Social Media And Plastic Surgery Essay

As social media has become more prevalent in the lives of the youth of the United States, beauty standards have drastically shifted and are more unrealistic than ever before. Young people no longer want to possess the characteristics that create an individual, but would rather conform to perfection through plastic surgery. Years ago, the realm of plastic surgery seemed to stay transfixed to Beverly Hills and Jersey Shore, but social media has caused numbers to skyrocket globally while preying on insecurity, and has now created an uncanny trend. As a result of these demands of goddess-like beauty, 98% of girls say there is an immense pressure from external sources to look a certain way (“Pressure & Perfectionism” n.p.). Confidence is no longer an internal battle, but through the effect of social media it has begun to affect the daily lives of younger generations. In fact, 64% of surgeons in 2015 saw an increase in facial surgery …show more content…
One of the greatest social media influences of today is Kylie Jenner. Kylie Jenner received lip augmentation in 2014 to plump her naturally thin lips, and in 2015 lip augmentation procedures jumped up 5%. Her sister Kim Kardashian was the inspiration for 45% of bottom-enhancing procedures in 2014, following by the release of her Paper magazine cover that exposed her enlarged backside (Cohen n.p.). It may be argued the Kardashians realm only affects their specific following, but it’s actually much larger than that. In fact, 82% of surgeons report celebrities played a role in their patient’s decision to receive plastic surgery (Matthews n.p.). Music has even become a major trigger for bottom-enhancing procedure, from songs such as Anaconda by Nicki Minaj and Booty by Jennifer Lopez (Cohen