Beauty's Price

"Have you heard about the new procedure? They say it can make you look exactly how you want."

"Yeah, I've seen the ads everywhere. 'Your dream body awaits' and all that marketing nonsense. Sounds too good to be true if you ask me."

"That's what I thought at first too. But my cousin Sarah... she did it. And Mark, the results are incredible. She looks like a completely different person."

"Different how, Jenny? Like one of those Instagram filter different, or actually different?"

"No, I mean genuinely different. Remember how she always hated her nose? And that birthmark she used to cover with makeup? All gone. But it's more than that. Her whole bone structure... it's like they rebuilt her from scratch."

"That can't be safe. There has to be some kind of catch."

"Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you. I've been saving up. I'm thinking about doing it."

"Jenny, are you serious? We've been friends since college. You don't need to change anything about yourself."

"Easy for you to say. You've always been the attractive one. The one who turns heads when you walk into a room."

"Stop it. That's not true and you know it."

"It is true. And I'm tired of feeling invisible. Do you know what it's like to go through life feeling like a shadow? Like people's eyes just... slide right past you?"

"Jenny..."

"No, let me finish. I've spent years trying to accept myself. Years of therapy, positive affirmations, all that self-love bullshit. But what if I don't have to? What if I could just... fix everything I hate about myself?"

"But where does it end? What happens when you find something new to hate after you've 'fixed' everything else?"

"That's not going to happen. I know exactly what I want to change."

"That's what they all say at first. Have you seen Angela from accounting?"

"No, I haven't seen her in weeks. Did she..."

"She did the procedure. Three months ago. At first, it was just subtle changes. A little lift here, a small adjustment there. But then..."

"Then what?"

"She kept going back. Each time, she'd find something new to 'perfect.' Last time I saw her, I barely recognized her. Her face doesn't even move when she talks anymore."

"But she must be happier now, right? That's the whole point."

"That's the thing. She is happier. Deliriously so. But it's... unsettling. Like she's high on something. She keeps talking about how she's finally 'achieved perfection,' but her eyes... they're empty. And her smile... it's not quite right."

"What do you mean, not quite right?"

"It's too wide. Too perfect. Like something out of a horror movie. But she doesn't see it. She thinks she's never looked better."

"You're just trying to scare me."

"I wish I was. But there's more. Remember David from HR?"

"The quiet guy who always brought homemade cookies to meetings?"

"He did it too. Started with just wanting to be a bit more muscular. Now he can barely fit through doorways. His skin looks like it's about to split open from all the modifications. But he keeps saying he's never felt better, never felt more confident."

"That's... disturbing."

"The scariest part is that they're all genuinely happy. They got exactly what they wanted. But somewhere along the way, they lost something essential. Something human."

"You're making it sound like some kind of body horror story."

"Because it is. The doctor who performs these procedures... I went to consultation with them."

"You what? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd try to talk me out of it. But something they said stuck with me. They looked me right in the eyes and said: 'This will give you the body that will make you forever happy, but know this. Beauty doesn't equal happiness. I've seen people become grotesque monstrosities. Happy monsters, but monsters nonetheless.'"

"And you're still considering it after hearing that?"

"I... I don't know anymore. When they said it, there was something in their voice. Like they were confessing something."

"What did the doctor look like?"

"That's another strange thing. They wore this elaborate mask during the consultation. Said it was for medical purposes, but..."

"But what?"

"I caught a glimpse when they turned to get something from their desk. Their reflection in the window... their skin had this unnatural sheen to it. Like polished plastic."

"Jesus, Jenny. They did it to themselves, didn't they?"

"I think so. And I think they're trying to warn people, in their own way. But they can't stop themselves from performing the procedures. Like they're compelled to spread whatever this is."

"Whatever this is? You make it sound like some kind of infection."

"Maybe it is. Not a physical one, but... an infection of the mind. This obsession with perfect beauty. The doctor told me that once you start, you can't stop seeing flaws. Everything becomes something that needs to be fixed."

"Like a funhouse mirror that distorts everything you see."

"Exactly. But here's the thing that really scares me... part of me still wants to do it. Even after everything I've seen and heard. Even knowing what might happen."

"Jenny, please. You're beautiful as you are. And more importantly, you're you. Real. Human."

"But what if being human isn't enough anymore? What if this is the next step in evolution?"

"Evolution toward what? A world full of perfect, empty shells?"

"When you put it that way..."

"Promise me something. Promise me you'll wait. Just one month. If you still want to do it then, I... I won't try to stop you."

"I promise. But Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"If I do end up doing it... if I start to change... will you tell me? When I start to become a monster?"

"I will. But Jenny?"

"Yes?"

"I have a feeling that by the time someone needs to tell you... you won't be able to hear it anymore."

"Maybe that's the real price of perfect beauty. Not just your humanity... but the ability to recognize what you've lost."

"And once it's gone..."

"It's gone forever."