books, but the cities of San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and

Santa Cruz, California have passed laws to legislate weight discrimination.

Whether or not legislative action is seen as the answer, one thing is certain. We

have grown into a nation where appearance has become the standard of worth, while

ethical, moral, and spiritual values have vanished into a fog of postmodern thinking.

The Search for Beauty in a Post-Modern World

So what relationship do ethical, moral, and spiritual values have to our pursuit of

beauty? Is “truth beauty” and “beauty truth,” as John Keats stated in “Ode on a Grecian

Urn”? Is there a relationship to inner beauty and outer beauty, and if so, what is it?

In their book Beauty in Balance, cosmetic surgeons Allen D. Rosen and Valerie

Ablaza state that the concept of “balance” is important to cosmetic surgery because “. . .

psychological research strongly suggests that happiness, or ‘well-being,’ is very much

tied to achieving a balance between our spiritual [emphasis added], emotional, and

3

physical needs. That’s why a book like Beauty in Balance: A Common Sense Approach to

Plastic Surgery—When Less is More is so needed.”11 Interestingly enough, like many

other contemporary books on the topic, Beauty in Balance continues on to discuss

cosmetic surgery procedures without discussing the balance between our physical and

spiritual beings.

To be fair, however, we must acknowledge that Drs. Rosen and Ablaza are

reflecting both the times in which we live—when asserting one’s own spiritual truth is

considered intolerant of someone else’s truth. Most plastic surgeons don’t place

themselves in the role of spiritual advisor. Yet we see the deep and undeniable spiritual

connections between the body and the soul.

Over the past quarter century, our thinking about what constitutes truth and what

can be known has radically shifted. Four centuries before Christ was born, Plato and

Aristotle gave birth to Western concepts about what could be known as truth. Plato taught

that the key to truth was the object itself in a permanent, fixed form. He taught that we

can know the essence of the original, but our truth is permanently anchored in the fixed

original. Aristotle taught that the essence that we know is a part of the original itself.

During the period of classical thought, the world had the assurance of fixed, unchanging

truth that rested in the mind of a fixed, unchanging God, in whose mind the incarnation of

the fixed form rested.12

Modern thinking began with the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. It was

during this period of history that mankind placed himself in the center of the universe and

sought to discover and master the secrets of the world around him. The modern thinker

believed that knowledge was good, certain, and objective because it freed us from social

4

bondage and the whims of nature. During the era of modernity, mankind pursued

knowledge in a quest to apply rational knowledge and find answers in order to improve

the world.13 The modern thinker believed that objective reality existed and could be

known through experience. But there was a catch. Since everyone’s experience is

different and everyone internalizes their experiences through highly personalized mind-

sense frames of reference, the search for objective truth became clouded.

Then in the nineteen seventies, modern thinking came under attack in the form of

postmodern thought, which was first given shape under the theories of Friedrich

Nietzsche (1844-1900). Postmodernism, in a simplified way, claims that objective truth

cannot be known because we all experience truth through differing realities that we

construct through thought and language. “Knowing” exists in the perspective of the

individual, and our knowing is influenced by ambition, culture, and our experiences.

Rather than seeking to discover truth that exists outside ourselves, we as individuals

should engage in discovering the various truths that exist among ourselves as we engage

in meaningful dialogue together. As Stanley J. Grenz states, “In the end, the postmodern

world is merely an arena of ‘dueling texts.’”14

Truth has evaporated, and our culture has been left with arenas of discussion and

exploration. And while this might sound tolerant and democratic, it can be isolating. The

connectivity of shared truth has been lost. The certainty of knowing has become an

illusion. The belief in something beyond ourselves—fixed and constant—has become a

myth.

Although we’re reluctant to admit it, we’re a society uncomfortable living with

the reality we’ve created. A friend of mine recently took a philosophy class at a secular

4

university. The professor, who was lecturing on the virtues of postmodern thought in his

home, was dismayed when my friend exited his home after the first class carrying the

professor’s expensive boom box.

“You can’t take that with you,” the professor protested. “It’s mine.”

“That’s your reality,” my friend reminded him. “I like it, and I want it. That’s

mine.”

The world becomes an uncertain place when fixed standards of truth, justice,

virtue, character, integrity, and even beauty are up for grabs.

Postmodern thought is shaping a culture of individualism, skepticism, and

isolation, as we drift away from shared truth and values. And in a world that is reluctant

to address the body-soul connection of cosmetic surgery, those realities could have

profound implications.

Deeper Questions, Deeper Truth

On the surface, it may look as though postmodern thought has little to do with an

eyebrow lift or a tummy tuck. But the opposite is true. The external now defines us. In a

world where we believe that we all experience truth through differing realities, beauty

can be pursued at any cost, to any degree, in any form, and according to any definition.

Cosmetic surgery has become a tool of reshaping our external self according to our

individualized internal truth. For many patients, it has become a new fashion accessory in

a world of limitless beauty choices.

For others, cosmetic surgery has become a way to pursue an ending to a life story.4

Some are driven by a deep inner need for healing—physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Some simply desire to look “normal.” Other patients who come through my door will

never be beautiful enough, no matter what the mirror in their hand or the mirror of culture

says. These patients reflect the culture of our age, for whom the body-soul connection in

beauty remains an enigma.

Our longing for beauty is woven through the core of our being. Our nature cries

out to know an essence of beauty beyond us. As humans, we share a universal passion for

beauty that points to the truth that beauty is not a subjective element of our individual

imaginings but a part of our created being. We were intended to live in relationship with

beauty, as with other virtues. We were intended to know it and experience as an objective

and experiential reality in our lives and to use it, as all things, to reflect glory to God.

We were designed to be knowers, not skeptics. And in our design, we were built

for beauty, in body and in soul. Our longing for beauty is ultimately an intuitive thirst for

ultimate and complete beauty that can only be found in the Author of beauty, Jesus

Christ.

Cosmetic surgery is a tool for shaping our external bodies into more restored or

more beautiful physical forms, and it can serve beneficial and healing functions that can

transform lives in powerful ways. Jesus Christ was a restorer of both body and soul, and

healing was always a means by which he demonstrated his love and power to gain access

to people’s hearts. The physical was a conduit to the spiritual.

But even the most skilled cosmetic surgeon is limited to addressing surface

aspects of beauty. The truly wise patient will understand the relationship between inner

and outer beauty and explore their motives, goals, the source of their self-image, and the

4

inner voices urging them toward their exploration of cosmetic surgery. This book was

written to help you understand that God has molded a central truth about who he is deep

within each of us. Beauty is his thumbprint, pressed into our hearts.

Is more than skin deep—it is soul deep.

4

Voices

“I decided to get a breast enhancement because I thought my boyfriend would like it. I’ve always liked to have men admire me, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve got to compete with other women out there or run the risk of losing my man. A few of my friends talked about it, and we decided to go to Mexico together and do it on vacation.”

--Callie

“I cannot remember the exact day the mirror became my prison, but I knew I was being held against my will when I realized I was seeking affirmation from an object that could only reflect what I chose to see. Certainly there were some days when I walked away from my morning mirror routine thinking ‘Not too bad.’ But more often there were the ‘if only’ days. ‘If only my hair were longer’ If only my hair were shorter.’ ‘If only I were taller.’ ‘If only my eyes were brown.’ And the ever present ‘If only I were thinner.’ At other times, the mirror is my courtroom where a jury of one, biased by whimsy and moody, delivers a verdict of my worth.”

Regina Franklin, Who Calls Me Beautiful? (Grand Rapids: Discovery House Publishers, 2004), 49.

Notes

1. John Stossel and Elizabeth Vargas. 20/20. American Broadcasting Company, July 20, 2007.

2. Sibila Vargas. Showbiz Tonight. Reality Plastic Surgery. CNN, August 14, 2007.

3. Kate Snow. Good Morning America. American Broadcasting Company, January 21, 2006.

4. Louisa May Alcott, Little Women. “BookRags Book Notes on Little Women.” BookRags. http://www.bookrags.com.notes.lw/.

5. Joan Jacobs Brumberg, The Body Project. (New York: Random House, 1997), 197.

6. Roberta Pollack Seid, Never Too Thin: Why Women Are at War with Their Bodies (New York: Prentice Hall, 1989), 85. As quoted in Brumberg, The Body Project, 25.

7. Sharlene Hesse-Biber, Am I Thin Enough Yet? (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), 4.

8. Richard Lieberman, “Understanding and Responding to Students Who Self-Mutilate,” Principal Leadership Magazine, 4, no. 7, Counseling 101 Column (2004). http://www.nasponline.org/resources/principals/nassp-cutting.aspx. Column, March 2004. NASP Resources. Retrieved 8/25/07 from http://www.nasponline.org/resources/principals/nassp_cutting.aspx

9. Steve Jeffes, Appearance is Everything. (Pittsburgh, PA: Sterling House, 1998), xii.

10. Lisa Wiehl, The Skinny on Job Discrimination. Fox News.Com, August 28, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/o,2933,284112,00.html

11. Allen D. Rosen, M.D., and Valerie J. Ablaza, M.D., Beauty in Balance: A Common Sense Approach to Cosmetic Surgery and Treatments. (MDPublishing.com, 2006), 12.

12. Esther Lightcap Meek, Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People. (Brazos Press, 2003), 28.

13. Stanley J. Grenz, A Primer on Postmodernism. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing, 1996), 4.

14. Grenz, A Primer on Postmodernism, 7.

CHAPTER 7

Anna’s Story

The day Anna found her husband dead beside the tractor near their barn, her first

thought was to cup her body next to his and die, too. But that would have been the easy

choice, and God didn’t seem to be offering it that summer afternoon.

Anna was fifty years old the day Ed died. He’d been her childhood sweetheart in

their small rural high school in the heart of Michigan. They’d married before they’d

finished college—Ed receiving his agricultural degree from a state school and Anna

attending a small private college and receiving her teaching certificate. They’d moved

back to the family farm and put down their roots as their parents had hoped. Before long,

kids came long—three beautiful children. Two boys and one girl, who eventually grew

into adulthood and moved out of state with new careers and new spouses.

Anna loved her work as a teacher in the small Christian school in their hometown.

Everyone knew everyone, and many of her students were her friends’ children. She had a

passion for history and politics, and she was constantly searching for and creating ways

to involve her students in cross-cultural studies, community improvement, and the

political process. She worked in local campaign efforts and was an active member of her

political party, slowly widening her sphere of influence at both the county and state levels

over the years.

Ed, on the other hand, was happiest when he was tilling the field on the tractor.

His work on the family farm and in leadership in their growing church occupied most of

his time. He and Anna were just stepping into their empty-nest years the afternoon she

found him crumpled near the front tires of their red and white International Harvester.

The days after Ed’s death were grueling for Anna. She and her husband had been

inseparable from the time she was thirteen. She faced not only life without her mate and

lover, but the challenge of earning a living on a Christian teacher’s salary. The small

farming community where they’d lived offered no options at the public school. Jobs in

education were scarce, and the town offered no other employment that could sustain a

single widow. As the year following Ed’s death unfolded, Anna made the difficult

decision to leave family and move to Grand Rapids, where memories wouldn’t surround

her at every turn. But her greatest reason for leaving was to find employment that could

support her as a single widow.

Through friends and her own connections, Anna sought employment with a

political policy think tank. She remembers slight discomfort at the job interview—

knowing that if she was fortunate enough to be hired, she would easily be the oldest

person in the entire agency. There were a number of questions regarding her name and

her associations with her cousin, who was an aide to a highly placed government official.

The job provided the level of income and benefits that Anna needed in order to be self-

sufficient at the age of fifty-two. It wouldn’t be a lucrative position, but it would provide

what she needed to live independently of her adult children and without needing to

deplete her limited savings and investments.

Anna first began to consider cosmetic surgery when she made the decision to

move to the city. Before the age of thirty, she’d begun to notice deep furrowing of her

forehead and cheeks, facial characteristics she’d inherited from her mother and

grandmother. At the age of fifty-two, Anna appeared to be at least fifteen years older than

her actual age. Prominent crow’s feet radiated from her eyes, and deep lines etched her

face, giving her a harsh appearance. People often commented that she looked angry.

But one other element of Anna’s appearance had concerned her from the time

she’d been a child. She’d been born with a weak chin profile.

“I always felt I was ugly and didn’t know why Ed ever wanted to marry me. I

really had no chin at all. I’d always considered myself disfigured and wanted to have a

normal chin like everyone else. Then as I’d aged, my appearance worsened, and Ed’s

death took an even greater toll.”

Anna was hired for the job at the think tank. But it didn’t take long for her to

realize that personnel revolved in and out of the organization on a short-term basis.

“My boss appeared to hire people for a particular agenda. When they’d fulfilled that

agenda and he didn’t find a useful purpose for them, they were out the door. I realized

I would have to produce, and I realized I would also have to be prepared to be marketable

at a moment’s notice. I believed that marketability in my field was at least in part

related to age and appearance.”

Anna began to shop for a cosmetic surgeon, beginning her search with the phone

directory. She found three surgeons who had the credentialing she was looking for and

made appointments with each of them for consultations.

“I need to do this for economic reasons,” Anna shared. “It’s wasn’t about vanity. I

was a widow who had to support myself in a job market where everyone else is at least

ten to fifteen years my junior. I was working in an industry where communication,

persuasion, and appearance are part of the package. From the moment I enter the room, I

know I’ll be assessed on my appearance. In that environment, people rate my credibility

as a professional, in part, on my appearance, whether I like it or not. A face lift was

simply one thing I could do to put my best foot forward.”

Anna spoke about the realities of paying for the surgery. “I considered this an

investment in my new career. People invest thousands in going to seminars or in

wardrobe upgrades. This was an investment in me that I thought would pay off in my

being hired and in the way I’d be regarded on the job. In almost every environment I

worked in over the years I was employed with that organization, I was the oldest

individual in the room. I never regretted my decision. I believe it was not only a good

investment, but wise stewardship of the insurance money that was intended to take care

of me and protect my future.”

After an initial consultation and follow-up calls to check references, Anna chose

her surgeon. She then returned for two additional visits for photographs and counseling.

“I appreciated the combination of directness and professionalism of my surgeon.

She informed me that my partial face lift and chin implant were not going to make me a

beauty queen or alter my life. We discussed realistic expectations and outcomes. I was

surprised to discover that my procedures would be done at a medical center and not at a

hospital, but I was reassured that many cosmetic procedures are done outside a hospital

setting.”

For the actual surgical procedure, Anna chose to have a sister-in-law present for

moral support. As in most medical situations throughout her life, Anna found that her

healing process progressed more slowly than other people’s.

“I was recovering for most of the summer, although I went back to work after two

weeks. I was pleased with the outcome, although the surgeon chose to use a larger chin

implant than we’d initially discussed. She felt my overall profile and bone structure

required the balance of the larger implant.”

And how did others respond to Anna’s decision?

“I was afraid that people wouldn’t understand my motivation for my surgery, so I

told very few people. I’m sure there’s always a propensity for people to think about a

widow trying to perk herself up to get a new husband. But I couldn’t be concerned with

other people’s judgment. I didn’t pragmatically abandon my Christian standards. It was a

heartfelt decision that I felt could be made in a God-honoring way. Yet I felt that certain

people within my small Christian community at home perceive all cosmetic surgery as an

expression of vanity.

“I believe that I’m to do all to the glory of God and that I’m to embrace my

womanhood in that same way. This was not an abandonment of who God created me to

be but an act of striving for excellence on my part. That’s always the way I’ve lived my

life.”

Did Anna feel pressured to conform to outside images of beauty?

“I don’t feel that wanting an imperfection corrected is conforming to an outside

image of beauty. I’m not compelled by Hollywood standards or fashion magazines. I was

born without what I perceived to be a normal chin structure, and it was reasonably within

my means to have a doctor assist me in correcting this. It was also possible for me to

have a face lift in order to renew my appearance after my loss. It was a tool that I used.

The time was right after Ed died. I couldn’t have justified the expense if I hadn’t been

making the job transition.

“Right now I’m sixty-four and I’m looking at the need for a little-touch-up work.

But since my face lift, I’ve moved back to my small hometown, and I’m no longer in a

competitive job market. People here love me for who I am, and if I droop and sag, my

livelihood doesn’t depend on it. I’m back working at our small Christian school. Is there

more cosmetic surgery in my future? I don’t think so.”

Dr. Beals’ Observations

Although Anna’s life-changing story was unique to her, her circumstances were

similar to many patients who seek plastic surgery. My observations as a surgeon involve

a number of areas in regard to Anna’s case.

Choosing a plastic surgeon. Anna did her research to find a qualified plastic

surgeon. This is one of the most critical steps in the process when considering surgery.

It’s important that the patient look not only for a qualified surgeon, but for a surgeon with

the appropriate chemistry match for them. This means that the two can exchange ideas,

communicate freely, and hear the other. The surgeon must be able to understand and

visualize what the patient wants to accomplish so that he or she can determine whether or

not the patient’s goals are achievable. Similarly, the patient needs to be able to

understand what the surgeon describes and what can or cannot be surgically

accomplished in order to avoid unrealistic expectations. Patient should always seek a

plastic surgeon who is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery as

a starting point for their medical qualifications.

The surgical process. Anna had a more prolonged recovery than most patients.

Fortunately, this didn’t compromise her results. All patients must understand that the

recovery process takes a matter of time. Depending on the procedure, recovery could be

one to three weeks for the acute phase and up to a year before all soft tissues and scars

are fully healed and faded into natural skin tones again. Surgery must be undertaken at a

time in life when the patient can be dedicated to the recovery process. Complications are

more likely to occur if someone does not strictly adhere to postsurgical restrictions.

Genetics of aging. Whether we like it or not, we all tend of age much like our

parents. A frequent patient comment is that “I looked in the mirror and I realized I looked

like my mother (or my father).” Family patterns of aging do occur in the face and neck

region. Some families age more around the eyes first, while the youthfulness of the face

and neck remain relatively preserved. For some patients, this genetic predisposition is an

impetus for a consultation regarding cosmetic options.

Looking older than your age. Anna felt that she looked ten to fifteen years older

than her true age. Premature aging can be emotionally difficult for those who experience

it. My patients often tell me that “Everybody keeps telling me I look tired even when I’ve

just had a good night’s sleep and feel perfectly rested.” Other people’s aging lines and

patterns make them look angry, depressed, or unhappy. Lines, especially in the forehead,

around the mouth, and around the eyes can make people look tired or as though they’re in

a bad mood. These concerns are often enough for someone to consider plastic surgery,

but they’re strictly subjective interpretations on the part of each patient regarding the

appearance they’re comfortable living with.

Attractiveness versus aging. In addition to Anna’s concerns about premature

aging, she was also concerned about the “unattractiveness” of her weak chin. Changing

facial features in order to bring greater harmony and attractiveness is another type of

motivation for visiting a plastic surgeon, apart from motivations regarding signs of aging.

It’s common for people to have familial features that are out of balance with the rest of

their face and to become self-conscious about them. Many times these features can be

easily altered and can make a significant impact on appearance and self-confidence.

Anna, like many people, had always felt unattractive, and she wondered why Ed had ever

been attracted to her. But following surgery there is often a significant change in

confident and countenance, and patients act as if a burden has been lifted from their lives.

Often well-meaning friends and relatives tell patients, either directly or indirectly,

to accept out-of balance features, but those features can often be easily corrected, and the

patient’s life positively and sometimes dramatically impacted with the change.

The plight of the widow. I often see widows and widowers who, after a period of

grieving, begin to look at themselves again outside the context of their prior, accepting

marital relationship. After losing a spouse, they often choose to deal with features they

are bothered by, after asking the questions, “What do others think about how I look? Am

I attractive? Do I look old? How will my appearance affect my future relationships and

career opportunities?”

Appearance in the workplace. Anna had great concerns about how her

appearance would impact her ability to compete in the marketplace as she sought a job.

This is a common concern for individuals who feel they look older than competitors in

their field or perhaps not as attractive. How much direct pressure is real regarding

appearance in the workplace and how much is perceived can be difficult to measure.

Certainly some job markets place a greater emphasis upon appearance than others, such

as media and advertising. In Anna’s situation, it’s difficult to determine whether or not

her analysis regarding appearance in her particular job market was realistic or not. But

what was true in Anna’s case was that her procedures gave her a greater appearance of

youth and a greater sense of confidence to take into her new job setting.

Realistic expectations. As a physician, it’s important for me to determine that a

patient is seeking procedures for healthy reasons and that the patient understands that

surgery is not going to alter the course of their life. Anna needed to know that a chin

implant and a face lift were not going to make her a beauty queen, insure job security, or

eradicate problems in her life. Because she had recently become a widow, it was also

important to be sure that she was emotionally healthy and had come to a point of stability

and healing. Healthy patients understand that true value is not connected to external

appearance but is rooted in moral character.

Appearance insecurities. Anna was sensitive and insecure about her appearance.

She felt the need to seek out help for her aging features and her weak chin based upon her

self-evaluation. One question to be asked during patient assessment is whether others

observe the same things about that patient, or are they overly sensitive about their need

for improvement? But if Anna’s confidence is rooted in her opinion about her

appearance, her feelings will drive her search for wholeness or change. In the end, it’s the

patient who must live with the choices they make regarding their appearance. Only the

patient will go through the process and the pain to come to a better place.

Cosmetic surgery as a private matter. As difficult as it may be for some

patients to come to carry out, it’s not necessary for them to justify their rationale for the

cosmetic changes they elect to have. Only the patient knows what it is like to live with his

or her perceived deformities, and only they will experience how the procedure and

healing that will affect them. The deformity and need for improvement is in the eye and

heart of the beheld, not the beholder.

The best possible surgical situation is when a patient shares his or her desires with

someone who believes in them, accepts them the way they are, accepts their need for

change, and provides emotional support to help them go through it. One of the best

scenarios I experience occurs when a couple comes in because the wife desires to correct

changes that occurred with pregnancy. The husband loves and accepts his wife the way

she is but is willing to support what she wants to change. I find this to be the most

supportive and healthy situation for proceeding with plastic surgery. The husband both

accepts his wife the way she is, and he also blesses and her supports the restorative

change that she desires.

A final note. Regardless of the many reasons that Anna cited for choosing her

cosmetic procedures, it was reasonable for her to desire to have a “mid-life tune-up.”

Apart from reasons of job security, her desire to improve her appearance was appropriate.

Anna’s thinking and rationale were balanced, and she exhibited courage to move forward

with her decision. As a result, she experienced healing in her loss, and her need to move

forward without Ed led to greater confidence in her job because of her increased

attractiveness and youthfulness. In the process, Anna resolved a self-consciousness issue

that she’d struggled with since childhood. All of this enriched her life. Unfortunately, she

had to take these steps secretively in order to avoid criticism from those who could have

provided loving support and with whom she felt unable to share her journey toward

healing.

Questions for Reflection

1. Anna’s concern for her financial resources weaves its way through her story. Do you agree that using her finances for a face lift was a good investment? How do you weigh investing in your physical appearance with other financial commitments, obligations, and choices in your life?

2. Anna felt that her acceptance and reputation on the job were compelling factors in her cosmetic surgery choice. Do you feel these are justifiable reasons for seeking cosmetic surgery? Why or why not?

3. Anna doesn’t feel that she will seek cosmetic surgery again, although she admits that she could use some “touch-up” work. How do your environment and peer groups influence your attitudes and desires toward cosmetic surgery?

4. Anna chose to tell just a few close friends about her cosmetic surgery decision. If or when you were to make a decision to have cosmetic surgery, would you choose to tell others about it? What would be your reasons for telling or not telling friends and/or family? Do you hear “voices” of guilt or condemnation for the choice you might make? Do you feel this guilt is true guilt for a wrong decision or false guilt for not measuring up to someone else’s standards?

5. What roles do you believe courage and fear play in a decision like Anna’s? What roles have courage and fear or would courage and fear play in your decisions regarding cosmetic surgery?

Part 3:

By

Claudia Mitchell and Kim Goad

REPRESENTED BY

Tim Beals, Agent of Record for Mitchell and GoadCredo Communications3148 Plainfield Ave NE, Suite 111Grand Rapids, MI 49525tim@credocommunications.net(616) 363-2686

CAN ONE GIRL CHANGE THE WORLD?Becoming the Leader You Were Born to Be

Contents

Genre 2

About the Book 2

Audience 2

Distribution Channels 3

Length of Manuscript 4

Market Analysis 4

Delivery of Manuscript 4

About the Authors 5

Chapter Summary 8

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Genre:

Christian/Non-Fiction/Young Adult

About the Book

Can One Girl Change the World? encourages young women to know that they do, in fact, have a

specific role in impacting the world, and it will inspire them to discover their passion, their leadership style,

and how to effectively carry out their role.

Using biblical, historical, and modern day examples, the book will reflect on real-life illustrations to

help girls understand how God created them to take their personal place in history by influencing their world

with their unique gifts and desires.

Stories will be constructed to inspire and inform the central message that when you really “get” who

you and are and how much God loves you, you will be infused with the desire and capability to love others

with the tools with which you have been equipped. Practical advice will be given on how to prepare oneself

for leadership opportunities, how to develop the character of a leader, how to work in teams to achieve goals,

how to assess progress, and how to overcome obstacles on the path to leadership.

Audience

Can One Girl Change the World? targets girls aged twelve to eighteen who fit any of the following categories:

1. Young women who don’t yet believe that they were created for a purpose and need to be convinced;

2. Young women who already suspect that life is meant to be an adventure, but need help in determining their path;

3. Young women who already have a good understanding of their unique talents with a desire to put them to use, but who need practical advice on getting started.

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Can One Girl Change the World? will definitely appeal to young Christian women, but it is the authors’

hope that this book will also reach a general audience seeking to develop leadership skills and will, in turn,

cause them to search the God who desires to see them be all he created them to be.

The applications from Can One Girl Change the World? have already been well received in youth

retreats, camps, and Bible studies, as well as teacher training for public schools, self-esteem classes at

Indiana University, training Christian school educators, sermons and conventions (Children’s Pastor

Convention, Nashville, Tenn., a parenting convention in Danville, Ill., and the North American Christian

Convention, Columbus, Ohio).

Distribution Channels

Can One Girl Change the World? could be marketed in CBA as well as ABA retail stores. It could

also be featured at conventions such as youth pastor conferences or the American Association of Christian

Counselors World Conference. The book would also be available at retreats and training sessions at which

the authors share their stories and applications.

Length of Manuscript

About 50,000 words or 200 manuscript pages. Ten chapters, plus introduction and endnotes.

Complementary Titles

A search for other books in this genre revealed that there is a real market gap for Can One Girl Change the World? There are very few popular Christian titles, with some similarities and important differences:

1. A Girl's Guide to Life: The Real Dish on Growing Up, Being True, and Making Your Teen Years Fabulous! (by Katie Meier, W Publishing Group, 2004). Addresses general issues facing teens—self-esteem, dating, peer pressure, family relationships, etc.

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2. The Dream Giver for Teens (by Jessica and Bruce Wilkinson, Multnomah, 2004). Addresses the issue of discovering one’s dream, in general, for teens.

3. God Called a Girl (by Shannon Kubiak, Bethany House, 2005). Draws on the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, to relay specific spiritual lessons for today’s teen.

4. It’s Not About Me Teen Edition (by Max Lucado, Integrity, 2005). General Christian book for teens on putting God in the center of one’s life and living life on purpose.

While there are many Christian devotionals for teen girls, as well as a few books on finding one’s calling

or developing godly characteristics in general, Can One Girl Change the World? is a uniquely practical,

Christian-based guide on leadership geared solely to young women.

Delivery of Manuscript

Within six months of contract date, or at a date agreed upon by agent and publisher.

About the Authors

Claudia Mitchell

Claudia’s current position as Director of Women’s Ministries at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in

Bloomington, Indiana (a growing congregation of approximately 3,000), coupled with her ten years of

experience teaching elementary school students and ten years of experience as a Children’s Minister, have

given her an abundant understanding of the needs of young women and an ample portfolio of illustrations.

Under her ten years as Dean of the Hilltop Christian Camp Girls Week (devoted to the spiritual

development of hundreds of third- through sixth-grade girls led by junior high and high school student

leaders), Claudia has had the privilege of seeing numerous young women develop into extraordinary leaders

(including many who have assumed roles in ministry and overseas missions).

She has shared her experiences by speaking at public education conferences, the North American

Christian Convention (an annual gathering of 6,500 Christian churches with 1.6 million members), the

International Network of Children’s Ministry (a training event that attracts more than 8,000 ministers), the

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Youth Workers Conference, various women’s conferences and youth camps, and in classrooms at Indiana

University and Ivy Tech College in Bloomington, Indiana.

She has written Sunday school lessons for Standard Publishing Company for children and adults, as

well as articles in Hoosier Gadabout and Hoosier Outdoors.

Claudia attended Lincoln Christian College and graduated from Indiana University (where she was a

recipient of the Clyde Culbertson creative writing award). During her teaching career, she received The

Golden Apple Teaching Award and Special Education Award. While in children’s ministry, she received the

All Star VBS Award from Standard Publishing.

Kim Goad

Kim’s sixteen years of experience in the corporate world (serving such notable clients as Bristol-

Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Fortune Brands, Owens Corning, Ameritech, US West, Sprint, and NYNEX) have

given her first-hand and practical familiarity with what it takes to be an effective leader.

Kim has a desire to see young women come to know God and their role in the world through in-depth

study of the Bible. As such, she has had the pleasure of working with young women by leading Bible studies

and retreats, taking them on mission trips, and serving as the liaison for approximately twenty student leaders

each year at the Hilltop Christian Camp Girls Week.

Kim has written a high school student how-to guide for an electronic career mentoring system for the

Learn More Resource Center, a group under the direction of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in

partnership with the Indiana Department of Education dedicated to improving student achievement and

increasing the educational attainment of all Hoosiers.

She has also written articles for Business Network (a publication of the Chamber of Commerce of

Bloomington, Indiana), the IU Alumni Magazine, and M.D. News (a business and lifestyle magazine for

physicians). She is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Business.

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Chapter Summary

Introduction: Describes how we became convinced of a need for this book through a particular experience

at a youth camp, and for whom it is written:

Young women who need to be convinced that they were created for a specific purpose;

Young women who already have an inkling that there must be more to life, but don’t know quite how to determine their role in the world;

Young women who already have a dream and understand a bit about their unique giftedness, but need a practical how-to for getting started.

Part One: Do I Know Who I Am?

Chapter 1: A Princess With a Purpose

The idea of all young women as princess is very popular today, but who does God say you are? Chapter 1 uses Scripture to establish our identity, and describes that being a princess is having privilege with responsibility. God has appointed the exact time and place for each individual to exist, and he is calling leaders to come forth in every generation. We describe biblical and historical examples of women who have impacted God’s timeline throughout history, and encourage girls that “This is your time!”

Chapter 2: What’s My Passion?

Chapter 2 will establish that God has given you your unique passions and guides you to determine yours—with practical, step-by-step instructions on journaling what God is saying to you, thinking through your purpose, and talking it over with others. By the end of the chapter, readers will have written their own life mission statement.

Chapter 3: What Kind of Leader Am I?

The third describes characteristics of girls who change the world, touching on the similarities and differences of leaders. It will describe the character that is important for all who desire to be the type of leader who is worth following. It will help the reader determine the particular kind of leader she is and establish that, no matter our particular style, we are all called to servant leadership, using Jesus and others as models.

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Part Two: Do I Know Where I’m Going?

Chapter 4: What’s God Saying to Me?

Chapter 4 will address whether and how God still speaks today, using biblical and contemporary examples. It will help young women learn how to hear his voice for themselves and how to discern his voice from their own, others, and the world.

Chapter 5: What’s The Plan?

This chapter will establish the importance of having a plan, and will address the need to first consecrate oneself in order to be prepared for positions of leadership. It will describe spiritual disciplines (such as meditation, solitude, journaling, prayer, service, and Bible study) in order to “remain in the vine.” By the end of Chapter 5, the reader will write specific objectives and strategies to achieve her mission.

Chapter 6: Honing Your Leadership Skills

Chapter 6 will guide the reader in an honest assessment of her unique skills and resources and determine any gaps she has in achieving her objectives. It will further discuss character development, submission to authority, leading by example, and getting started with small, short-term leadership experiences.

Chapter 7: Aligning with Others to Achieve the Goal

This chapter will deal with the importance of relationship in achieving one’s objectives, using the scriptural definition of the body of Christ and other illustrations. It will address the importance of with whom one chooses to align herself, how to get people on your team, and what to do with them once you’ve got them on your side.

Part Three: Is Anyone Going with Me?

Chapter 8: How Am I Doing?

Chapter 8 will talk about the importance of periodically assessing how we’re doing in our leadership roles—how to solicit feedback from others, how to determine what success will look like, and how to make adjustments to the plan if necessary.

Chapter 9: Overcoming the Obstacles Along the Way

Chapter 9 will establish that we will face obstacles in achieving our goals. It will address types of obstacles (people, our own shortcomings, fear, perfectionism, distractions, the comfort zone, etc.) and how to overcome them—by teaching them how to prepare for obstacles, using biblical examples, reminding them of the goal, realizing that obstacles are gifts, and discussing the importance of forgiveness, perseverance, and staying positive.

Chapter 10: Blowing It Big Time

The final chapter will explore how we all blow it at times—sometimes big time. We’ll use illustrations to discuss ways that we blow it (by giving up, sinning, getting lazy, etc.) and what to do when we do blow it (grace, repentance, redemption, perseverance).

Conclusion:

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The conclusion will provide a summary of the book and will encourage the reader

to go change her world!

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