Do Celebrities Opening Up About Beauty Procedures Make Matters Worse?
Last month, Ariana Grande joined a growing chorus of celebrities who opened up about undergoing cosmetic procedures. In a Vogue interview about her beauty routine, Ariana hinted at using cosmetic procedures as a means to "hide." She claims she has since ceased these surgeries.
“I had a ton of lip filler over the years and Botox. I stopped in 2018 because I felt so — too much,” she told the outlet “For a long time, beauty was about hiding for me and now I feel like maybe it’s not.”
Ariana is one of many celebrities who have spoken candidly about surgery and cosmetic procedures recently. Recently, Kylie Jenner revealed her own cosmetic surgeries, Bella Hadid admitted to a nose job last year, and many other celebs have followed suit.
Most of these stars have spoken from a position that sounded regretful. It’s almost as if they tried to redeem themselves in front of their fans by finally opening up about their cosmetic habits. Funnily enough, they all said they did it AGES ago and have sworn off cosmetic producers in recent years. The thing is, is this meant to make us mere mortals feel better?
The double standards of celeb admissions
Many celebrities are trying to speak candidly about cosmetic procedures in front of their fans. Most, if not all of them have expressed regrets about augmenting their faces and bodies, vowing to never mess with cosmetic surgery again. Good for them, of course. And, thank you for finally owning up to something that everyone’s basically known about for years anyway.
Here's the catch: Even as celebrities admit their regrets, society is still bombarded with unrealistic beauty standards.
These celebrities aren’t changing back to their old selves, and people are still going to swoon over their social media posts. Their past concealment, in many ways, led fans to strive for an unattainable image, one that even the celebs themselves couldn't naturally achieve. By admitting now, after years of secrecy, they inadvertently highlight the hypocrisy of the very industry they're a part of.
The timing of these admissions, especially when many of these stars have successful beauty lines, is worth noting. The narrative seems to follow a certain trend: Surge in popularity, undergo procedures, reach a peak in career, drop a cosmetics line, then confess and denounce past choices, usually when one's career has already been well-established. You honestly can't help but wonder if this is yet another well-crafted PR strategy, especially as natural beauty and authenticity become more fashionable.
The realities of celebrity natural beauty
Another thing is that most of these celebs are adamant that this is a past regret and they won’t be doing fillers and Botox going forward. Great.
But — is that meant to make you think that they are now at their peak point of natural beauty? These ladies still look gorgeous even if they had one lip filler back in the 2000s, and this leads me to catch number 2. Yes, these stars may have ditched cosmetic surgery long ago but that doesn’t mean they just add a lick of mascara and off they go.
No, many of these stars can afford to achieve natural, flawless skin through countless beauty procedures that don’t count as cosmetic enhancements. We’re talking about chemical peels and all these wild treatments that enhance your skin’s glow and add to a flawless finish. We’re talking about regular eyelash appointments, hair extensions that cost more than a month’s rent and maintaining healthy organic diets that only celebrities can actually afford because, you know, the cost of living.
My point is this, most celebrities gunning for the natural beauty look are not as natural as we may think. Achieving this level of natural beauty takes work and that still proves that they’re not being completely honest to their loyal fans.
Is it just going to make us feel bad for having filler instead?
Cosmetic procedures should be a personal choice, and there's no shame in someone wanting to feel more confident or comfortable in their skin. So, while celeb confessions might be intended to caution fans against unrealistic standards, they also risk casting judgment on those who make different choices. Basically, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Ultimately, we can't ignore the pattern of these confessions. While they reveal the intense beauty pressures, they also widen the gap between celebrities and fans. Their privileged access to high-end non-surgical treatments and premium lifestyles create a new, equally unattainable standard. Essentially, what’s pitched as ‘natural’ is still heavily curated, leaving fans with yet another unrealistic benchmark.
It all boils down to the importance of transparency. While it's commendable for celebrities to break their silence on cosmetic procedures, it's crucial that the narrative remains inclusive, non-judgmental, and emphasizes personal choice above all. Whether opting for cosmetic procedures or embracing one's natural look, what matters is an individual's autonomy over their body and the decisions they make concerning it. Sorry, but in the case of some of these stars, I’m not buying that your admission is coming from the right place.
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