Plastic Surgery's Double-Edged Knife

The American public that slammed Britney Spears for daring to show a little cellulite is just as rabidly eviscerating Donda West as vain for succumbing to our culture of perfection, reflects Robin Givhan of the Washington Post in the wake of West's death. Our dysfunctional relationship with beauty cuts deep, Givhan writes, yet it's surprising that it reached West.

"Celebrities are trapped: mocked if they look bad, mocked for trying desperately to look good," writes Givhan. But only 6% of those who go under the knife are African American, and one might have expected West, a former professor, to be beyond its reach. All the more damning, then, that the culture of celebrity beauty claimed even her. (More Kanye West stories.)