Between the issue of body image and the heavy influence that the images of celebrities have on us, it’s potentially very dangerous for celebrities to promote something where they haven’t fully disclosed how they got to that point. It’s one thing for a celebrity to have a fitness or wellness line, however, promoting it by showing off your seemingly healthy body that has had work done on it is also harmful.
It could be destructive if someone were to see a celebrity come out with a fitness line, look at that celebrity’s body and then compare it to their own. This could make them feel as though they are not pretty or healthy enough. This is not a fair comparison and it would only further contribute to giving people unrealistic views on weight loss and transformations. It is especially damaging for impressionable young girls to see the body of someone who has had plastic surgery and think that they can achieve that beauty standard naturally. In these times of serious issues, such as body dysmorphia and eating disorders, it is extremely important to watch the messages we put out and are consuming.
Plastic surgery is nothing to be ashamed of. There are many celebrities that have both confirmed and denied having had plastic surgery. It used to be something kept very tight-lipped. However, today, as women strive for more body autonomy, more and more celebrities are trying to change the plastic surgery status quo by having open conversations wherein they confirm the work they have had done on their bodies. While there’s no shame in making your own choice about your body with having plastic surgery, it is problematic to have had plastic surgery and deny it, whilst promoting your body image.
Celebrities are known to come out with multiple lines of goods and clothing, from swimwear to makeup to fitness. Yet it is harmful when celebrities who have had plastic surgery create and promote their own lines of fitness products, since many celebrities can attribute their ability to recreate their images to their wealth. Celebrities have access to the amount of money needed in order to transform their image and become the fittest and prettiest. Khloé Kardashian is one celebrity that often comes to mind when thinking of this topic. She’s someone that has had a major transformation from being an advocate for different body shapes, when compared to her sisters Kim and Kourtney, to making makeovers and fitness her brand.
Khloé is known for many things, especially her show Revenge Body. In the show, she gives regular people who are unhappy with their body image access to a better training and lifestyle programme. This is in the hopes of them achieving a ‘revenge body’ due to someone in their lives making them feel unfit or unattractive. It is inaccurate for people to think they can do what Khloé has done in changing her diet and fitness routine as she has access to personal trainers and nutritionists who assist majorly in getting her into shape. Besides that, she has also confirmed that she has had plastic surgery and is often in the news for constantly having a ‘new face’.
Khloé has also recently been in hot water after an interview from 2019 resurfaced in which she said “I can’t stand people who are, like, eating a bucket of Haagen-Dazs ice cream and they are like, ‘I’m so fat,'” she said. “And like, they won’t work out, they won’t change their diet, they won’t drink more water, they won’t whatever, but they’re complaining, complaining, complaining.” Many people were quick to comment on this as they understood the message she was trying to convey. However, it shouldn’t have come from someone who has had plastic surgery and the wealth to achieve the type of body she desires.
The bottom line is that there is no harm in having plastic surgery, but there is harm in having work done and promoting a false image around how you achieved that look. Celebrities who have had plastic surgery can create and promote fitness lines as long as they publicly disclaim they have had plastic surgery as much as they promote their fitness lines and body images.