Secret Surgeries

THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF CELEBRITIES DENYING OR LYING ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY

By Elizabeth Karnowski, Culture Staff Writer • Graphic by Emma Gray, Arts Curator

Just as style trends evolve and change, so do beauty standards for individuals. Full lips, chiseled jawlines and cheekbones, and rounder body figures are all considered to be beautiful by the current standard.1

Many beauty standards are set by celebrities who constantly publicize their lives. Our feeds are filled with selfies, bikini pictures, outfits of the day and other images that offer a perfectly staged glimpse into someone’s life. It’s easy to look at these photos and be mesmerized or feel inferior to the way they look. However, it’s become increasingly apparent that many celebrities are getting some form of plastic surgery in order to attain the look they want.

Plastic surgery is expensive and typically unaffordable for many. Procedures can be well over thousands of dollars — a facelift is twelve thousand dollars.2 Although some celebrities are transparent about procedures they’ve had done, others make claims against it, choosing to keep their transformation private. To claim you haven’t had plastic surgery when you had work done plays into the idea that cosmetic procedures are taboo and also sets unrealistic beauty norms that are only obtainable through financial privilege.

There’s a saying, “you’re not ugly, you’re just poor,” which is prevalent when comparing the looks of people with and without procedures done. Because of the costly beauty procedure, people continuously claim that individuals, especially the Kardashians, have synthetically changed their look. This saying is usually incorporated into a meme format, with the saying above a before and after picture of whoever the meme is talking about.

There’s even something called “The Kardashian Effect,” which is the unofficial term for the rise in the number of young people seeking noninvasive plastic surgery. There has been a 40% increase in non-invasive procedures performed on people

1 Michelle Smith, “How plastic surgery trends reflect changing beauty ideals”, this. 2 Trudi Bonomi, “Average Cost of Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures (Updated 2020)”, Westlake Dermatology, May 2, 2014. in their 20’s over the last decade.3 Even if it’s obvious to the public that members of the Kardashian-Jenner family have had surgeries in the past, some of the moguls insist they’ve had minimal work done.

In an interview with Paper Magazine, Kylie Jenner revealed she’s had fillers but did not address any other possible procedures she might have had.4 Other celebrities make similar claims, such as Jennifer Lopez, who said she’s not had any botox done. However, doctors say it’s highly unlikely she’s had no work done due to her thin bridge and tip of her nose.5 A spokesperson for MYA Cosmetic Surgery explains that there’s a change J.Lo may have undergone rhinoplasty, a procedure that thins someone’s nose. The procedure is extremely naturallooking while keeping the natural proportions of an individual’s face. Cosmetic surgeons also believe there’s a chance she underwent a breast enlargement surgery, as well as anti-wrinkle injections (botox) to her forehead and eye area.6

It’s not that receiving these procedures puts people like J.Lo in the wrong; people are entitled to their right to change and alter anything about themselves. But, by choosing to deny plastic surgery when you look like, well J.Lo, it causes people to question and why they look the way they do in comparison to people like her.

A survey was performed that concluded more than 40% of women and around 20% of men agreed they would consider plastic surgery.7 Studies have also shown that the more reality television a young girl watches, the more likely she is to find her appearance to be important.8

3 Dirk Kremer, “What is The Kardashian Effect?”, Harley St Aesthetics, January 27, 2017. 4 Katherine Gillespie, “Kylie Jenner: Get Rich or Die Following”, Paper Magazine, February 19, 2019. 5 Merrell Readman, “Caught In A Lie! Dermatologists Say Jennifer Lopez’s ‘No Botox’ Claims Are Totally False”, She Finds, December 10, 2020 6 Frances Kindon, “Surgeon Reveals What Jennifer Lopez Has REALLY Had Done - From Her Nose to Her Boobs”, Mirror, June 8, 2019. 7 Palmer, Mario, “5 Facts About Body Image”, Amplify, 2014. 8 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, “Survey Finds That Women Are More Likely To Consider Plastic Surgery Than They Were Ten Years Ago”, When there’s a constant exposure of celebrities and their appearances, the rest of the population believes they should look the same.

Denying plastic surgery is harmful to beauty culture, especially when claiming a certain product or specific diet is the end-all secret (and not in fact the surgery itself). With a lack of transparency around plastic surgery, the stigma around the matter grows. Plastic surgery can be considered unnatural and celebrities often receive backlash for procedures they may have causing them to keep these procedures hidden.

There’s a fine line when it comes to avoiding criticism and denying or lying about work that’s been done. In a world where it’s easy to compare yourself to others, constantly seeing photos of someone who looks perfect no matter what can be detrimental to one’s self-image.

Public figures being transparent about any procedure they may have had would help with erasing the stigma around plastic surgery. It would normalize the ability to change and alter things you don’t like about yourself if desired, while simultaneously lowering comparison between public figures and their fans. It’s harmful to constantly compare yourself to someone who’s had plastic surgery, especially if you aren’t aware of it.

By changing features that are natural for one’s body type or accentuating the ones they already have, a person can gain a more positive outlook on their figure. Plastic surgery rose and has been helping people change their look since the 1980s.9 For some people it’s a normal part of their beauty routine and by being transparent about this people can feel less bad about having or not having work done.

Talking more about procedures could potentially help the way people think about themselves. In an age where the common celebrity is idolized by millions of people, being open about their cosmetic and surgical enhancements would be beneficial to both their fans and themselves. ■

ASAPS, 2014. 9 Allure, “Celebrity Beauty Ideals and Plastic Surgery Trends: 30 Years of Influence”, Allure Plastic Surgery, January 2021.