Rates of plastic surgery have increased over the last few years, and minimally invasive procedures like filler and Botox are even more popular. It's also evident on social media that some (including plastic surgeons) are very comfortable speculating and commenting on other people's faces, what procedures they might've had ... and if they look botched.
But what's the difference between "good" work and "bad" work? And how do we talk about the rise in plastic surgery without dehumanizing people for their choices?
On It's Been a Minute, guest host B.A. Parker discusses the thorniness of beauty culture with Jessica DeFino, a beauty reporter, advice columnist at The Guardian, and writer of "The Review of Beauty" Substack, and Joan Summers, entertainment editor at Paper and co-host of the Eating for Free podcast.
Episode Highlights
What's the difference between "good" work and "bad" work?
JOAN SUMMERS: I think that "good" work is work that is subtle, invisible, and conforms to the aesthetic standard that Hollywood puts on people. I think that "bad" work gets deemed confrontational or sort of demands you look at it. And to want to be beautiful is bad, to be naturally beautiful is good. It's like we can see that they have attempted beauty and failed at it in our eyes, which makes it bad. If you want beauty, it also has to be an invisible desire, or a desire that you can keep hidden.
JESSICA DEFINO: What I would add to that is I think this construct of "good" work versus "bad" work really highlights the moral implications of beauty. I mean, [a] prominent pop culture example recently has been, [some people] praising Anne Hathaway and saying, "This is how you age when you're unproblematic," as if being a good person guarantees you aging well. These sort of silly moral judgments are really embedded in society. And we see that with the very clear moral language of "good" work and "bad" work.
How do we balance not commenting on people's bodies in a rude or dehumanizing way, while still talking about the effects these procedures are having in culture?
JESSICA DEFINO: I think there is a way to talk about what's happening to our desire for beauty right now without necessarily singling out any one particular celebrity, because it does affect everybody. I like to refer to what's happening as aesthetic inflation. So it's the normalization of injectable surgery, extreme skin care routines over the past decade that shifts the baseline standard of beauty for all. This is the standard of beauty that we are judged against. It affects how we are treated, it affects our job opportunities. And I think it's really dangerous to dismiss it as like, "Oh, you can't comment on somebody's body." Like these standards affect everybody.
Ultimately, what does it mean that getting procedures, even minimally invasive ones, is becoming more common? And how do we talk about that?
JESSICA DEFINO: When I talk about it, I try not to necessarily focus on personal choice and ask instead, why are so many people deciding to make these very similar personal choices? And personal preferences are shaped by the politics of the culture that we live in. Of course a lot of women are preferring to look younger right now. I wouldn't necessarily call that a personal preference so much as a logical reaction to existing in a deeply ageist, sexist society. So personally, I'm more interested in highlighting those conditions that lead to these choices rather than praising or policing any individual person's choice regarding cosmetic surgery.
JOAN SUMMERS: Yeah, as someone with what could probably be described as extensive plastic surgery work, I think that we live in a culture that hyperfocuses on individual choice and ascribing good or bad politics to what aesthetics might mean for us. And [it] focuses way less on the people that enrich themselves off of these procedures, and [who] are not always honest about what they might do to you long term. Whether that's liposuction scars, breast augmentation illness from having implants, the effect of Juvéderm on your face after repeat injections over a long period of time – the surgeons themselves make so much money off of these procedures. I find that to be much more troubling than necessarily the idea that a bunch of young 20 year old women are getting the procedures in the first place.
B.A. PARKER: Right – we're obviously not in the room with providers, and don't know what they're saying to patients, but we've seen some reporting about some patients having adverse reactions and saying they were totally surprised by some of the side effects.
JESSICA DEFINO: And I would also add to that, like, besides the possible physical harms or risks of surgeries, injectables, or even topical products, there are so many mental health consequences to consider as well. We have so many studies, so much data that shows us that beauty standards are associated with appearance related anxiety, depression, disordered eating. You know, we get them for a confidence boost. But what are the long term consequences of getting your confidence or your self-esteem from an injectable that you have to keep getting and getting and getting, or a surgery that may go wrong?
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