Selfies have become an activity that everyone who is anyone partakes in, from David Beckham, to Kim Kardashian, down to the man in the street. We live for the ‘likes’, the amount of ‘thumbs up’ or comments our selfies get per minute.
Whilst selfies seem like harmless fun to the public eye, it has recently had an impact on the cosmetic industry. Clients have been wanting procedures such as nose jobs, breast augmentation and lip fillers for a quick fix to quite literally achieve the ‘perfect picture pout’, illustrated by 19 year-old Connie Cornell on ITV ‘s This Morning. She admitted having had lip fillers as a consequence of being selfie-obsessed.
Social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram are seen as ways for the ordinary to reach out to the celebrity world. Therefore when celebrities such as Harry Styles or Michelle Keegan post a selfie, it’s instant, direct and real; or is it?
The attraction of selfies is due to its instant and constant nature, however, with role models portraying unrealistic goals of perfect appearance, a selfie is also an instant and constant reminder of our faults.
According to Ms Cornell, the surgeon who undertook the lip filler procedure on her asked her which celebrity she wanted to look like. She chose model Rosie Huntigton-Whiteley. Lip fillers have become increasingly trendy amongst young girls, including some as young as 13, with Kylie Jenner, a prominent selfie poster from the celebrity world, admitting that she used them when she was only 17. It is thought, that a lot of young girls have taken to using lip fillers as a consequence.
The selfie craze is unlikely to go away anytime soon. For practitioners, this means that they need to make sure they manage the expectations of the clients properly. For help and advice, please visit the Knowledge Centre page on our website.
