Thankfully, I can (just about) remember life before
social media. I joined Facebook a decade ago when I was 17, soon after it first
caught on in the UK in 2006, but before that I had been similarly hooked to
Bebo and Myspace – may they rest in peace.
With that said, I can fondly reflect
on a time in my early teens when I'd go into school on Monday and animatedly
discuss with friends what we had all done over the weekend. In those innocent
bygone days, there was no incessant social media stream or live posts updating
us real time on what everyone we knew (and didn’t know) had been up to.
Now, we share every aspect of our existence with
friends and strangers, constantly seeking validation and praise with images and
messages broadcasting the shiniest version of our lives. Whether it’s a picture
of our perfect porridge, a yoga pose, holiday snaps, an #ootd, a smug couple
upload, a proposal or a filtered-to-fuck selfie, we are tirelessly gloating
with curated images that are more often than not far removed from the reality
of day-to-day living.
I’LL BE THE FIRST TO
ADMIT THAT IF MY SELFIE IS NOT SOLID, IT WILL NOT SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY, AND I
WAIT PATIENTLY, SOMETIMES ANXIOUSLY, FOR LIKES TO FLOOD IN (OR MORE LIKELY EBB
SLOWLY) ONCE POSTED.
Surely, these false ideals we’re inundated with and
contributing to on social media and the subsequent pressure to constantly be
camera-ready is having an alarming impact on Generation Y? Yes, celebrities
have always been primped and preened to perfection, but now we can stalk their
every move, buy their lipgloss, their clothing line, their hair extensions and
undergo casual surgery to look like them. Even our friends, with the help of
some good lighting, apps, contouring, filters and/or fillers, can look just as
good – if not better. For someone who doesn't consider themselves to be
particularly vain – nor am I an impressionable teen – I’ll be the first to
admit that if my selfie or upload is not solid, it will not see the light of
day, and I wait patiently, sometimes anxiously, for likes to flood in (or more
likely ebb slowly) once posted.
New statistics published by the British Association of
Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in February 2016, reveal that a record number of
over 15,000 Britons underwent cosmetic surgery in 2015, with the number of
cosmetic operations growing by 13% overall since 2014. These facts and figures
are especially interesting when we take into account the findings from a new
survey on social media habits by Privilege Home Insurance, carried out by
Opinium, which revealed that 6.9 million Brits or one in five social media
users feel dejected when looking at posts online. The report also revealed that
one in ten feel embarrassed if a post doesn’t receive enough likes, favourites,
retweets or comments and the same percentage of people have even gone as far as
deleting a post if it hasn’t received any interactions; a statistic that
worryingly doubles amongst 18-34 year olds.
When it comes to posting personal photos on social
media, 18% admitted that they only post a photo of them and friends if they
look good in it, while 7% said they have never put a photo up of themselves
without retouching it or filtering it first. Is our constant search for
validation and gratification via social media leading more and more people to
perfect and alter their appearance IRL? It seems so.
Women's cosmetic surgery rose 12.5% from 2014, and
while breast augmentation continues to remain the most popular procedure for
women (up 12% from 2014), reportedly, the oversized, spherical 'Jordan' look
once associated with implants is no longer popular, as surgeons note patients
now prefer more natural, proportionate enhancement.
Consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS President Michael
Cadier explains: “There’s no doubt that we are seeing an increase in demand for
cosmetic surgery from both men and women. Whether this is inspired by celebrity
culture and a recognition that the results of modern aesthetic procedures in
the right hands can be subtle, natural-looking and attractive, what is most
important is for patients to remember that surgery is on the whole
life-changing and irreversible – far from a trivial ‘status symbol’ beauty
treatment. The decision to undergo surgery must be well thought-out, with
managed expectations, understanding the risks through fully informed consent
and – most importantly – choosing the right specialist provider who is properly
trained and accredited.”
Consultant plastic surgeon and former BAAPS President
Douglas McGeorge agrees in part telling us: “I don’t actually think [young
people] copy celebrities, I think the fact that the celebrities get talked
about in the news so much and cosmetic surgery gets talked about just
desensitises people to the idea of having aesthetic procedures so they don’t
feel as concerned about having surgery as they might have in the past. It doesn’t
normalise it, it just means that the barriers that were historically present
have been lowered so more people would consider it i.e. there’s nothing wrong
in having an aesthetic procedure. If you go back a generation, there was almost
a guilt attached to having an aesthetic procedure, whereas now, if you have a
problem, we know that medicine can address it; we know that the techniques are
tried and tested and we know that the results are predictable and the
complications are few.”
Someone who may know a fair bit about cosmetic
procedures is Kylie Jenner, one of the most influential and examined people in
the world with 58 million followers on Instagram. And she’s just 18. The
globally-worshipped teen has undergone a drastic transformation in the past couple
of years, reportedly having numerous procedures to alter her lips, face shape
and bum, not to mention hair and lash extensions and a mask of makeup. Kylie
clones can be seen everywhere, from the 13-year-old girl with the over-lined
lips on the tube opposite you, to your colleague’s contour. Her influence is
unparalleled.
In the latest issue of PAPER magazine, out this week
and aptly titled 'YOUth', cover star Kylie makes reference to her unrivalled
influence explaining: "It's really crazy. I never really think about it
until I'll do a hair colour and then I'll see all my fans in the same hair
colour. It's just crazy how much influence I have. It's cool.”
YES, I DO THINK PEOPLE
ARE INFLUENCED BY KYLIE JENNER BUT I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD SPEND MONEY AND
GO THROUGH SURGERY
PURELY BECAUSE SHE DID IT, IT HAS TO BE FOR THEM.
EMILY CANHAM
Cool or not, it's inescapable. But UK teen beauty
blogger Emily Canham (with 372,000 Instagram followers herself) is insistent
that young celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid, their social media
presence and polished perfection, don’t have a direct impact on her
self-esteem. "I think my generation, and those younger, are more obsessed
with how they look than ever before. Yet I'm more than happy to go out makeup
free. I don't feel the pressure to look 'camera ready' all the time as that's
simply not realistic for me! Yes, I do think people are influenced by Kylie
Jenner but I don't think anyone would spend money and go through surgery purely
because she did it, it has to be for them. I have no issue with cosmetic
procedures as long as you're doing it for the correct reason: for you. I think
there is negativity around the subject because people are uneducated about it.
At the end of the day, if you can afford it without it impacting negatively on
your life and you've taken all the correct steps, then I'd say go for it."
Dr. Douglas McGeorge is adamant that though surgery is
rising, the number of teenagers actually undergoing procedures is no greater
than it has been. "With social media there’s a lot of talk about it but
there isn’t necessarily a huge amount of activity [amongst young people.]
There’s this myth that lots of 16-year-olds are having breast augmentations but
this just isn’t the case. Only occasionally will you see a youngster who is
below 18 coming and asking for a breast augmentation. The most common
procedures amongst young girls are people who have a significant problem with
their nose, prominent moles and prominent ears."
Perhaps we ought to wait for next year's results to
see the true Kylie/Kardashian effect and the long-lasting implications of
social media on the next generation's self-esteem but until then, feel free to
follow me on Insta and give my selfies some love.
ALICE CASELY-HAYFORD
No comments:
Post a Comment