When it comes to cosmetic procedures and how people feel about them, there seem to be two extremes. You either absolutely need to know the name of Bella Hadid’s surgeon immediately, or you’re going on a never ending rant about how she’s promoting “unrealistic beauty standards”.
I think it goes without saying that this is a polarizing topic, and I myself do have quite a few thoughts on cosmetic procedures, so since I know you’re all dying to know what they are, let’s chat.
Let me start by saying, that if I had the money, I would have gotten filler, like, yesterday. The day I get under eye filler and a nonsurgical nose job, will be a joyous day. I will embrace my temporary bruising and wear it with pride. Until that day, I will deal with my butt nose and romanticize my dark circles till no end.
So does wanting these procedures mean that I think less of myself, or that any love and happiness I have regarding my appearance is in permanent hibernation until I have Florence Pugh’s nose?
No. Of course not.
Every time I’ve ever made a comment about wanting to change my physical appearance; whether it be about getting a tattoo, getting filler, or dyeing my hair, there’s always a middle-aged adult within a five foot radius asking,”Do you really think that’s going to make you prettier?”
And quite frankly Karen, I don’t care what you think when it comes to what I do with my body, because I like looking down at my ankle and seeing a little ghost puppy looking back at me. And I like how my chocolate brown hair brings a different kind of life to my face. And I like how my funky nail designs make me smile every time I look at them. And I like how doing a graphic look with my eyeliner makes my face feel like art. And I like putting together an outfit with three different clashing patterns that somehow work, because I feel like I’m cracking a code.
It’s not that I thought I wasn’t pretty, or that I was miserable before I did these things. It’s just that I was happy before, but these things make me happier.
So I wonder, why is it that certain forms of bettering ourselves are looked down upon, but others are encouraged?
I’m sure you can think of at least five people, who you know, who’ve had braces. Getting braces might as well be an adolescent milestone, and yet it’s a cosmetic procedure. We get braces purely for aesthetic reasons, and nothing else. Braces are not a matter of life or death, they are a matter of, my tooth is positioned three degrees west of where it should be, and I would like it to be as straight as Chad the football bro, who thinks Captain Marvel is a dumb superhero.
“Braces are not a matter of life or death, they are a matter of, my tooth is positioned three degrees west of where it should be, and I would like it to be as straight as Chad the football bro, who thinks Captain Marvel is a dumb superhero.”
Yet for some reason, we have deemed it socially acceptable to all want perfect teeth. It has become a “My dentist said I need braces” and not a “I told my dentist that I want braces”.
Let’s also not forget that braces are NOT cheap, and it is a privilege to be able to afford them. But here we are, still shaming people for not having perfect teeth, especially if they can afford to get them done.
One can also argue that furthering your education is a form of bettering yourself, as is wanting to improve your health. Going to college, reading an extra book, taking piano lessons, signing up for a dance class. All done to better yourself in one way or another; typically encouraged, usually never shamed, and totally not necessary.
It’s not possible to physically see knowledge, or empathy, or kindness, so instead we are attracted to those who look smart, empathetic, and kind. As much as we hate to admit it, no one is looking at the person with a missing tooth and greasy hair and thinking, “this is a smart and kind person, I would trust their opinion on things”.
“It’s not possible to physically see knowledge, or empathy, or kindness, so instead we are attracted to those who look smart, empathetic, and kind.”
We do so many things in our everyday lives to improve our quality of living and to make ourselves happy, yet when one of those things involve getting some filler or a boob job, society loses its shit.
It’s quite funny if you think about it, because I don’t remember the last time I saw an ugly influencer. We all love when people have clear skin, we all love when people have perfectly proportioned bodies, and we all love when people have effortlessly flowing hair, but we all love to pretend that those things always happen naturally. If there wasn’t this pressure and standard to look a certain way in order to succeed, I feel like less of these procedures would be done.
We reward people who are beautiful, and even the most progressive mind will fall into these traps. These standards go past the beauty and fashion industry, it’s seen in business and in politics too. If there was no reward for looking an ideal way, and if there was no consequence for looking an undesirable way, we wouldn’t really worry about changing our physical appearance.
Things like insecurities and prejudice don’t just appear out of thin air.
It’s difficult to talk about and difficult to pinpoint why each individual does something to improve themselves, but by no means do I think they should be shamed. I think it’s very bold of someone to assume that I don’t love myself because I want a cosmetic procedure. I also think it’s very bold of someone to assume that there’s nothing about myself I would change just because I haven’ t. We shame people for the way they look, but then we also shame them when they change the way they look.
It is so flawed to think that I slid out of my mother’s womb hating myself, so that’s why I wear makeup. As a women, I feel like there is so many expectations that we are expected to uphold, so I can understand why cosmetic procedures can become addicting, but I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with them.
“It is so flawed to think that I slid out of my mother’s womb hating myself, so that’s why I wear makeup.”
There is a large stigma behind changing something about the way you look and the idea that you constantly need to love yourself. I’ve spoken on body neutrality before, but I think the importance should lie in respecting your body. It doesn’t so much matter what you do to alter it, but that it’s properly functioning and is allowing you to live your life.
I think we all need to stop putting so much scrutiny on our skin suits, and just let people do whatever will make them happier and more content, as long as they are in the right mindset to do so.
If you have made it this far, I will have you know that I do have loads more to say, but I’ll wrap it up here. Please don’t cancel me.
I would love to here your thoughts on cosmetic procedures, plastic surgery, etc. Leave a comment below, or message me on Instagram!