Women Who Get Plastic Surgery Are Not Your Enemy
One of the biggest points of discourse (and contention) online recently has been the rise in popularity in buccal fat removal procedures. Buccal fat is the pad between the cheekbones and jawline that is typically associated with a more youthful, full-faced look (think round cheeks, baby face). Like anything, some people have more buccal fat than others, regardless of age. It seems to me that the focus is more on cheekbones, not defying the process of aging.
And I think some of the uproar starts with the deviation from the idea that plastic surgery is inherently a tool to make yourself look younger.
Like clockwork, this beauty trend turned women against one another. It’s important to remember that plastic surgery, fad diets, and makeup trends are all ways to manipulate women into feeling self conscious enough to spend money. That being said, if you want to get any sort of procedure done it’s none of my business. Really, it’s none of anyone’s business. My only real piece of advice to remember to do things for you; plastic surgery can genuinely improve one’s self image and quality of life if that’s what you really want.
Which brings me to my overarching point here: the women getting these surgeries and procedures are not your enemy. If you had to choose one, the glaring evil force here is the beauty industry (which is just that: an industry) pushing these surgeries on impressionable, insecure young women. At the end of the day, plastic surgeons want money. And the constantly evolving beauty standard in America (that is created by the internet and celebrity influence, I might add) present countless moneymaking opportunities.
On top of that, accusing various celebrities of having buccal fat removal done isn’t helping anyone. As someone with naturally sunken cheeks (and nowhere near enough money for plastic surgery): some people just look like that. And before the surgery to achieve that was exposed, that seemed to be generally accepted as a fact. The ways that women have turned on each other and the infighting created by the attention to buccal fat are setting us back, like beauty trends typically do.
A common theme among the online discourse is women feeling a sense of superiority over those that get plastic surgery because they believe they will age more gracefully. Meaning that, with the help of their natural buccal fat, they will look younger in 20 years. Which is exactly the ideal that’s been pushed on us for decades: to look younger than our actual age.
There have been dozens of anti-aging beauty trends over the past few years (primarily on TikTok), from prescription strength retinols and gua sha routines to patches that keep your face from moving in your sleep. When the pendulum swings in the presumed opposite direction, a light is cast on all parts of the perception of women’s beauty — there is no way to win.
It’s important to note, also, that there doesn’t seem to be one universal beauty standard. Looking as young and “healthy” as possible has been the primary standard peddled to women for generations, but as capitalism breeds innovation it also breeds newer sub-standards and methods to achieve that goal. We’ve seen the Kardashians getting their BBLs dissolved after the striking hourglass figure was the “it body” just a few years ago. While the fashion and modeling industry have always placed an importance on being tall and thin, pop culture tends to see beauty through a different lens.
A supermodel like Bella Hadid could see buccal fat removal as a necessity because she’s held to a much higher, stricter standard than the average American woman. And that’s not to say that average women aren’t being compared to the Bella Hadids of the world — we are. But there is strength in nuance and understanding that it’s much easier to look a certain way when you have millions of dollars. For example, there’s no way to naturally (and healthily) get a big butt and small waist just to completely lose it and slim down a couple years later. There’s no way for the average woman to keep up.
Moreover, I know plenty of women that get botox and lip filler semi-regularly that are genuinely fulfilled by the procedure. They are not attacking or challenging by beauty because I have thinner lips and lines on my forehead — any change in appearance is (or should be) a deeply personal decision. But with a culture that places so much importance on aesthetics, it’s easy to get caught up. The beauty industry thrives on insecurity and competition — everyone’s looking for the next best thing that will make them look better than before.
And finally, I have to note, that it’s not progressive at all to tear women down for participating in that industry. Proudly announcing that you will age gracefully and look better in the long run doesn’t challenge the real problem at all, it just continues to sow seeds of inferiority among women.
Plastic surgery isn’t inherently evil. But vilifying those that participate as well as putting down those that don’t only continues to enforce hyper-specific and altogether made up beauty standards for plastic surgeons, beauty publications, and makeup and skincare brands to capitalize on. I can promise you, that in our violently capitalist society, people can be bullied into spending money, and then into spending money again to reverse a procedure when it’s not trendy anymore.
Viewing other women as your enemy, especially on account of their beauty or perceived lack thereof, pushes you back into the mindset that the patriarchy and capitalism have created for you. Plastic surgery or not, women are all struggling with their self image and perception of beauty. And unfortunately, none of us are really winning.
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