Where’s Your Waldo?
We all have to admit that there is usually that one thing we wish we could change about our appearances–it’s that cosmetic issue we just can’t help but notice when we look in the mirror or study a photograph of ourselves. I’ve deemed the term a “Waldo” because often, that one thing is totally imperceptible to the people around you until you point it out like that little man in the blue pants and red striped shirt from the children’s books.
My job as an Atlanta plastic and cosmetic surgeon is to maintain that objective point of view that hears the patient’s concerns and balances that against the physical symptoms of said concerns. I thought of this Waldo phenomenon when I read an article published in May by the Association for Psychological Science. The article cited research from St. Louis’ Washington University in which participants were analyzed and found that the perception other’s offered about them was more physically accurate than what they observed through self judgment.