Should influencers disclose their cosmetic procedures?
Tags: Beauty, Cosmetic Surgery, Social Media, Influencers, Mental Health

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself scrolling tirelessly through social media. As I scroll, I can’t help but compare my own image to that of the polished, barbie dolls that show up on my screen. Their hair silky and long, their lips plump, their stomachs unbelievably flat and their assets incredibly large in comparison to their tiny waists. Every day, a new ‘Instagram model’ or TikTok star seems to raise the standard of beauty with their filtered content and most distressingly, their cosmetic procedures!

Luckily, I am educated in the illusions of cosmetic surgery, filters and photoshop and can easily spot where work has been done meaning that I can easily detach myself from these outrageous beauty expectations and accept the fact that this new level of perfection can’t be achieved naturally (for most people). However, for the millions of teenagers and adults who are not as aware of the tricks behind perfection, the constant bombardment of unattainable beauty can result in the manifestation of insecurities and a dangerous obsession to fit the ideal.

Social media posts have a huge impact on mental health, with 40% of teenagers admitting that images on social media have caused them to worry about their body image (mentalhealth.org.uk). Body image worries can often lead to dangerous eating disorders, depression and body dysmorphia which can take years to recover from. Just 10 minutes of scrolling through TikTok or Instagram could lead to years of mental suffering. With all this in mind, shouldn’t influencers and other social media users be more open about exactly what it takes to get that ‘perfect’ social media appearance? Shouldn’t they start to be more honest about cosmetic procedures, the use of filters and photoshop?

‘’…these girls have been sculpted by plastic, filler and photoshop.’’

Disclosing the work behind your appearance could help other people to put less pressure on themselves to achieve ‘perfection’ naturally. Big influencers (and often role models) such as Kylie Jenner and Maddison Beer often fall silent when asked about work that they have done and never indicate when a photo or post has been edited. Thousands of people look to these girls and many more of a similar aesthetic, as an ‘ideal’ of the beauty that they themselves want to achieve. It can be heart breaking for impressionable teens to develop a body that isn’t ‘praised’ in the media and to continue to feel this way, even after spending countless hours trying to ‘perfect’ themselves. Yet do they realise that the appearances of the influencers did not just happen over night with a skincare routine and personal trainer, but these girls have b

een sculpted by plastic, filler and photoshop.

It is vital that influencers (and any other social media user) start to be more open about the work behind their posts. Is their skin really that clear? Were they born with double D’s? How have their teeth stayed so white and straight? And what about that nose? Disclousing the work behind that ‘perfect’ look doesn’t take much effort. Users could simply write a side note about the editing that they have used in their social media post captions and should start disclosing any cosmetic procedures in their bio’s. These disclosures would act as a warning to any impressionable people who may compare their own appearance to the social media star’s.

Disclosing cosmetic surgery and editing is nothing to be ashamed of with an estaimated 18 million people in the US (medicalnewstoday.com) having had procedures themselves. At the end of the day, your body is yours and if cosmetic procedures make you feel confident then go ahead! No one should feel embarrassed or ashamed of expressing themselves but, we need to start openly sharing the procedures that we have had so that other people feel less like a failure when they cannot achieve cosmetic levels of beauty naturally.