This won't be a hate article, talking about how much I don't like the Kardashians or whatever, because I feel like I've done that enough in most of my racially-heated articles. However, this particular article isn't about race or cultural appropriation that the Kardashian-Jenner sisters (ESPECIALLY Kylie and Kim) are most known for.
In this article, I'm going to talk about the negative effects Kylie's transformations have had on girls everywhere who follow her on Instagram, and the implications that they have on modern day society.
Within the past 10-20 years, the number of cosmetic surgeries has drastically increased in the United States. Lip augmentation, which Kylie Jenner has made "famous," has increased by 50% since 2000. Apparently, 27,000 lip injection procedures had taken place in 2015, but this yearly number has probably increased since then.
For those who were not as rich, the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, where participants would suck the air out of a shot glass on their lips was an alternative. However, this challenge can lead to dangerous consequences that include bruising, pain, swelling, and possibly permanent damage to the lips.
But what's most damaging about the fact that Kylie Jenner had her lips done (and lied about it for a long time), is the effect it has on girls and guys who admire her. In a book, I talked about in one of my articles by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, called The Body Project, Brumberg talks about how the self-esteem in teens and young adults has drastically decreased since the 90's. It's probably because of the rise of social media and the "perfect bodies" we see as we scroll down our timelines every day.
Kylie Jenner had said that she had first gotten her lips done at 15 because her crush had made her feel bad about her lips. So she immediately went to go get them done.
By doing this, Kylie was sending out a tragic message to everyday people.
The message is that if you're not happy with something about your body, you must change it, instead of embracing it. Imagine if Kylie had embraced her thin lips? I'm sure that she could have still had a successful lipstick company. I'm sure all of her successes would still be present in her life. But I'm sure she would have an even bigger fanbase, not because of how great her lips look, but because she had an insecurity and decided to embrace it.
We see stars everywhere coming out and talking about their insecurities about their bodies, and it makes them a bit more down-to-earth and human. Kylie Jenner, however, hasn't done this. Even after her pregnancy, everyone was applauding her because her body was "snatched" and "bounced back quickly," even though most of us know it was probably surgery. I mean, come on. Is she really trying to fool us about losing all 40 pounds that she gained after giving birth? I don't think so.
But regardless, imagine if she had embraced her post-pregnancy body. She could give other people the confidence out there to not be ashamed of themselves because they literally had a human growing inside of them, and it's okay to gain a few pounds. Same with her lips. If she had just kept them the way they were, more people wouldn't be inclined to do these dangerous challenges and procedures because they too, would feel confident in how they look.
Kylie's lips created a whole new idea about what it means to be beautiful and accepted in this society (even if said standards were present before, but not praised because it was on CERTAIN people).
I applaud Kylie Jenner for finally taking out her lip injections, but I also feel like it's a little too late for the sake of people's self-esteem and attitudes about beauty.
