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I Don’t Look Like a Kardashian and That’s Okay

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SFU chapter.

I wish I could change a million things about the way that I look. I wish my cheekbones were more defined, I wish I had larger lips, I wish I didn’t have these bags under my eyes, and I wish my nose was smaller. The reality is, if I really wanted to…. I could get plastic surgery done. I could change my nose, fill in my lips, lift up my eyes, snip and tuck my cheeks… but would all that make me happy? I have come to realize and accepted that there is no such thing as a perfect body or a perfect face and no matter how hard we try to “fix” ourselves, we will never be perfect.

Millions of young girls idolize the Kardashians, and while I am not their biggest fan, I can admit they are beautiful women. The Kardashian women have it all: fame, wealth, power but even they struggle with their insecurities. It has been reported that they Kardashians have had multiple plastic surgery procedures, from Botox to butt lifts, trying to achieve this “perfect image” that ideal society has constructed. I have noticed recently more and more young girls are getting plastic surgery at an alarming rate, trying to look like what they are being told is “beautiful,” by the media.

The truth about plastic surgery the Kardashians won’t tell you is that plastic surgery is a temporary solution to a long-term problem. The problem begins and ends with us. It starts off with fixing one thing about ourselves, then another and then another until it becomes a full-blown addiction. The truth is no matter what we do, we will always find faults in ourselves.

These doctors, beauty critics and douchebags that judge people on their looks (like Donald Trump) are making millions of dollars a year profiting on young girls and boys’ low-self-esteem. Also, keep in mind, plastic surgery does not last. If you get any body modification surgeries like liposuction, breast augmentation, Brazilian butt lifts etc, it will require future procedures down the line. Other surgeries like Botox and fillers also require constant touch-ups to maintain. So essentially what you have is money being thrown towards cutting yourself open every 8-10 years or injecting yourself with fillers every year to keep your face from falling.

Plastic surgery is not only expensive; it could also be potentially life threating. Are you willing to put your life on the line to have a smaller nose? And even if you have the money and the surgery goes great, there’s always a chance you might not like the result. Personally, I don’t think it has anything to do with the outside but everything with the inside.

I think it’s time we ask ourselves if changing our insecurities will make us happy. Maybe it’s time; instead of being too hard on ourselves, we accept the fact that we will never look like Kylie Jenner. In fact Kylie Jenner doesn’t even look like Kylie Jenner! We are perfectly imperfect and that is what makes us who we are. We are all special and different as illustrated in “Mr. Potato Head” by Melanie Martinez (I highly suggest listening to this song).  So, what if we get wrinkles, so what if we don’t have thigh gaps, so what if are boobs became saggy? I don’t want to spend my whole life thinking of what I should be and what I should look like. I might never be a girl on the cover of a magazine, I might never be happy with my nose, but that is okay. At the end of the day I have to be okay with just being myself. Your beauty is defined by you and no one else. Don’t let the unrealistic standards of society make you feel like you are any less beautiful or amazing because you are truly an exceptional and wonderful person just the way you are. Flaws and all. 

(Writers Note: before I end, I just want to state I am not completely against plastic surgery, if you feel as though the only way you will ever be happy in your skin is through plastic surgery then consult the experts and do what is best for you. My only request is that you please consult a reputable doctor. A few days ago, a woman died because she received butt injection shots from an alleged doctor. The reality was the “doctor” was injecting cement in her body. Warning, the images are quite graphic. The fake doctor has since been arrested but there are countless other frauds out there. Please be careful, please be realistic in terms of the procedure, and please know you are beautiful and you really don’t need plastic surgery).

 

Image Source: http://www.health2blog.com/learn-about-plastic-surgery-new-york/

Amneet is a 4th year communications student at Simon Fraser University. Born and raised in the city of Surrey, she loves the sound of rain, in fact she listens to rain sounds every night to help her sleep. Her favorite past times include: reading, binge watching Netflix shows and perfecting the art of sarcasm. You can get to know her more by following her Instagram: amku2500.