Syringe Credit: Pixaby
Getting plastic surgery has become more popular in recent years. Celebrities, YouTube gurus, and now everyday people have made plastic surgery more mainstream. All across social media there is an “Instagram model” or celebrity with what many consider the perfect body — full-figured with a slim waist.
In a recent American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery survey, over 40 percent of surgeons reported that “looking better in selfies on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook” was the reason given for clients having surgery.
“Ten years ago, women in their late teens and early 20s rarely sought plastic surgery, but now young people are doing it because they are seeing themselves on social media from different angles next to models like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian with curvaceous bodies,” celebrity plastic surgeon Michael “Dr. Miami” Salzhauer told highsnobiety.com. “These celebrities have had surgeries, and people come in to look like them.”
Mother of two Kiara Barlow of Newport News, Va., went under the knife for a breast augmentation after she had children, seeking to counter the effects of pregnancies on her breasts. “Yes, it did influence me, seeing all celebs with children getting their bodies back by procedures and being comfortable with it,” said Barlow, who lists Beyoncé as her ideal celebrity body because of her proportions.
Kiara Barlow after a breast augmentation
Social media has glorified plastic surgery to the point that even plastic surgeons like Dr. Miami are using Snapchat to post images of their work.
The youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, Kylie Jenner has confirmed that she gets lip fillers, which are substances used in cosmetic procedures designed to add temporary volume to a specific area of the face. Juvederm and Restylne are probably the two most popular and well-known fillers. Once Jenner’s lips went viral, everyday people began to request the procedure in all areas of the face including lips and eyes.
“Fillers and Botox have been increasing, and the age of clients has been dropping. I have regular Botox customers in their 20s and filler customers coming in their late teens,” Dr. Miami said.
Lip fillers, however, are not as dangerous as some other surgeries. There have been many widely publicized cases of women, specifically Black women, dying of butt implants or butt lifts. Since the rise of social media, requests for the Brazilian Butt Lift procedure, which transfers fat from the stomach and thighs to the butt, have increased, according to Dr. Miami’s office for plastic surgery.
The BBL is now increasingly sought by everyday people, but it all started with celebrities. Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, K. Michelle and many others are rumored to have had or have admitted to having the procedure done.
“I would like to get a BBL in the future, nothing crazy, but just to proportion my body and look more, I would say, evened out,” Barlow said.
Unfortunately, some women are unable to afford the services of a reputable doctor and instead choose a dangerous alternative. The black market allows these women to get surgeries like the Brazilian Butt Lift for nearly half the average cost of $4,000. Many have died as a result or end up with a bungled job, as shown on the E! hit show “Botched.”
Wykesha Reid, a mother of one, died a year ago after undergoing a butt procedure. She went to what she thought was a reputable doctor, however, Reid was left on the procedure table to die, according to the Dallas Morning News.
“She got hooked on them booty shots,” Patricia Kelley, a family member of Reid’s, said to reporters.
“Again, I would encourage any person, regardless of socioeconomic status, that if they do require medical treatment, to make sure [that] person has proper credentials, a license to practice medicine, and that their offices or surgical centers contain the proper equipment to deal with medical emergencies,” Dr. Manny Alvarez told Fox News.
“I feel as though now, in the Black community, having a snatched waist and huge butt is the ideal body and anything less than that is not looked at as having a beautiful body,” 20-year-old Old Dominion University college student Jazmyn Bremby said.
When asked her take on the Black community and the seeming disappearance of any stigma associated with plastic surgery, Barlow said, “I feel like Black women, just like any women, should feel openly free to express their body image the way they feel fit.
“I don’t think it will keep Black women from going under the knife, I just think people, Black or any race, will do what they feel fit is best for them.”
