Merely a Body
Plastic surgery crazes make thin “in”
Y2K fashion and vintage clothing is back in vogue, and trendy young people everywhere are stepping out in cargo pants and tiny sunglasses. On the surface, these fads merely define what is in demand for the season, but underneath it all, fashion movements sculpt women to conform to the current societally-dictated beauty standards.
Body types are now part of the endless, ever-changing trend cycle. But our bodies are not interchangeable like our clothes are, nor should they be. Nonetheless, plastic surgery companies market procedures to exploit trends and reduce women to moldable mannequins.
Our fluctuating idealizations of different body types are fueled by the bombardment of online images depicting a spectrum of models. The transition from popularizing curvy bodies to slender ones in the media and on the runway trickles down to affect even those indifferent to high fashion.
This is yet another chapter in the book of changing body standards, reminiscent of the 90s and early 2000s “heroin chic” trend, characterized by emaciated, skeletal-looking models, eye bags and sickly dispositions.
Heroin chic faded as the era of Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs) and curvy physiques took over in the 2010s. But as Bella Hadid and other major influencers sashay into the fashion scene with micro skirts and slender legs, some wonder if this is a rebrand of the look (some dub the revival the return of “indie sleaze”).
Kim Kardashian made a name for herself by fulfilling the beauty standard of her time. She was the icon of the BBL – a plastic surgery procedure that involves injecting fat from another part of the body into the patient’s butt. Late last year, though, rumors of the Kardashians going under the knife to reverse their BBLs were everywhere on social media, indicating an end to the idealization of the unrealistic hourglass bodies they flaunted.
Regardless, we’re just trading in one dangerously unattainable body type for another.
Buccal fat removal, a procedure to create the appearance of sunken cheeks, seems to be replacing the BBL in the plastic surgery spotlight. The hollowed-out look aligns with the beauty standard we’re moving towards – sharply-angled features and a skinny body. Its increased popularity is indicative of the short-term mindset regarding permanent procedures.
Another of the newest crazes popularized by influencers and celebrities on social media is using Ozempic, an antidiabetic medication for those with Type 2 diabetes, as a weight loss drug. Semaglutide, an active ingredient in Ozempic, was approved by the FDA for those with chronic weight management. However, the exact drug that the FDA approved is Wegovy, which has a higher dosage of semaglutide. As such, Ozempic is not a weight-loss drug, according to their own website.
Yet thousands are taking the risk of side effects such as diarrhea and vomiting to obtain what is only presently the ideal body type. Even worse, the hype presents a life-threatening challenge for diabetics who cannot get Ozempic due to high demand and low supply.
Underscoring all of these beauty procedures is the issue that beauty is increasingly becoming a class indicator. These “beauty enhancers” are a considerable expense for the average person, but for celebrities, hundreds of thousands of dollars are a drop in the ocean.
They have the money and vanity to afford to be “pretty” on a whim – and to set unattainable expectations for the general public, pushing them to take on dangerous diets and undertake debt to get the body of their celebrity idols. In the end, the cycle of beauty trends and influencers introducing the next big thing leaves the populace two steps behind, unable to keep up with and consume celebrity trends, yet still trying, at the expense of their health and funds, to achieve a perceived notion of perfection.
Social media serves as a gateway for amplifying and creating insecurities, while simultaneously introducing operations and so-called solutions to mitigate them. The society-driven standard creates a goal with the prize of acceptance and a false sense of beauty, producing faces you see over and over again.
Those faces and bodies won’t be found beautiful 10 years from now when the page is flipped to reveal a new ideal, which begs the question – is it worth it?