What used to be the inspiration of icon Marilyn Monroe, has turned into an ever-circulating chain of women on social media. From Madison Beer to Alix Earl, these women become known for their beauty through their followings on social media platforms. When someone with this sort of influence posts content, people inevitably pick it apart bit-by-bit. Specifically, I have noticed that recently, popular culture has migrated to a fixation on having the “perfect” side profile. Specifically for women, from the characteristic button swoop nose to the perfect jawline, these unrealistic and somewhat singular ideals are simply not accurate to what most women in America look like because naturally, everyone has different genetics that make us unique. Thus, beauty is not so singular, but instead broad and beautiful.
Anyone who can see these trends in beauty standards pounces on the opportunity to make profit off women’s beauty trends, as they often have. We’ve seen this in makeup, skincare, liposuction; the list goes on. Businesses look to make profit off of women’s insecurities, and they can do this far easier with access to social media. Trends are quickly discovered in the world of Tik-Tok and Instagram, and you can see firsthand how by the influence of one person, an entire population of people will follow blindly, simply assuming something works without understanding the true effects. A perfect example of this is the recently emerged standard for a perfectly kept chin. No double chin, not even a relaxed jaw. Businesses, of course, see this opportunity, and what do they do? Not only do businesses produce products like the Gua Sha to provide people with “remedies” for these beauty trends, but they do them carelessly and against what is truly beneficial and necessary for human health. Recently, the development of a night-wear chin strap has been trending on social media, somewhat as a joke, but also as something people are genuinely sleeping with to “reduce” a double chin. What people don’t seem to realize is that this product can misalign the jaw causing more harm than good. Similarly, mouth tape has surfaced on the internet, initially created to help mouth breathers have reduced snoring and better sleep health. However, this product has been overtaken by the beauty industry, claiming this same product will help with jaw structure, and will thus give users a more snatched facial appearance. Initially, these two tools would be seen as the perfect easy solutions to achieving this beauty standard, but in my opinion, I have noticed the beauty community using and abusing the purposes of these products.
To dive deeper into the lengths people will go to achieve popular standards for beauty, let’s look at fillers and implants. I will preface that not all is bad when it comes to plastic surgery and cosmetic additions to fix insecurities, however, I don’t think people take enough precaution when doing these drastic procedures to their faces. To start off small, chin fillers are something that has been on the rise in recent times. While this is a safe procedure, people fail to realize the harmful side effects that could stem from these methods. I think the question we must ask ourselves as people living in a society filled with these weighing insecurities is this: is my appearance worth the possibility of an allergic reaction? If yes, now think about this. Is my appearance worth nerve damage, skin damage or scarring? No, right? Common logic would suggest that most people would choose their health over these risks, however, it seems that this is not the case in America. Okay, so we’ve looked at the basic cosmetic procedures, now let’s go a little bit further. Chin implants are something that I personally didn’t know existed until recently. After doing some research it seems that this is something people undergo purely for cosmetics. Jaw structure is something I think many people take for granted. Is it worth surgically implanting silicone into your jaw area to extend the side profile of your face? I would say no, but then again, my circumstances don’t put me in the position to need this surgery. Asking the same question I did before, is appearance worth the possibility of bone erosion of the chin? What about risking damage to your mental nerve? These are of course extreme cases, but what are the lengths a person will go to fulfil their needs to fit the mold of what society views to be beautiful? I think it’s clear that men and women will go to great lengths to fit these standards, but dare I saw we go too far?
Modern medicine and cosmetic procedures allow us to fix practically any insecurity we have with the right amount of money and the courage it takes to go under the knife. The tools we have been given to fit this specific mold are great if we are trying to conform to what society has told us we need to look like, to look normal, to look appealing, to look beautiful. What if, however, we change the narrative? What if society decided to stop putting these unrealistic ideals out there of how a person should look and we accepted people the way they were made? It’s a story that has many layers, and we keep being met with this same idea, so why don’t we take it and run with it? The drastic measures people take could stop, and we could live in a place where men and women stop putting their health at risk to meet the standards we have set as a united people for what beauty is. Personally, I think some of these lengths traveled are too far, but then again, I can be lazy sometimes. I am only one person and there are so many valid opinions out there contradicting my own. I do, however, think we should consider these measures we take more seriously before acting on them in the future.
