Today, non-surgical augmentation is commonplace amongst the youth of our society. This change has come about in recent years with its normalisation arising from celebrity influence, bloggers and popular Instagram users. Talking to the generation of our parents, you will notice the very differing place that aesthetics had when they were younger and its rise in popularity in the last twenty years. This rapid social change is concerning to some. Now we live in a very different world in which a 19 or 20 year old girl getting fillers is no longer abhorrent but becoming commonplace.

Following the rise of selfies and the increasing importance of physical perfection for both men and women, it is not surprising that young people are now taking more extreme measures to achieve this sought-after perfection. Cosmetic enhancement is an issue which has brought about much controversy across social media and tabloid newspapers. These new ideals are said to be a source of many mental health issues in young people. The rise of the ‘Instagram face’ on social media could be the culprit.

So, what is the ‘Instagram face’? If you search for the ‘perfect profile’ on google you receive an image of a woman with a small turned up nose, perfectly proportioned jawline and forehead, full lips, a strong jawline and high cheekbones. A problem with this is that these proportions are very rare amongst most women. This is an image that has been popularised by the likes of Kylie Jenner and today’s social media influencers. It is a strange situation that we have now idealised a look that few can achieve without cosmetic help or heavy makeup. This situation has recently become more severe as Instagram has introduced a new algorithm giving popular posts more visibility. This makes these clone like definitions of beauty more visible and new definitions of beauty almost impossible to discover.

This pressure of normative social influence, to conform with the images all over the internet and what everyone else is doing, is high

The reason stated by many for getting fillers is self esteem. It is often falsely assumed that those with cosmetic surgery are narcissistic. However, it is often the exact opposite. Those with extremely low self esteem think that in order to live a full life the only option is to to fill themselves with hyaluronic acid. There is high pressure to have the perfect ‘Instagram face’ due to social media and television nowadays. This pressure of normative social influence, to conform with the images all over the internet and what everyone else is doing, is high. This is a real phenomena affecting normal everyday people. You’d be surprised, or maybe not, to learn that I have considered getting fillers myself many a time. I have researched the best places and best treatments that I would need to be considered good enough for the world of social media.

Kylie Jenner’s financial worth is linked closely to her lips, epitomising the move of aesthetics  into a heavily marketed thriving sector of business

Celebrities and social media have been blamed for these recent surges in the amount of people getting fillers. Celebrities such as Kylie Jenner are cited as major contributors to this social change. Her lip kits and own lip filler experience has lead many to seek her filled our pout and hope for her dramatic results. Jenner’s wealth and status as the world’s youngest billionaire could be attributed in a large part to her lip fillers. Her financial worth is linked closely to her lips, epitomising the move of aesthetics  into a heavily marketed thriving sector of business.

TV shows such as Love island have been criticised for their emphasis on the value of appearance. In 2018, contestant Megan Barton Hanson was heavily criticised for her various surgeries. In 2019, many contestants have been open about their surgeries and some have named specific clinics. Companies such as Kiss Aesthetics , a non surgical cosmetic brand, directly market to the Love Island audience through celebrities and reality stars. This was especially noticeable after this year’s Love Island when many stars such as Lucy Donlan and Belle Hassan were seen publicly at a Kiss party promoting their cosmetic fillers and other treatments. Geordie Shore stars such as Chloe Ferry, Sophie Kasaei and Abbie Holborn also attended. It could be said that this type of marketing is telling younger viewers that in order to be beautiful, loved and successful it is necessary to alter yourself. We have all bought into the marketed idea  that beautiful is happy and beautiful is rich. However it has been forgotten that this is not necessarily the case. It is possible that with more attractiveness, comes less fulfilment in real life?

It could be said that this type of marketing is telling younger viewers that in order to be this beautiful, this loved and successful it is necessary to alter yourself

The affordability of these procedures is a large factor in the rise of cosmetic enhancement. Whereas before this price drop, only those who were famous, older or rich would have been the ones getting these procedures done, now it has been marketed at the general public and at a much younger audience. People are beginning to be warned about the injecting of fillers by beauticians and low cost businesses with poor skills and poor products. The potential risks of going to one of these suppliers is great despite the temptation of the reduced price. Risks of bad lip fillers include; asymmetry, lumps, infection, tissue loss and scarring. Another issue that does arise is that fillers can become addictive. In the last week or so, Love Island 2019 contestant Molly Mae Hague was criticised for overfilling, Instagram users worrying if she had fallen victim to the addiction of getting cheek, jawline and lip fillers.

There are, however, safe qualified doctors that perform these fillers. More expensive and qualified practitioners often specialise in the ‘natural look’ enhancing the features of customers in a clean and safe environment. There are a large amount of these high end clinics in Birmingham and London in particular.

Overall, many differing arguments can be made to the positive and negative aspects of facial aesthetics. For instance, some may argue that to change your appearance is a personal choice. However, some might say that the affect on the greater society is too large to not take into account as a celebrity or influencer. For some their appearance is their way of income, is this in itself right?

But what is not often debated is the route cause of the increase in demand for these procedures. The blame is placed primarily on social media influencers, celebrities and changing beauty standards, instead, perhaps we should be looking at what this says about our culture and its relationship with vanity and aesthetics as a whole.

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