The Financial Implications Of Toxic Beauty Standards
The Financial Implications Of Toxic Beauty Standards
I recently came across this video in regards to “Instagram face”. The standard of beauty used to be blonde hair and blue eyes. Now the Kardashians are shoved down our faces as the epitome of beauty. The media has become so heavily influencing that this has tainted our reality and our psyche. This has led to toxic beauty standards. If I’ve learned anything from Instagram it’s that beauty can indeed be bought and sold to the gullible and if you don’t tap into it then that makes you an outcast.
This “Instagram face” is becoming so normalized that going out bare faced is somehow an insult to others. Keke Palmer recently disclosed her struggle with adult acne and others began telling her that she was ugly without makeup. Society has become so accustomed to plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery and makeup that going bare faced is frowned upon. Looking like yourself should never be offensive.
To really emphasize how beauty is marketed, let’s consider Kylie Jenner. Kylie was insecure about how small her lips were so she got lip injections. Then she launched her lip kits to sell this dream to girls that they too can have lips like hers if they buy her product. The only issue is that hers were not a direct result of her product. Eventually Kylie admitted to getting lip injections. She became a billionaire (although not self-made) in the process.
I am by no means against personal choice in choosing to get plastic or cosmetic surgery but pushing that ideal in the media to attain this perfect standard of beauty is unrealistic, unattainable and toxic. The worst part is that this is also being directed towards little girls who are growing up being taught to hate themselves.
Some people get plastic and cosmetic surgery to change their appearance but the interior is never fixed. If done as a result of self-esteem issues based solely on beauty standards in the media, this won’t fix the root cause of the issue which is psychological. Also why are we not addressing the toxic image of beauty standards in the media making people think something is wrong with the way that they look? Atelophobia is a real thing and it’s the fear of imperfection. Beauty isn’t perfection and there sure shouldn’t be a standard.
These procedures and surgeries need to be maintained which costs lots of money over the course of a lifetime and can be detrimental to health all in the name of beauty. As of 2022, the plastic surgery industry has made 26 billion dollars and it has only grown over the years. The industry is profiting off of insecurities.
Another thing is that very few people who alter their appearance seem to take aging into consideration. This fountain of youth was never meant to be taken literally. No amount of Botox at 80 will make you look young or change the inevitable fate of death. Looks are a depreciating asset and aging will inevitably win. People seem to equate beauty to acceptance and then feel shocked when people begin treating them differently. If people treated you differently based on your appearance these were not friends to begin with. Body positivity is spread all over the media yet people still go under the knife because how they look is not good enough.
When it comes to having children DNA does not lie. Children have a 50% chance of getting the features you might’ve hated on yourself. What does this tell your children? Wouldn’t you tell them to love themselves? How can we tell our children that they are beautiful if they see you hating yourself?
Although cosmetic procedures more so target women they also affect men. Simon Cowell removed his face fillers because he felt that he went too far and his son also noticed a difference in his face.
Another popular cosmetic surgery is the Brazilian butt lift. This surgery has one of the highest mortality rates. Fat embolisms which occur when fat gets into the bloodstream and blocks circulation result in 1 in every 3,000 deaths. This can happen from a punctured blood vessel which then travels up to the heart and lungs. These risks decrease by going to a board certified surgeon but this is still a possible complication.
I believe that during a surgery consultation the surgeon should really vet the patient and take the psychological nature of the person seeking surgery into consideration. They can refer a patient to seek therapy if necessary and not be afraid to say no even at their own expense. Unfortunately, nowadays as long as you can pay no one bats an eye.
In our beauty obsessed society, beauty is not a trend and no one should have to put on a performance to be accepted by anyone else. After all, we are only human.
In conclusion ask yourself these questions – who told you to change yourself? Who told you that you weren’t good enough just as you are?