My Next-Door Neighbor Had Plastic Surgery — And I Couldn’t Figure Out Why
I was supportive of her, in theory.
It was a breezy morning when I noticed my next-door neighbor signaling to me from her doorstep. She wore a pink robe and a sheepish smile as I approached her.
‘Hi, what’s up?’ I said.
She clasped the front of her robe with a tense delight and whispered to me, ‘I got a tummy tuck! I’m recovering right now.’
I was taken aback. I looked at my neighbor, who, by all accounts, was a total knockout. The kicker was that she had given birth to four kids—and still looked trim and gorgeous. Her husband was still madly in love with her, that was obvious to anyone on any given day.
I honestly did not know what to say to her. Although we are both in our forties, I am five years older than my neighbor. It seemed kind of soon for her to be considering plastic surgery.
As I stood at my neighbor’s door, she could barely contain her excitement to tell me about this event, as if it were a precious secret she was spilling.
‘I mean, I got some sculpting done.’ She explained to me in a low voice — I’m assuming in case any of the other neighbors were to hear. ‘After four kids, I had so many rolls and saggy bits, I just needed to do this for myself.’ She continued.
‘That’s great!’ I responded. ‘Good for you! If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters.’
That was the only response I could come up with at that moment that sounded supportive and non-judgemental.
And I was supportive of her, in theory. However, after she told me the cost of the procedure (thousands of dollars) I have to say, I was stunned. My neighbor and her partner struggle daily to make ends meet just like most of us in our neighborhood do.
I was shocked that her husband would agree to spend so much money on plastic surgery. Well, technically, it’s not surgery. It’s something called ‘tummy sculpting’ or ‘cool sculpting’. The procedure eliminates sagging skin or excess fat that diet and exercise don’t get rid of and then sculpts your waistline into a flattering shape — or so I’ve read.
Want to subscribe to The Pondering Nook for free? I’d love to have you. Want access to bonus content including my podcast? Become a paid subscriber. Either way, Thank you for supporting me :)
I walked away from my neighbor’s house feeling dumbfounded — not so much that she would have this procedure, but that she would spend so much money on it. Mind you, my neighbor is the main breadwinner of the household so perhaps she just decided that it was her money, her decision.
Who knows what goes on in other people’s homes as far as how they make financial decisions? Objectively, it wasn’t any of my business — that is until my neighbor made it my business.
This conversation left me pondering what kind of cosmetic procedures I might consider for myself. There are a few. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t researched certain skin treatments or non-invasive procedures. Inevitably, once I see the pricing on these procedures that’s the end of my browsing.
I found out later that my neighbor’s best friend had been undergoing several cosmetic procedures recently, including the same tummy sculpting my neighbor got. I wondered if this was where it would end. Would more procedures be on the horizon for my pretty next-door neighbor? Is it true that once you start down the nip and tuck road, you can’t stop trying to perfect yourself ‘just one more time?’
I was and still am genuinely shocked by my neighbor’s confession. I never even noticed the tummy rolls she said she got rid of. Maybe she hid them well. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Perhaps all that matters is that when she looks in the mirror now, she feels better about herself and it improves her life. Maybe the money spent wasn’t as important to her as feeling good about herself. Maybe I’ll never know.
On the outside, my next-door neighbor seems pretty happy these days and enjoys wearing form-fitting outfits to show off her figure. Good for her. I reckon her husband is still going to be head-over-heels for her — tummy sculpting or not.
Meanwhile, I can’t help but wonder if it was all worth it.