Following Kylie Jenner’s recent appearance at Paris Fashion Week last month – not too sure if you know her – comments came cascading in with users stating she had, “too many fillers” in her face that they claimed “was beyond saving”.
“You could tell me she and JLo are the same age, and I would believe you,” another posted.
Apart from showing that women cannot age without being discarded and labelled as expired, this is just one of the many (many, many, many) examples of the unfair criticism of women that is so prevalent in global media.
More specifically, this issue is so widespread within the female celebrity sphere where conversations and hostility towards those with cosmetic procedures are endless, with individuals constantly being picked apart.
From Bella Hadid’s nose job at age 14, Iggy Azalea’s 2015 breast augmentation, and Kylie’s revelation last year of having undergone further plastic surgery in 2018, the trend of trying to ‘catch women out’, to analyse and scrutinise is, quite frankly, getting tiring.
Let’s take a closer look at Kylie Jenner – the world’s youngest, self-made billionaire – the CEO of the cosmetic company ‘Kylie Cosmetics’ (just in case you haven’t heard of her).
Speculation surrounding Jenner’s face – specifically her “fuller lips” – started in 2014 when eagled-eye fans began noticing changes in her appearances in episodes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’.
Jenner denied the allegations in a 2015 Cosmopolitan interview, stating that fans had watched her grow up from the age of 9, “my face is going to get different” she noted. Yet, three years later, the fans – again – kept commenting on her lips, stating that they suddenly looked smaller. Kylie replied that she had dissolved all her fillers due to “lip insecurity” in a 2018 interview with Homme Girls.
The last straw for most people however, came at the Season 3 finale of The Kardashians (2023), Kylie admitted to having a breast augmentation at 19, stating “I just wish I never got them done to begin with”, despite previous denials of receiving any work.
Nevertheless, the damage had been done. Many fans took the opportunity to call out Jenner’s disingenuousness, claiming her billion-dollar brand was built off an artificial beauty that preyed on the insecurities of young women.
It’s no secret the power these influencers hold in moulding contemporary beauty standards, with Kylie kick-starting the 2014/2015 trend of over-lined lips – many looked up to her and had felt betrayed. Similar trends of scrutiny are visible through the likes of Bella Hadid; who had denied any form of cosmetic procedure, yet recently disclosed a nose job she had done at age 14.
Most of the scrutiny arises from the denial these celebrities pushed following any procedures that helped them achieve a certain look. Many people suggest there is a moral obligation of transparency when it comes to cosmetic work, especially if those people are CEOs of leading cosmetic companies. This would prevent them from deceiving young audiences, potentially conveying dangerous messages and perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards.
An article in the New York Post in 2023 claimed Kylie Jenner was “doing little to protect her daughter [Stormi] from wanting to [get plastic surgery]” and that “she’s a figurehead of an influencer culture that propels girls into comparison and self-loathing”.
Yet, I think people forget the tedious body image criticisms celebrities are also subject to, regardless of how they present themselves to society. With Khloé Kardashian admitting to ‘constant bullying’; if you stay natural, you’re not good enough, if you get fillers, you get bullied. This unachievable beauty standard imposes its insecurities on everyone.
From the innocent Snapchat dog filter to the knives and needles of surgical practice, everyone is exposed to the idea of cosmetic procedures and many have embraced them, serving as a humble reminder that we are all human.
I think we all could take a page out of Tyra Banks’ 2018 memoir “Perfect is Boring” where she confessed to having a nose job. “I admit it!” Tyra wrote. ” I feel I have a responsibility to tell the truth.” Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco and singer Dolly Parton are also very open about their surgeries. “If something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I’ll tuck it, suck it or pluck it”, the country singer stated.
This is not to say that if you receive surgery you are obligated to shout it from the rooftops. However, to erase the taboo, hostility, and bullying that comes with these procedures, more open and honest conversations need to happen to empower notions of self-worth and self-love, for everyone.