Chapter 3 - Cosmetic Surgery

COSMETIC SURGERY

To follow on from exploring Body Image and Eating Disorders that can be caused through Instagram, this third chapter will be detecting and analysing Cosmetic Surgery. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the influence Instagram can have on such procedures. In addition, this chapter will also examine the advantages of Cosmetic Surgery increasing self-esteem as well as the safe ways to carry out such procedures.

Instagram is a place full of inspiration with brands, such as Collusion who pride themselves on representation and inclusivity (Pike, 2018), as well as influencers among the app. A rising trend through social media and in particular Instagram, is cosmetic surgery. Consumers of the app view plenty of posts regarding this trend which will further influence them to potentially have these procedures themselves. According to VOGUE Magazine, this market is flourishing due to Botox now accounting for 9 in 10 practices (Daily, 2021). In a recent survey, focused on females aged 18-24, carried out by the researcher, it was found that 74% of participants said they would have some form of cosmetic surgery (see Appendix E), portraying how common these procedures really are. In addition, 70.59% of participants had, at some point, felt influenced by Instagram to have a cosmetic procedure. The fact that such a high percentage of contributors within the survey, had felt influenced by the app to have, or even think about having some form of cosmetic surgery, depicts how much Instagram affects gen Z consumers (see Appendix E).

Fake posts on Instagram can result in users being influenced to have cosmetic surgery and procedures to change the way they present themselves. Individuals will pay to have these procedures, in an attempt to boost their self-esteem. In 2017, a survey based on Facial Plastic Surgeons, discovered 55% of surgeons were seeing patients who wished to improve their physical appearance in their selfies (Michael Reilly, 2019) which was the reason they were proceeding with cosmetic surgery. This rising trend of cosmetic surgery due to Instagram has led to a new mental health illness that scientists are calling ‘Snapchat Dysmorphia’. This term refers to patients bringing Instagram filtered selfies to their surgeons and requesting to have procedures to allow them to look like these images, in real life. (Ritschel, 2018). Two of the main filters that were the cause of this new mental health illness are called ‘FixMe’, which portrayed the markings on an individual’s face prior to any cosmetic survey, and ‘Plastica’, which mimicked the look of extreme cosmetic surgery (News, 2019). These filters can be triggering to some individuals who have low self-esteem because it allows them to see themselves in a way they deem perfect. Even brands such as Prada have had their own Instagram filters that airbrush skin and promote their brand (Boey, 2019). BBC News disagrees by explaining that Instagram banned and removed all augmented reality filters that represented plastic and cosmetic surgery to stop detrimental effects to consumers’ mental health (News, 2019). However, augmented reality can also be used for digital fashion, for example, The Fabricant and Johanna Jaskowska’s creation of ‘Iridescence’, a digital dress (Hackl, 2020). Removing all augmented reality filters could be seen as a positive as the app is doing their best to protect users’ mental health as well as not promote cosmetic surgery for the wrong reasons. Instagram’s public policy manager, Emma Collins, whilst talking about the drive for Instagram to be a positive space explains

“this policy is part of our ongoing work to reduce the pressure that people can sometimes feel as a result of social media” (Guardian, 2019).

This suggests they are coming from a good place to improve the mental health of its users.

Despite the negative aspects of Instagram in regards to cosmetic surgery, a huge advantage of this area of the app, is the fact that there are several influencers/social stars and celebrities who promote how to get cosmetic surgery in a safe way. Many of these individuals will bring their following along with them on a YouTube video which they will then promote through their Instagram platform. For example, back in July 2020, Harriet Chadwick uploaded a video named “HUGE 21ST BIRTHDAY TRANSFORMATION…0-100” (Chadwick, 2020). Within this YouTube video, Harriet gets a cosmetic procedure of dermal nose and lip filler, performed by Be Enhanced Aesthetics, on Instagram. She provides the details of who she got her procedure carried out by, stating that she knew others who had gone to her for procedures before and therefore knowing it would be safe, as well as the aftercare that the cosmetic surgery endures. These sort of social media posts are beneficial for gen Z consumers, as they are promoting cosmetic surgeries in a positive way, otherwise it is likely that some individuals will go ahead with any surgeon, not fully well knowing if they are safe nor trustworthy.

In addition, the versatile aspect of Dermal Filler is that the product dissolves in a certain amount of time, usually between 6-18 months (NHS, Face and lip fillers (dermal fillers), 2019). Furthermore, the individual can have the product dissolved through the use of an enzyme called Hyaluronidase. This enzyme naturally occurs in the skin but can also be injected at a higher concentration to dissolve filler that is no longer wanted (Tatiana, 2020). Two main influencers/social media stars who have had this procedure to remove their fillers, are Molly Mae Hague and Kylie Jenner. Molly Mae promoted this method through the use of a YouTube video in October of 2020 called “I HAD MY LIP FILLER COMPLETELY DISSOLVED | VLOG | MOLLY MAE” in which she took her subscribers along to view the process, and in the description box, wrote “I hope you guys enjoyed this video and will potentially learn from my mistakes!” (Hague, 2020). She also states the doctor she goes to within the video, being Dr. Saleena Zimiri, on Instagram. Back in 2018, Kylie Jenner simply posted an Instagram photo where she replied back to a comment saying “I got rid of all my filler” (March, 2018), where she is wearing a Vintage Mark Wong Nark 90’s Cable Knit Dress in black (Outfit, 2018). The fact that there are influencers out there choosing to remove such cosmetic procedures, sets a positive example for gen Z consumers, in the sense of not needing cosmetic surgery in order to increase your self-esteem, as influencers like these, have gone back on their decisions for a reason.

Also, a recent survey, focused on females aged 18-24, regarding cosmetic surgery was carried out by the researcher. Within this survey, 47.06% of participants said they would be more likely to go to a clinic if it was promoted/suggested by a celebrity or social media star, whom they follow. (see Appendix E). This suggests a positive for Instagram in relation to gen Z consumers, as it allows them to be aware of safe and practical ways of moving forward with cosmetic surgery procedures if they decide to.

Overall, it is clear that cosmetic surgery is such a large field among gen Z consumers within Instagram, just like fashion trends like the early 2000’s rhinestones, prints and over the top accessories (McDowell, 2020). Even though it can be a toxic area of the platform, in regards to low self-esteem as well as decrease the levels of users’ mental health, Instagram cannot stop users from having such procedures. Therefore, at least these wellknown influencers can inform consumers of the right ways to go about these measures.