With Madonna making an appearance with her new face at the Grammy’s last week, it caused an uproar on social media regarding the discussion of plastic surgery. This got me thinking; Plastic surgery is all the rage in our society and has become a somewhat normal procedure to avoid the physical effects of aging. Why are we all so obsessed with staying young and looking perfect when aging is a normal process? It seems to me that we’ve made the idea of aging disgusting.
Now, the unnatural is the new normal.
Many users on Twitter wrote about their confusion about Madonna’s new features-being almost unrecognizable. One user wrote, “When you start to look like a completely different person…it’s just sad. I don’t want to look like someone else…I want to look like me, with all my sags and wisdom lines. I earned it! She has too, but I seriously don’t recognize her. And she can’t undo it.”
Many others seem to have similar thoughts on Madonna’s plastic surgery. Plastic surgery and Botox have become so normalized that it’s even encouraged now. I’m only 20 years old with no wrinkles to show for and, yet I get ads for Botox appointments. So, what kind of influence and impression is this making on younger teenagers who are constantly on social media looking for advice? To me, all this Botox and plastic surgery tells young people that it’s actually not okay to age normally, and you have to look your best always, no matter how old you get. Do you need me to tell you this is a very dangerous mindset to have? Physical appearance has always mattered to us, but these past few decades have truly proven this to be true. We will go to almost any length to look youthful and beautiful. We are now under the notion that flaws need to be corrected.
Other celebrities also get cosmetic surgery and deny receiving any. For example, Madison Beer has repeatedly denied getting any work done even though multiple people have called her out for it. This creates extremely false beauty standards for their millions of young and impressionable followers. Plastic surgery and Botox are also not as accessible to the general public compared to public figures. Getting any sort of cosmetic surgery is a big financial investment that many cannot afford. Watching celebrities get older, yet more beautiful, can leave us looking at ourselves in the mirror with a warped perception. Every time I scroll on social media, I only feel worse about my own self-image. I wish my hair were shinier and longer; I wish my stomach was thinner; I wish my lips were more full; I wish I had a sharper jawline. The list goes on and on. My dream face and body are all incredibly unrealistic from looking up to those who have had work done.
I’ve grown up learning from the internet that once you see signs of aging, it’s time to change everything about yourself to look as youthful as possible. This isn’t healthy or realistic. At the end of the day, as long as you’re happy with the person you are instead of the person you look like, everything will be okay.