An examination into why people get plastic surgery
This article examines how choice feminism is used to distract women from acknowledging their insecurities as a societal issue and how plastic surgery has, in turn, become normalized.
Plastic surgery, or more specifically for this article, cosmetic plastic surgery, is a path taken due to insecurities brought upon by the ever-changing beauty standard. However, can the rise of individualism in Gen Z, seen through popular philosophies like choice feminism, be considered an excuse rather than a solution towards liberation from societal expectations? Individualism in today’s time includes a sense of pride that comes with distancing ourselves from our community but also, a sense of entitlement that prevents us from moving forward.
Choice feminism is the idea that because a woman has exercised her autonomy in the decisions she makes, she is inherently carrying out a feminist action. A common example is that a stay-at-home mother and a businesswoman are both equally feminist as they have exercised their right of choice. Though it seems as though this way of thinking unites women, this idea only benefits white feminists. On the spectrum of choice, an affluent white woman can have the liberty to choose her way of living rather than a low-income woman of colour. This is especially because of the additional injustices that they face due to race, class, sexuality, etc. A low-income Black woman may not be able to abandon social expectations as it might impact her social stature.
“White women are fortunate in their ability to worry about nit-picky, tiny expressions of feminism, while women of colour are struggling around institutional roadblocks. [...] In a harsh society that systematically discriminates against queer women and women of colour, individual choice does not push real political change—only policy does. Focusing exclusively on exercising individual choice is actually radically depoliticizing.”
– Vicki Li for The F Word Magazine
With this knowledge in mind, let’s talk about plastic surgery and ‘performative feminism’. Plastic surgery has garnered lots of discourse, especially as more celebrities are alleged (or revealed) to have undergone certain cosmetic procedures throughout their career.
The impacts of social media
Performative feminism is the engaging of feminism on a superficial basis that centres their own beliefs. In the case of plastic surgery, this topic has produced many think-pieces on YouTube. Still, a common denominator in their approach is that the choice to undergo these dangerous procedures is individual, despite the beauty standard being a societal problem that we can acknowledge. An article by Vidhi Patel surrounding choice feminism ends with a poignant line: “It is important to make the distinction between individual autonomy and feminist action before people start complacently thinking their personal choices benefit women as a whole.”
A TikTok by Ayesha Khurram illustrates how the distance we have created between individual choice and plastic surgery has created long-lasting impacts. In the video, she talks about how she does not like “how much value we put in physical appearance”. She made this in response to the comments she would get under wedding videos of her and her husband, with commenters stating how “he is out of her league”. It is heartbreaking to see the impacts the beauty standard have had especially on women of colour.
The expectations to adhere to traditional standards of beauty are difficult to shake off, especially because the confidence we get from altering our appearance is deeply rooted in the patriarchy. Knowing this, the short-term confidence that we get should be questioned. Alivia D’Andrea’s poignant documentary on how ‘glowing up’ had ruined her life is an example of how vulnerability aids in the shattering of illusions that the beauty industry has sold to us for decades. In her documentary, she documents her weight loss journey and how detrimental of an effect it had on her mental health. She was diagnosed with depression due to the harsh pressures she faced to maintain a thin body.
Similar to the TikTok posted by Ayesha, more content creators are starting to be more open as a result of their awareness surrounding negative comments and their impacts on a person’s psyche. This is especially true since ideas of professionalism and “looking presentable” are rooted in colonialism and white supremacy.
Monica Ravichandran (glow_bymonica on TikTok and Instagram), did a video explaining how she felt the need to wear makeup when attending house viewings as she was not being taken seriously by the real estate agents. Other than just the beauty standard, this is also an impact of racial stereotypes (her white fiance was thought to be the buyer, even though she is).
Plastic surgeons online
By knowing the impacts of the beauty standard, we can deduce how plastic surgery can seem like a long-term solution to these issues. It was found that 75% of plastic surgeons have seen an increase in clients under 30 years old. This could be because plastic surgeons use TikTok to gain more attention for their business. By posting videos of what kind of procedures are available, younger viewers gain more knowledge. However, these surgeons can cross a line and celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Chrissy Teigen have spoken against people who allege facial surgeries and injectables they have gotten when they have not.
When interviewed with Glossy, Dr Dominick Gadaleta, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, states that speculation surrounding the work a celebrity has done makes plastic surgery seem like a sleazy profession”. The leveraging of a celebrity’s name and exploiting the general public’s curiosity opposes a doctor’s code of ethics. At the end of the article, it is mentioned that Dr Gadaleta has seen first-hand the impacts of social media after seeing younger patients at his office.
Though plastic surgeons feel that what they are doing is demystifying secrecy and is being educational, it can be argued that these procedures highlight insecurities that would not have been there if audiences did not know there are ‘corrective’ methods to rectify these issues. In a study conducted by Khalid Arab et al titled ‘Influence of Social Media on the Decision to Undergo a Cosmetic Procedure’, it was found that 48.5% of survey respondents are influenced by social media to consider undergoing cosmetic procedures. 51.5% also follow plastic surgeons on social media. Hence, choice feminism has provided an out for men who profit off of women’s insecurities to be absolved of their responsibility as a medical professional to not prey on young girls’ vulnerability. Plastic surgeons, especially, should be held responsible for the kind of content they are making.
Katharine Roxanne Grawe, or Dr Roxy on TikTok, had her medical license permanently revoked by the State Medical Board of Ohio because her patients were reported to have suffered severe complications such as infections, a perforated intestine, and a loss of brain function. While she was performing surgeries, she would be live-streaming parts of the procedures on TikTok while answering questions from her viewers. She had gained over 825,000 followers and had pleaded with the board that she would stop live-streaming her surgeries. However, it was clear that she had placed an inordinate amount of attention on her TikTok presence, rather than on her clients, especially because she had already warned about the live-streaming back in 2018.
Creating awareness is a double-edged sword. Yes, it is good that we are becoming increasingly aware of how a celebrity’s lifestyle is unrealistic. This is especially true since plastic surgery tends to undergo ‘trends’. Buccal fat removal is an example that comes to mind. It is a non-reversible procedure done to achieve a slimmer face and sharp cheekbones. It is concerning and dangerous to follow a short-term fad that will have long-term effects.
Responsibility of public figures
In the case of buccal fat removal, it was alleged that many celebrities had gotten it, though they had never confirmed nor denied it. Some examples are Zoë Kravitz and Lea Michele. The secrecy surrounding getting certain procedures done has led to a discourse on whether or not celebrities ‘owe’ us this information. It can be argued that this is individualistic thinking at play as by being truthful, more people can be aware of the resources available for celebrities to achieve the beauty standard.
However, this normalization can lead to an onslaught of people getting comfortable in making comments on public figures’ appearances. An example would be Lana Del Rey being praised for her sudden weight loss during her Coachella set, or ‘glow up’ jokes being made about Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s recent nose job. Dove Cameron has hundreds of articles written about the cosmetic procedures she has (allegedly) done over her career from a child actress to a pop singer.
These comments pressure public figures to maintain their appearance which could lead to more injectables and procedures, hence, fuelling this cycle to continue. Ariana Grande’s TikTok pleading with the general public to stop making comments on her body is something that comes to mind as well as her Vogue Beauty Secrets video wherein she opens up about what procedures she had done when she was younger.
More recently, we have seen Kiehl’s release a campaign about children staying children. This is a response to the concerns surrounding Gen Alpha audiences buying skincare products that are not designed for their skin. Optically, this is a positive move, however, in the press release, it is evident that they are only for “suitable skin care”. Hence, being an example of how beauty companies have us on a leash that only extends so far in our journey to liberation. Beauty companies allow us to be knowledgeable, but not too much where we stop buying products.
In an article by Helen Meriel Thomas for Vice, it was reported that children are entering Sephora stores, destroying samples and throwing abuse at the staff while buying skincare products from brands like Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe, and Sol de Janeiro. These brands tend to use harsh active chemicals in their products, namely retinol, glycolic acid, and vitamin C. It is hypothesized that because these children are the first to be brought up in a fully digital world, they are being exposed to influencer marketing.
It would be unrealistic to expect brands to acknowledge their impact on children, because why would they now that they have discovered a new untapped market? Drunk Elephant has not changed their branding, but rather released a statement stating that many of their products are safe for kids and tweens, except those with acids and retinol. When interviewing Dr Sharon Wong, a dermatologist, she stated that there should be age restrictions and some form of regulation by skincare brands on certain products.
Gen Alpha’s love for skincare
Though I do agree with the argument that the parents should also be blamed in regards to these children’s access to these skincare products in the first place, it is telling that the amount of children entering these Sephora stores warrants concern. It is also concerning that these children are becoming influencers themselves.
An article by Angela Yang for NBC News wrote about the viral TikTok posted by Garza Crew wherein the sibling duo follow the ‘We’re ______, of course, we’re _____’ trend. Koti and Haven Garza are child influencers with 4.8 million followers. The account is parent-run by Adrea Garza, who states that her children think it’s cool that people know who they are.
What differentiates Gen Alpha’s online presence from Gen Z, who were the first to be considered digital natives, is that they’re not even trying to be influencers — they just are.
As seen by these children, it is evident that Gen Alpha influencers are comfortable in front of the camera because they have grown up in a digital-first world. However, for many internet users, there is concern that this lifestyle is too mature for their age. Adrea Garza has stated in response that “she has a system in which she allocates some of the income made from their videos into a fund that the kids can’t touch until they’re 18, some into a separate college fund, and some into the girls’ monthly allowance.”
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Jessica DeFino’s work
Substack titled ‘The Review of Beauty’ has been a big part of my awareness of the behind-the-scenes of the beauty industry. In an article about Gen Alpha’s obsession with skincare, she relates this to ‘girlhood’ which includes the mimicking behaviours of the adults around them.“Manipulating your own physical appearance to meet an often unattainable, often inhuman ideal is not an interest inherent to tween and teen girls! It’s one that’s indoctrinated. (Perhaps this is partly why the same demographic is experiencing record rates of loneliness, anxiety, depression. They aren’t learning to understand themselves as human beings, but to perform themselves as girls.)”
DeFino’s article for The Guardian explains that beauty standards are a public health issue. A product may seem harmless, but its purpose is “to be petite and pretty and never, ever get old (or look like it)”. A parent, namely The Serum Mom (a play on 2023’s Almond Mom), might feel as though preventative measures through the use of a product will protect her child in a world that values a person based on their appearance. However, it does not work that way as the marketing of a beauty product is enough to cause insecurities.
Anti-ageing is an incredibly problematic buzzword that according to an article for Vox, “turns you into a customer for life”. Emily Stewart writes that the marketing tactics surrounding anti-ageing went from a warning to empty enthusiasm. It is eclipsed by language regarding defying the natural passage of time. Thus, the language used does not hide the psychological weight it has on women; “The older a woman is, the more invisible she becomes, and the more our capitalistic society views her as less productive and less valuable.”
The target group has now gotten younger; In the article, published in 2022, it is mentioned that the target age for these products starts at around 25. However, this has reduced even more with the popularity of TikTok. It is jarring to hear children influencers talk about ‘prevention’. However, it also illustrates how influencer marketing is tragically a cycle – the young audiences who are being impacted by these toxic messages, are now becoming the spokesperson themselves through content creation. With TikTok’s For You Page being incredibly uncontrollable, it can be unavoidable sometimes to be exposed to a new way of chasing youth—for example, the anti-wrinkle straw.
Conclusion
The conversation surrounding plastic surgery seems to have pulled away from the root cause which is the patriarchy. Instead, we normalize the idea that young girls deal with insecurities that they feel need a permanent solution. Going under the knife is a dangerous solution and it is infuriating to see that this cycle is treated as if girls hating themselves is a rite of passage into adulthood that they have to go through. There are too many resources at our fingertips for us to start liberating ourselves from the beauty standard, especially now that plastic surgery and Botox and fillers are normalized.
As the person selling products and their target audience is getting younger, we have to start being more aware of the responsibility we have to not contribute to this endless cycle. Plastic surgery is the most permanent solution available and its normalization is doing more harm than good. It is hard in today’s world wherein beauty companies are becoming more socially aware and using this as a marketing tactic. It is hypocritical and irresponsible to promote self-confidence through changing one’s self.
This article is not going to end plastic surgery or even the use of beauty products in our everyday lives, but I do hope that it finds the people who are starting to question their relationship with beauty and ultimately, the corporations that are selling us these pressures.