Dr. Papageorgiou: Hi J. R., I’m delighted that we’ve managed to sit down together to explore various topics.
You grew up in the restaurant and bar/club scene. I’m sure you’ve experienced a lot there and have certainly seen a number of successful and not-so-successful results of plastic aesthetic surgery.

J.R.II: That’s true. Too many injected lips, too much Botox, too big breasts… and much more. Of course there are also very good results, but the good results are not noticeable!

Dr. Papageorgiou: How did it all start for you, or how did you grow into this dolce vita life?

J.R.II: I was born on Rhodes, a legendary island in terms of nightlife, the first Mykonos in Greece, so to speak. My father was a successful lawyer and was also very involved in nightlife in earlier years. It was the wild 60s and 70s. Basically, all the disco and club owners were old friends of my father. Nevertheless, it was clear to me that I would pursue an academic career. But I wasn’t spoiled at a young age. I started working at a petrol station in the summer when I was 12. By the time I was 15, I was already a bartender. That’s how it was back then. I wasn’t allowed to order alcohol myself, but I was allowed to work as a bartender, unofficially of course.

Dr. Papageorgiou: And how did you like it as a teenager?

J.R.II: Awesome! It was just super exciting for me as a kid. Music, pretty women, a good atmosphere, loud music and, of course, easy money.

Dr. Papageorgiou: You’ve been through all stages of the job, from dishwasher to owner of several stores. Now you’ve also become president of the restaurant association. So Mr. President: Your opinion on plastic aesthetic surgery? You can’t hide anything on the beach in a bikini or swimming trunks.

J. R. II: As already mentioned, you immediately notice the bad results. The good ones usually go unnoticed. I’m sure this fact also concerns you.

Dr. Papageorgiou: Unfortunately, that’s the case…

J.R.II: In general, there has been an increasing trend in recent years for young people in particular, and this applies to both sexes, to want to present the perfect image of themselves. It sometimes seems ridiculous to me to see people having the perfect picture taken of themselves. Sometimes it’s the best friend, sometimes the spouse or partner who is forced to take lots of photos in order to be able to post a photo, the perfect photo. The sun has to be right, the drink the expression etc. At the end, everything is embellished with the right filter. And then finally we have the perfect selfie.

Dr. Papageorgiou: When I look at you, although you are in this environment every day, you are not very influenced by this trend.

J.R.II: Yes, I could do with a little liposuction.

They both laugh

J.R.II: Appearance doesn’t mean very much to me, and certainly not perfection. In this work you see many beautiful people over the years, but they are ugly and vice versa. I’m particularly annoyed by these snapshots that portray their lives to the outside world. I already knew the now pretty woman as a not very attractive woman or the now not very attractive man as the then heartthrob.

Dr. Papageorgiou: Mr. President, thank you very much for talking to us!