In a society that idolizes physical appearance, it's not surprising that many individuals are willing to sacrifice a great deal in order to look better. Usually those sacrifices involve money, time, and physical pain. For Solange Magnano, however, a quest for youth and beauty led to the ultimate sacrifice.

Solange was crowned Miss Argentina in 1994, and parlayed that exposure into a successful modeling career. She maintained both her career and physique for more than a decade, but by 2009 both were showing signs of age. According to Roberto Piazza, a longtime friend, she became obsessed with regaining a youthful body.

In November of 2009, Solange travelled to Buenos Aires to undergo a gluteoplasty—on operation that uses implants to reduce cellulite and produce a firmer bottom. Solange suffered a pulmonary embolism during the routine procedure and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but doctors were unable to save her life. She was 38-years-old, and she left behind a husband and twin 8-year-old boys.

"Solange was a girl who had everything," Roberto Piazza lamented. "She lived the life of a goddess; she was the envy of everybody. Now she is dead because she wanted a slightly firmer behind. She died because of her obsession with beauty."

Mr. Piazza's words sum up more than the tragedy of one woman's obsession with her body. They serve as a fitting epitaph for a society that idolizes men and women like Solange Magnano, consumes them, and ultimately destroys them.