Several months ago, this column discussed how plastic surgery had transcended its basic meaning as a technique of improving on nature to become a means toward self-actualization. People who once tried to hide their face-lifts and nose jobs now trumpet them proudly, because they believe that feeling better about oneself is nothing to be ashamed of.
It was easy to ridicule such a trend, and re-reading the piece I can see where it might come off as glib, especially after watching several installments of the new Fuji TV series, "Beauty Colosseum" (Friday, 7 p.m.).
Structured as your usual variety-talk program, with two celebrity hosts and a changing panel of celebrity guests, "Beauty Colosseum" invites viewers with self-image problems about their appearance to tell their stories on air. They are then sent into a kind of Star Chamber inhabited by five beauty consultants -- a hairdresser, a makeup artist, a stylist, an aesthetician and a cosmetic surgeon -- who look the subjects over and offer professional opinions.