Hi Gene! Thank for your thoughtful response. First of all, I should tell you that, as someone who lives at (and often under) the poverty line through practically all of my adult life, I completely understand that "cosmetic" surgery is not usually available to poor people. I'm very sympathetic to anyone else in a similar boat. Mini rant: I just had a frustrating conversation with my health insurance company the other day wherein they informed me that they don't believe in coverage for reconstructions / implant replacement for breast deformities. I have no idea how I'll afford to replace my current implants, in this case. It's mentally painful to have deformed breasts, and it's physically uncomfortable to have breasts that aren't breast-shaped. I was really lucky that my extended family was empathic to this fact when I was younger and that they therefore helped to fund my surgery. So not having insurance support, now that I am older, sucks. Because even at 40, a surgery like this is still not something I can afford on my own.
That said, my remark about people deserving access to gender-affirming cosmetic procedures had overtones related to dysphoria. I was trying to make this point because there's SO much anti-trans pushback with respect to gender-affirming care in society nowadays. That's why, in my essay, I wanted to hint that people of any gender can benefit from gender-affirming care; it was a bid to generate empathy among the otherwise-hard-hearted. One of my hopes with this piece was to illustrate that plastic surgery is often profoundly healing from a mental health perspective, even when it isn't "medically" necessary. To this end, I very much believe that health insurance companies should cover plastic surgery in certain cases, even where illness and injury aren't involved, if the surgery is gender-affirming. The sad thing is, there's already inconsistency in how some health insurance companies treat such questions, and there's a lot of sexism at the root of those inconsistencies. For example, where I live, health insurance companies would readily pay for a prosthetic testicle, but not a breast reconstruction for a deformed woman. I could go on about why this is ridiculous, but I'll spare you the time. Suffice it to say, there is often a denigration of "feminine" appearance concerns in society at large, and this is a patriarchal problem that extends into the realm of healthcare.
(Meanwhile, many health insurances will cover a rhinoplasty — including absolutely unnecessary cosmetic changes to the nose — if the interior of the nose is simultaneously misshapen in some way. So, again, an example of inconsistencies in what gets covered, and an example of why it's hypocritical and cruel not to fund gender-affirming cosmetic procedures, when non-essential cosmetic stuff often gets paid for.)
Anyway, the question you asked was: "how much will this cost, and who can afford it?" I don't have answers to either of those questions, unfortunately. I do like to believe that we're moving in a more gender- and race-inclusive direction with respect to beauty standards. If we'd had these when I was younger, I might've left my nose alone. On the plus side, inclusivity will probably mean that more people will be content with their looks and be less inclined to seek surgery in the first place. But I guess only time will tell. :)
