Cosmetic Surgery Can't Go Unmentioned

TV critic decries 'new—and wrinkle-free!—elephant in the living room'
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2008 2:07 PM CDT
Cosmetic Surgery Can't Go Unmentioned
Dolly Parton is one of the few stars who admits to having plastic surgery.   (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Cosmetic surgery is out of control, TV critic Mary McNamara contends in the Los Angeles Times, and it's time to break the taboo of talking about it in mainstream criticism. TV reviews shouldn’t descend into blogospheric dissections of cosmetic work, but obvious surgery not connected to an actor’s role “can affect not only their performance but the whole tone of the show.”

“While it is appropriate to point out technical things like disruptive camera work or shoddy set design,” McNamara notes, it is not to point out disruptive facial surgery. “When cosmetic decisions interfere with performances,” reviewers must break the taboo and speak out. Otherwise, we just may "forget what normal looks like." (More plastic surgery stories.)

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