Harmful Propaganda

Victoria Ras

I selected to do botox propaganda because I think it’s harmful to our society and people should talk about the truth more. Doctors should talk about the side effects. Doctors should also look into other side effects of botox and do research. I think Botox and injections can be bad for you and the media chooses not to talk about it. Celebrities all talk about the work they have done but never bring up things that can happen from getting it. Lots of celebrities don’t even have facial expressions anymore because of how much Botox they have. Their faces look like a mask and they can’t even really smile. I think finding negative reviews that celebrities have about Botox was hard because some of them don’t want to admit that they have never gotten any work done. Ive learned a lot about Botox itself and what’s in it that causes your face to change. I didn’t know how many people get it a year and was honestly shocked by that number. Over 3 million injections a year is a lot. I never really thought about other countries and how people there are getting Botox as well. Like I said in my video I wouldn’t consider getting botox because of all the side effects from it. Of course, I’ve thought about getting them but I dont think it’s worth risking it. It costs a lot of money and doesn’t last very long. The same goes with lip injections I’ve always thought about getting them but it's not worth the side effects because you don’t know if you are allergic. Social media has taken over all of our lives and comparing yourself to people online is really easy. I definitely have moments where I wish I looked like someone but in reality most of the time it’s the Botox and the filler that got them to look that way. I think younger kids are looking up to these celebrities and at that age, they don’t even really know what Botox is. I remember my 9-year-old cousins saying how much they wanted to look like Kim Kardashian but they didn’t realize how much work she had gotten done. Overall during this assignment, I learned a lot about Botox and how harmful it could be.

Script

Ive chosen to talk about Botox propaganda. Botox has become popular throughout the recent years. Lots of celebrities have it and people regularly talk about it online. Personally, Iknow some people in my life that have Botox because they have wrinkles and or think they are gonna get wrinkles and want to prevent it. Everybody in the media talks about how preventive it is and how it's not bad for you. But there are so many harmful side effects or outcomes that can happen if you get it that no one talks about. Botox should be talked about in the media more often but is there a reason doctors never really talk about the side effects of it?

There are almost 3 million injections of Botox a year. After getting botox there can be bruising or hematoma. Hematoma is a blood vessel injury that can happen right after botox. It can last for a long time. Other possible side effects are allergic reactions, headaches, and vertigo. I know a lot of people who have stopped getting Botox because they developed vertigo shortly after getting Botox. Botox can cause permanent changes in facial expressions. People's faces will no longer have expressions and it will be like a mask. Another common serious side effect is muscle weakness.

The media portrays botox to be a great thing to prevent wrinkles, and scarring and help with imperfections. For me personally, a lot of my favorite celebrities use botox and are very open about getting work done. But never they talk about the side effects of it. One of the celebrities I follow is Teresa Guidice who is on New Jersey Housewives she has a lot of Botox and promotes the places where she gets her work done. She never talks about the side effects of Botox because she is getting paid to promote them. I think this is propaganda because these celebrities who are rich and famous are just using their fans to make money but will continue to promote products that are bad for them. They dont care about their fan's health most of the time just the money they are getting out of it. On news channels, they talk about other things like vaping and eating bad for example but they never talk about Botox and how that could be bad for you.

My point of view on Botox is it can be bad for you but if other people choose to get Botox I'm not going to judge them for it. I dont think side effects happen for everyone but I wouldn't get it because 2 people in my life have gotten vertigo from it. Have I ever thought about getting Botox? Yeah because of social media. Sometimes I want to look “perfect” and I dont want to have any imperfections. Growing up with social media it's hard to not compare yourself to other people, especially people that have work done. I think a lot of people who think the same way as me need to realize that getting work done doesn't solve your problems it could create more. The media needs to talk about the negative side effects of Botox so people aren't surprised by it.

Witmanowski, H., & Błochowiak, K. (2020, December). The whole truth about botulinum toxin — A Review. Postepy dermatologii i alergologii. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7874868/