Celebrities & Beauty Standards

BY MEENA ADUSUMILLI '27

From the glitz and glamor of the Met Gala to the captivating drama of reality TV and the ever-changing makeup and fashion trends, celebrities greatly influence our lives. While indulging in celebrity lives through social media and TV can offer momentary escapism from life’s monotony or challenges, the underlying messages portrayed in the images and videos we consume ultimately reveal a troubling reality. Celebrities, knowingly or not, uphold unrealistic beauty standards that exacerbate insecurities. Through their public personas and carefully curated images, they establish unattainable ideals of perfection, which often lead people to pursue plastic surgery in an attempt to mirror or emulate their physical attributes. Younger generations are more susceptible to internalizing the images they see online, often leading to worsened mental health due to lower self-esteem and newfound insecurities. The Kardashians are one of the most prominent celebrity families that promote unhealthy lifestyles and unrealistic beauty standards.

​For instance, Kylie Jenner, a member of the Kardashian family, began to get lip filler in her early teens, but she continuously lied about doing so, saying that overlining her lips was what made them drastically increase in size. It wasn’t until she was 17 that she finally admitted to getting her lips done, and, since then, she has opened up about her personal experience with being insecure of her lips. However, Kylier Jenner’s hiding of her lip filler resulted in millions of young people thinking that her plump lips could be achieved with just a bit of makeup, and, when this turned out to be false, a trend called the #KylieJennerChallenge arose. The challenge involved teens suctioning their lips in a bottle for a prolonged period of time in order to make them larger; the side effects of doing the challenge were undeniable yet unacknowledged by many online. A CBS News article even stated that the challenge could lead to “micro-trauma to the vessels of the lips, scarring, [and] hematoma or fibrosis.” While Kylie Jenner coming forward and admitting to her lip filler is definitely a step in the right direction, it doesn’t erase the harm she has already caused by lying in the first place. This trend illustrates how celebrities influence trends and contribute to beauty standards that are inherently harmful. 

At the same time, celebrities get body shamed and teenagers take the comments they see online to heart. Going back to the example of the Kardashians, Kylie was just a teenager when she got lip filler, and all the blame is certainly not on her. As mentioned above, Kylie was insecure of her lips from a young age. In fact, according to a People article, she felt “unkissable” after a classmate said she had “such small lips.” She continues that she “didn’t feel desirable or pretty,” and that she “want[ed] to admit to the lips, but [that] people are so quick to judge [her] on everything.” From a young age, Kylie lived in the public eye, and she often faced criticism from both her peers and the media for her appearance. Understandably, Kylie became insecure, and her story brings more nuance into the issue of celebrities lying about the work they have gotten done. Additionally, when celebrities delay coming forward, the problem only gets worse. Case in point, the longer Kylie kept her lip fillers a secret, the more popular the #KylieJennerChallenge got, and the more the unrealistic beauty standards it promoted grew. 

The result of this increase in insecurity amongst young girls has been a drastic rise in plastic surgery. In fact, since 2015, there has been a 77.6% rise in the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure. Similarly, since 2000, the number of people receiving lip filler has increased by 312%, and this is no coincidence. As the Kardashians and other celebrities continue to promote and conform to unrealistic beauty standards, so does plastic surgery. However, this can be problematic, as plastic surgery is not necessarily the best choice for everyone, as, for one, it is expensive. A BBL can cost over $18,000, which, for most Americans, is a significant portion of their paycheck. Normalizing plastic surgery can result in a bigger socioeconomic gap alongside rising beauty standards. With a rush of plastic surgery comes unsafe plastic surgeries from people who are not professionals, which may have disastrous consequences, such as overdosing on anesthesia or being temporarily blinded. Plastic surgery can be detrimental psychologically as well, as it has the potential to make a person’s insecurities increase in the long run, feeling like there is always something needing fixing. According to a psychologist, plastic surgery may make someone feel “fake” and can make them doubt their self-worth, which may even lead to a person getting more surgery. All of these problems are only exacerbated by the constantly-changing beauty trends. For instance, although Kim Kardahsian has often had a curvier body shape, it has been rumored that she has gotten her BBL removed, and she, as well as other members of the Kardashian family, have been seen with a thinner frame lately. Similar trends have been seen in other celebrities as well. Cardi B, a famous rapper, has removed 95% of her biopolymers, which act as butt enhancers. This demonstrates the rising rates of plastic surgery which have been promoted by celebrities, mainly by the Kardashians because they have a TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and a high social media following, ultimately glorifying their choices.

Overall, there is no denying that the influence celebrities hold has made a significant impact on beauty standards, insecurities, and the resulting plastic surgeries. While it is important to acknowledge the personal choices individuals make regarding their appearance, it is equally crucial for celebrities to be aware of what they say and do when in the spotlight. It is high time that we hold celebrities responsible for promoting toxic beauty standards, and we can do this by not buying products that are falsely advertised using plastic surgery, or by simply calling out problematic behavior; however, it is the collective responsibility of both celebrities and society to redefine beauty in a way that does not inflict insecurities upon others, and the first step to doing so is being open about plastic surgery.