“Snapchat Dysmorphia” and Cosmetic Surgery in an Age of Female Empowerment//Kylie Steinhilber

Artwork by: Fauziah Ria Saputri

Retrieved from: https://pngtree.com/freepng/girls-cosmetic-icon-graphics_2417881.html

Is cosmetic plastic surgery empowering or not? As a feminist researcher of body image, I find myself asking this question a lot. Perhaps there isn’t a single answer. No one answer will satisfy everyone.

This question has always been an intriguing one to me. Recently, it was further sparked when I read an article about body dysmorphia and the rise in plastic surgery stemming from the increasing use of snapchat filters that alter people’s faces in ways that are usually a) unrealistic and b) smaller. There are some snapchat filters that are rather unflattering giving you cartoon-like proportions that are quite comical. However, there are others that I’ll admit can be quite flattering – bigger eyes that sparkle, a smaller chin and nose, an even complexion, and that are some filters that alter your hair color. But what effect has this had on the public at large?

JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery published an article that highlighted a growing phenomenon known as “snapchat dysmorphia”, in which clients seek out cosmetic surgeries to achieve an appearance similar to that of a snapchat filter. The article notes the important and closely linked relationship between body dysmorphic disorder and social media use. The authors note a growing number of patients requesting surgeries to enhance their appearance specifically to look better in selfies from 42% in 2015 to 55% in 2017 (Rajanala, Maymone, & Vashi, 2018). This article highlights the spread of this trend which is also reflected in social media. This is a trend that is also reflected in other recent news articles published on the internet such as this one by Independent Minds (Hosie, 2018): https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cosmetic-surgery-snapchat-instagram-filters-demand-celebrities-doctor-dr-esho-london-a8197001.html

YouTube videos are also now dedicated to the topic, such as this one published by Broadly in 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOpLpSNW6c  

In this video, women seek out cosmetic procedures to alter their appearance so they are less reliant of snapchat filters and photo editors to feel good about themselves. In contrast to the article published by JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, this video made me think differently about how snapchat and cosmetic surgery may be empowering to some. To others, this video may cause concern as it may be reflective of downstream consequences produced by female body objectification and the internalization of women’s body standards in the U.S.

On the one hand, I recognize the pressures placed on women to “look good”. This often occurs through the promotion of the “thin ideal” in media, or social pressures to wear makeup, shave your legs, go tanning, dye your hair, etc. The list goes on. Beauty standards have changed decade to decade but have not yet ceased to exist. Social media is just one of the ways women experience societal pressure to act and appear a certain way. Moreover, social media use is linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as higher body dissatisfaction (Fardouly, Willburger, & Vartanian, 2018). Therefore, cosmetic surgery that is motivated by “snapchat dysmorphia” may be an illustrative example of the extent to which women have internalized societal beauty standards. On the other hand, this YouTube video gives anecdotal evidence that cosmetic surgeries or non-invasive procedures to alter one’s appearance may give women a sense of empowerment, control, and enhance their sense of wellbeing or body positivity.

In the video, one surgeon notes that snapchat filters may actually be a more realistic and achievable goal when altering one’s looks. Rather than idealizing an image of a celebrity from a magazine, snapchat filters alter one’s own face, therefore working from a more realistic foundation. This case example from the video shows how snapchat filters may offer women a resource to inform themselves of exactly how they’d like to alter their looks. It may also provide surgeons with a more achievable goal and thus, lead to better results and increased client satisfaction.

When thinking about empowerment, I often think about one’s agency to make their own decisions and one’s access to and ability to harness resources to make those decisions. In this case, when one decides they want to change their look, they are able to use snapchat filters and plastic surgery as resources. The other part of empowerment I think about is one’s wellbeing and whether or not their decisions and resources have promoted their health. If cosmetic surgery is a reflection of women’s internalization of body standards, I’m tempted to say it represents a negative mental health. However, if one sees cosmetic surgery as an option to improve their relationship with their body, it may be beneficial.

In an age of growing body positivity movements, the rising numbers of those seeking out cosmetic procedures surprises me. The desire for cosmetic surgery designed after Snapchat filters may be a reflection of larger societal pressures placed on women. However, it may also offer women a resource to boost their body satisfaction. After all, isn’t movement towards body satisfaction desirable? Who’s to say what method of gaining body satisfaction is better or worse? For example, some may try acceptance-based methods to improve their relationship with a disliked body part, and some may elect surgery.

This is why I battle the question “is cosmetic surgery empowering or not?” I have disdain for the numerous body standards women are expected to meet and the policing of women’s bodies when they don’t meet them. But more importantly, I fully support women in choosing for themselves what they want to do with their bodies. My question then is how do we balance the pressures placed on us as women and the desires to change aspects of ourselves while also moving towards acceptance of ourselves and our bodies?

Written by Kylie Steinhilber

References

Broadly. (2018, December 6). I Got Surgery to Look Like My Snapchat and Facetune Selfies. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOpLpSNW6c 

Fardouly, J., Willburger, B. K., & Vartanian, L. R. (2018). Instagram use and young women’s body image concerns and self-objectification: Testing mediational pathways. New Media & Society, 20(4), 1380–1395. doi: 10.1177/1461444817694499

Hosie, R. (2018, February 6). More people want surgery to look like a filtered version of themselves rather than a celebrity, cosmetic doctor says. Retrieved from: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cosmetic-surgery-snapchat-instagram-filters-demand-celebrities-doctor-dr-esho-london-a8197001.html

Rajanala, S., Maymone, M. B., & Vashi, N. A. (2018). Selfies—Living in the Era of Filtered Photographs. JAMA facial plastic surgery, 20(6), 443-444. doi: 10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0486