In today’s society, cosmetic surgeries have become an ongoing fashion trend. Among ten young people, at least five of them will undergo cosmetic surgery in their lifetime due to society’s beauty standards.
There are many reasons why people do plastic surgeries. Some people need to fix a physical body part due to a terrible injury that deformed part of their bodies. Some young people do surgeries to feel happy with their body image due to social media influence.
Social media can manipulate a person’s perspective on a specific topic, such as body image. When I scroll on social media, the amount of posts about what the body “perfect body” for women and men should look like is way too much.
The number of videos normalizing cosmetic surgeries to look “perfect” is endless too. No one wants to bring down female and male models on social media platforms. However, one of the reasons why plastic surgeries have become viral is due to society’s demand for how one should look.
But not everybody is privileged to look like models and pay the price of surgeries—society’s peer pressure results in affecting youth’s mental health.
Needs vs want
Plastic surgeries in America were created for soldiers who went to war and suffered fatal injuries.
According to Discovery ABA Therapy, the primary goal of plastic surgery was reconstruction, with important developments happening during and after World War II.
Reconstructive procedures aimed to restore form and function to individuals affected by injuries or disfigurements.
Mark Elias
As technology advanced after World War II, plastic surgeons had the opportunity to create new methods to practice surgeries. Surgeons were not only doing reconstructive surgeries for soldiers.
Surgeons were then practicing cosmetic surgeries on people who wanted to feel better about their face/body image.
Kardashian’s beauty standard
Unless you live under a rock, you know who the Kardashians are. These famous women are known for their physical beauty. Petite bodies, slim faces, defined jawlines, and wrinkle-less faces.
But did the famous queen Kim Kardashian always look this way?
@therealleahmcsweeney Kim, we need to know who your doctors are. Please stop gatekeeping. Sharing is caring. #theleahmcsweeneyshow #leahmcsweeney #plasticsurgeryjourney #kardashians ♬ original sound – Leah McSweeney
TikTok influencer Leah McSweeney, @Leah McSweeney, shares her opinion on a 2023 podcast of Kim Kardashian’s plastic surgeries. She demands Kim to admit her cosmetic procedures. Sweeney shows Kim’s before and after pictures revealing her possible surgeries.
Kim K has never admitted to the allegations that the media says about her plastic surgeries, though they’re obvious. One thing for sure is that her body image has influenced many young girls to undergo cosmetic surgeries.
Not only Kim K is an influence on society, but social media in general influences and normalizes plastic surgery over natural features.
TikTok’s showoff contests
Social media platforms have become an outlet for young people to show their personal experiences with plastic surgery. TikTok is flooded with sixty-second videos of young girls demonstrating their before and after results.
TikTok user @makeupbymcruz shared a before and after outfit video demonstrating her breast surgery. She captioned it, “I can’t get over it.” The normalization of plastic surgery in social media is one of the leading factors why young people choose to change their body/face.
@makeupbymcruz I can’t get over it 🥹💗 #breastaugmentationafter ♬ original sound – Mariana Cruz
Saber Plastic Surgery, in 2021, reported a survey study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. It showed that nearly half of all patients said social media played a role in their decision to do plastic surgery.
Social media & public figures motivate young people to get plastic surgery. The reason is that the audience idolizes their “perfect looks.” In reality, it’s all plastic surgery. Natural-looking influencers’ attention keeps decreasing due to this.
The DARK side of Plastic Surgery
Cosmetic surgeries are not just rainbows and daisies. Though multiple people love their surgery results, hundreds of people have faced life-or-death experiences. Many people have even died from plastic surgeries.
Have you ever seen the American series Botched? This T.V. series shows two plastic surgeon doctors Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif. Both surgeons’ goal is to fix botched surgeries.
AKA horribly wrong surgeries.
Dubrow and Nassif deal with body deformation, damaged facial surgeries, breast implant infections, and silicone/hyaluronic acid leaks. The list of botched procedures is insane! Some would even say the show left them traumatized!
One of the recognized pieces of advice that Dr. Dubrow stated in an interview was:
Sometimes the best plastic surgery procedures are the ones you never have.
Dr. Terry Dubrow
BBL changed her life!
I’ve always thought of cosmetic surgeries as a 50/50 percent chance. It can be a total failure that can cause a near-death experience or a confidence booster. For many people, they feel as if surgery helped their mental health by improving their confidence.
Some would even say it changed their life.
@arielstormxo A BBL changed my life!! (Tiktok it’s just a bikini don’t be mad, I’m just proud of my body & never been able to wear one) #fyp #foryou #bbl ♬ son original – SKR
TikTok influencer Ariel Storm, @Arielstormxo, posted her before-body and after-BBL results on TikTok. She captioned her video, “A BBL changed my life. I’m just proud of my body and never been able to wear one.” By this comment, we can assume Ariel’s mental health improved.
Cosmetic surgery helped her self-esteem. Just like Ariel, there are many positive testimonies of plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery can also improve somebody’s psychological well-being.
Cosmetic surgery isn’t for everyone
Orlando Health states that some plastic surgery advantages are confidence and improved mental health. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. For others, cosmetic surgeries can hurt mental health.
While there are potential mental health benefits, that doesn’t mean plastic surgery will make everything better. Your appearance and how you feel about it is only one piece of your mental well-being.
Vincent Chavanon, MD.
The problem with cosmetic surgeries is that once people do one procedure it can become addictive. More than looking for a confidence booster, it becomes necessary to satisfy thoughts of having the perfect body and face.
It can become a social competition due to society’s beauty standards. At the end of the day, with or without surgeries, only you can control feeling happy with how you look.
Prioritize mental health<3
Whether you agree or disagree with plastic surgery, surgery isn’t the answer to feeling fully happy with yourself.
Yes, it can boost your confidence. However, it can’t solve all your problems. Aging is inevitable and surgeries can only last so much.
Our society believes it’s a priority to look at how social media classifies the “perfect body & face.” This is caused by the normalization of this superficial trend. In reality, what should matter most is accepting yourself for who you are. Focus on having peace of mind.
So needless to say, prioritize your mental health. Take care of your physical body and be happy that you’re healthy!
