Since its launch in 2016, Tiktok has been the most used app of the decade. With over 1 billion active users spread across 154 countries, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms of 2023. Although this platform has many advantages, there has been an increase in unattainable beauty standards rooted in ageism and coercion for plastic surgery. One of the most recent plastic surgery trends that have been trending on TikTok was the infamous buccal fat removal procedure. A buccal fat procedure is a procedure that removes a natural pad of fat that sits on the cheeks to reduce the appearance of puffiness and offer a more sculpted look to the face. TikToker Bekah Day decided to share her thoughts about the procedure, claiming that the procedure tends to prematurely age people who receive it. Not only are we seeing numerous people getting these procedures, but we also are seeing them share different “beauty hacks” to obtain these unattainable standards. For instance, the popularization of preventative botox has reached over 87.9 million views on the platform.
These videos are very detrimental to one’s self-confidence, and they present aging as unattractive. With over 3.3 billion views for the #antiaging, these videos are pressuring women into purchasing serums, treatments, and other products that market themselves as capable of “reducing the signs of aging.” One of the most popular videos is the infamous “anti-wrinkle straw,” a straw that claims to prevent fine lines around the lips or smile lines.
Actress Julia Fox took to TikTok to talk a little bit about aging. Fox says that getting older should be portrayed as beautiful rather than unfavorable. Fox claims that aging is “fully in,” and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Moreover, Fox said that she is tired of marketing that targets people with promises of anti-aging. “And If I see another product that says ‘anti-aging’ on the label, I’m suing,” Fox continued. “I’m going to sue because I’m gonna age regardless of if I put the $500 serum on my face.”
So why are so many of these videos gaining popularity on the platform? Journalist Megan McClintock describes this phenomenon in “The Psychology of TikTok,” which explains how these videos affect our brains, behavior, and overall mental health. Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok’s algorithm is designed to increase user engagement by learning the user’s interests. McClintock claims, “With each video you watch, TikTok learns something about you. Within a few hours, it can detect your music tastes, sexual orientation, mental health, and sense of humor. So, if you watch a video of a cute dog, TikTok will show you another pet video. Have you considered cats? Well, what about snakes? And unless you start skipping those dog videos in favor of the “What I Eat in a Day” trend, you’ll find yourself knee-deep in #dogsoftiktok three hours later.” So how does this correlate with women and their exposure to plastic surgery or “beauty hack” videos? Ultimately, if a user watches a video of Dr. Miami performing a BBL procedure, Tiktok will follow that with BBL TikToks, nose job Tiktoks, and beauty hack trends like “how to get rid of hip dips ” or “Devine Feminine energy hacks.”Â
TikTok doesn’t just expose users to plastic surgery videos. It also recommends weight loss videos. Many people on other social media platforms have been speculating that there might be a revival of the “Heroin Chic” look. Heroin chic is a style that was popularized in 1990s fashion and is characterized by emaciated features and a slim figure. Recently, the TikTok #diet has over 11 billion views. Under this hashtag, you will find many videos encouraging viewers to do planks and leg lifts to achieve a slimmer body. Alyssa Moukheiber, a dietitian at a residential treatment center for eating disorders in northern Illinois, claims, “The TikTok algorithm is just too freaking strong.” The algorithm sucks girls into a world that promises physical perfection for just trying a little harder.”
Many people are taking to Twitter and TikTok to express their dislike of diet and plastic surgery videos. These videos nitpick insecurities that women might have. Instead of embracing imperfections, these videos attempt to deliberately persuade women to do the opposite. To counteract the rise of surgeries like buccal fat removal, beauty gurus are creating videos to embrace fuller cheeks. Beauty guru @yashface2310 created a “chubby cheek makeup routine” while talking about celebrities that have fuller faces. Therefore, we need to be increasingly mindful of the content we consume and put ourselves first. By avoiding these types of videos by muting or blocking them from coming up on the For You page, we will help to depopularize oppressive beauty standards.