I used to think it'd be hard to beat Ian Wright from Lonely Planet as a crazy explorer, but that was before I watched Louis Theroux get liposuction.
Under the Knife (2007), written and presented by Louis Theroux, a British-American, tongue in cheek "journalist," is the third installment of a five part BBC documentary series on the strange and dangerous behavior of people around the world. This is the first show I've seen by Louis, and it was more in the style of Lonely Planet, a series on traveling, than a documentary. You can find a complete list of Louis' series and his other work on Wikipedia here.
In this episode, Louis is in L.A. interviewing a few plastic surgeons and their patients, asking them questions about self image, social pressure, etc. Operations of procedures for breast implants, liposuction, tummy tucks, and brow lifts were also filmed. I fast forwarded these parts.
Is plastic surgery strange and bizarre? Yes. We all know there are people who believe plastic surgery fixes problems. That's not new. The fascination lies in watching people say outlandish promises with conviction. One image consultant says about her client, "after the brow lift she will look refreshed and feel more energetic." (I quote from memory)
I doubt I'll watch more of Louis Theroux's series. While vaguely amusing, he wasn't engaging and a quick scan of the other subjects -- prison, hunting extinct animals, law and order, etc -- doesn't interest me.
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