Nature gives you the face you have at twenty. Life shapes the face you have at thirty. But at fifty, you get the face you deserve- Coco Chanel.
With cosmetic treatments today you can buy the face you desire at 50. We cannot deny that the virtual art of Photoshop, face-tune app, filter et al. has impacted real-life beauty ideals.
In almost every picture you look at today, you will notice the impact of a filter; from skincare brands using filtered pictures of models to promote a blemish-free skin to influencers and ordinary people using filters (aka Instagram face) for their social media posts.
These days, when I want to compare my skin, I remind myself that real skin has pores and texture. The truth is that we live in a society that is heavily influenced by celebrities and beautiful models.
Cosmetic treatment was once considered a luxury for the rich and famous, but nowadays, people from all walks of life can undergo different cosmetic procedures.
We can also not deny that cosmetic treatments such as facelift, laser treatment, Botox, liposuction, dermal fillers, plastic surgery are on the rise.
So why do many people, especially celebrities, keep quiet about their enhancements? I am not against cosmetic treatments. Will I get one when I need it? Definitely.
However, what I do not approve of is the promotion of filtered skin as if it were real skin. The pressure of having blemish-free skin has led many in our society to embrace Photoshop. This has stirred a lot of pressure and has led to an increase in low self-esteem among people with skin issues.
Last month, legislators in Norway announced regulations that will make it a legal requirement for influencers and advertisers to label images that have been retouched or have filters in a bid to address ‘’body pressure in society.’’
I appreciate the honesty of celebrities who have admitted that they had a cosmetic treatment done. This, in my opinion, goes a long way to help ordinary people who may otherwise have developed low self-esteem due to their skin issues.
I mean, acne scars, blackheads, fine lines, and wrinkles are pretty common. Jennifer Lopez launched her skincare line JLO Beauty earlier in the year and she received lots of criticism when she claimed that olive oil is the key to her youthful glow.
Many of her fans noted under her comment section that she should be honest about the cosmetic dermatology that has helped her to look amazing.
And I honestly agree with them because I mean we all have olive oil in our homes, but it surely does not erase fine lines and wrinkles. A few dermatologists were also sceptical of her claims.
Few famous people come clean about the procedures they’ve taken. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs uploaded a selfie of his recent facelift post-op on his Instagram page with the caption #livelovelift.
The post was met with enthusiasm, with many praising his honesty, openness, and sense of humour around going Marc Jacobs facelift post-operation under the knife. Other celebrities who have been refreshingly candid about their look include supermodel Cindy Crawford and Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda.
In an interview with InStyle, Cindy stated “I’m not going to lie to myself, past a certain age, creams work on the texture of your skin but, in order to restore elasticity, all I can really count on is vitamin injections, Botox, and collagen………. I owe the quality of my skin to my cosmetic surgeon.” Jane Fonda admitted in a new documentary about her life that her looks are not all good genes and good luck. ‘’I’m glad I look good for my age, but I’ve had plastic surgery.’’
There seems to be some sort of shame and stigma around cosmetic treatments, as society tends to see it as vanity. But open conversations should be had regarding this because no one should be ashamed for wanting to look youthful.
You know, quite a vast number of us have filters on our phones, which we use to retouch and filter our pictures. The primary purpose of this is to look good.
So let’s be real, there is a certain point in life where you cannot fix things without cosmetic treatments, even your good genes will diminish at some point.
Having honest discussions about cosmetic treatments will certainly remove the shame. For many young people, image is everything and they look up to these celebrities and want to mimic and emulate their look.
Therefore, celebrities should hold some responsibility to ensure they are honest about their look.
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