As Casondra mentioned, Susan Bordo's article is especially relevant in Southern California's culture of self-improvement. Before plastic surgery, people who had a problem with their bodies had to find ways to accept themselves as they were, whereas now they can "take the easy way out" and change themselves. Like any other addiction, once they improve one aspect they find others that need fixing. It's sickening.
When I was a junior in high school there was a girl in my class who asked her parents for a breast augmentation for Christmas, and they gave it to her! She justified it by saying that the size of her breasts was embarrassing to her and she wanted to have more confidence in herself. What kind of message are these parents giving their 16 year old by letting her "improve" herself instead of dealing with her obvious self-esteem problems?
Also, the relative accessibility of these new bodies does nothing to defy the constricting beauty standards of women, instead it makes them attainable. Plastic surgery is nothing but an escape from embracing one's own physical deficiencies (as determined by media and advertising).
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