We live in a society that thrives on our insecurities. Makeup advertisements, waist-trainers, hair plugs, Kylie Jenner lips and Beyoncé booty. Finding ways to love yourself for who you truly are can be quite difficult. And no, the concept of a standard for beauty is nothing new. Heck, even Cleopatra was a trendsetter. Many of the things that were deemed to be beautiful in the past have changed, and these ideals certainly vary amongst different cultures. Yet and still it remains that there is always a standard of beauty.
Efforts have been made to combat such standards, such as the “body posi” movement on Twitter. The movement was spread via hashtag on the social media network, and its goal was to celebrate body types that may not otherwise be celebrated by society and in the media. However, the movement was not without backlash, and there were certainly Twitter trolls who pounced at the opportunity to attack people’s insecurities.
Self-love initiatives encourage us to love ourselves, flaws and all. These efforts have become widely popular, and the message is the foundation for many blogs, organizations and even T-shirt lines. Yet, for every self-love initiative that encourages an “as I am” message, there is a culture that says otherwise.
Celebrity socialite Kylie Jenner admitted that her full lips were the result of lip injections while raptress Nicki Minaj often jokes about her rather large bottom being the result of plastic surgery in her songs.
While self-love initiatives are widely prevalent, so are the means to change our appearances. In 2014 there were about 16 million cosmetic procedures, according to PlasticSurgery.org. While 49 percent of these procedures were received by individuals between the ages of 40–54, 815,000 cosmetic procedures went toward individuals aged 20–29. Some of these procedures are far less invasive than others, such as laser hair removal. Plastic surgery deals can be found on websites and apps such as Groupon. One coupon offered a discount in the Raleigh area for lip injections, another for laser fat removal.
Sure, there may be financial or personal reasons that may prevent someone from getting cosmetic surgery, but how many of us would do it if we had the chance? We are constantly being reminded to love ourselves for who and what we are, but the faces and physiques that we see on our TV screens are often extremely different from our own.
Is someone a sell-out for choosing injections over squats? Do people who receive plastic surgery not love themselves enough? Of course not! Cosmetic surgery and self love are not two mutually exclusive things for the simple fact that self love goes farther than our physical appearance.
Comparing yourself to an actress or athlete is pointless. Unless you’re swimming in money, you won’t have access to many of the things that they do. Some goals may not be attainable, naturally. And if you do decide to go under the knife for whatever reason, remember that you are still entitled to loving yourself.
