Rhinoplasty and Ethnic Pride

 

                In the beginning of Chapter 7 “Social Action comes to the Pancakes House”, we find out that Barbara has received rhinoplasty to alter her nose. This brought to my mind the extent to which people belonging to different ethnic groups will go to make their appearances more fitting to western standards of beauty. From skin bleaching creams, hair straitening chemicals, to surgery on their eyelids, a lot of these methods can be extensive and sometimes even dangerous. Sometimes I wonder if this type of change could be considered a form of “Assimilation” in America. The majority culture impedes its standards on other cultures. The thought of the word assimilation has never been tied to positive thoughts in my mind. Do you agree with Barbara’s new bodily reconstruction? And what could this possibly say about Amercan’s standards of beauty?