What is Our Obsession with Outing Celebrities' Plastic Surgery?
08/12/2019The Kardashians are no stranger to altering their appearance: from fillers to contour, momager Kris and her clan of daughters alike are all about crafting a specific look. Despite the Kardashian’s relative openness, fans think Kim Kardashian West got new plastic surgery on her face following recent Instagrams, and they’re livid that she won’t admit it. We understand that being in the public eye means having a certain responsibility to disclose how you achieve your appearance — or at the very least, not to lie about it. But when it comes to relentlessly scrutinizing and targeting celebrities to pick apart “before and after” photos, enough is enough. As long as we relentlessly examine celebs’ faces for signs of change, we’re part of the problem.
The photos that raised so many suspicions are from a recent trip to Japan with husband Kanye West and their kids. Kim posted them to her Instagram, and the comments section on both those photos and a slightly earlier series announcing her new makeup line are flooded with comments suggesting she’s surgically altered her nose. One comment with 390 likes says “Kim’s face looks different.” Another with 276 likes reads “Kim has been looking less and less like herself for a while now.” On the earlier photo, one comment with 896 likes has this to say: “Did you borrow Khloe’s nose for this photo?”
Whether or not you agree that Kim looks different, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First (and this particularly applies to the makeup launch photo), the Kardashians have made a name for themselves through the power of contouring, and spoken specifically about the effects that makeup can have on altering the appearance of your nose.
Second, let’s say that Kim has been feeling unhappy with her nose for some time now (insecurity is real, even when you have 145 million Instagram followers). If she did get plastic surgery, the flood of comments would only serve to validate her fear that everyone was noticing the tiniest details of her nose. And if she didn’t, the flood of comments would likely push her to consider it even more strongly. How can we expect celebrities to stop surgically altering their appearances as long as we’re tearing apart every feature they possess, whether in the name of identifying procedures or making a judgment? The level of scrutiny is unhealthy at best and a form of bullying at worst.
We’re by no means sanctioning constant body alterations presented as “eating well and getting lots of rest.” Jameela Jamil has called out the Kardashians specifically for their promotion of dangerous weight loss products, without disclosing the fact that personal trainers, nutritionists, and yes, having cosmetic procedures performed are the true reason why they look the way they look. Particularly when it has to do with body image, celebrities should be doing everything they can to be transparent.
But when it comes to something like noticing whether someone’s nose is a few millimeters thinner than previous photos? Forget it. As long as she doesn’t start selling expensive, dangerous nose clamps that claim to have the same effect, leave the woman alone. We need to stop perpetuating a culture where we monitor appearance on this level — and if Kim Kardashian’s peace of mind isn’t reason enough for you, then do it for your own.
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