I swore to myself at age 13 I would get a nose job when I turned 18. I would watch before-and-after nose job videos and envy the people who had the means to undergo such a procedure. The media I consumed centered around the idea that beauty follows a single conformity. 

The constant push of cosmetic procedures for young women results in the (not so) unintentional internalization of hatred for those unable to reach such a standard of beauty without going under the knife. The newfound trend of subtle cosmetic surgeries has continued to perpetuate the idea that “true natural beauty” is unattainable without procedure. Today, around 350,000 rhinoplasty procedures are performed each year in America, with larger demographics for African Americans and Middle Eastern ethnic groups. The societal idea that ethnic noses are inadequate and not beautiful enough has continued to spiral, and brought up newfound discourse around plastic surgery and cultural erasure. 

Over the past few decades, the narrative around plastic surgery has shifted, now emphasizing the importance of bodily autonomy. Overall, this is an empowering movement of self-acceptance and freedom. People should have the right to modify their bodies if they please. However, the excessive normalization of plastic surgery has perpetuated the insistent “need” of procedures. Even further, public figures’ glorification of plastic surgery has only continued to place predominantly women into unrealistic beauty standards. 

Additionally, these procedures often create the homogenization of Euro-centric beauty standards. Rhinoplasties in the United States are often European-inspired smaller noses without a dorsal hump. Noses such as these only describe a portion of the public, particularly those who are white and of European descent. The modern pressures against natural noses have accelerated with the rise of social media.

Social media allows plastic surgeons and/or influencers to continue to promote the benefits of rhinoplasties, often ignoring the cultural significance noses hold. One study in 2022 cited that more than half of their subjects’ decisions were influenced by social media advertisements. Social media platforms will promote rhinoplasty results online, hoping to draw in potential patients, simultaneously contributing to a larger narrative around beauty standards. The online idea that beauty is a gift seldom handed out to all and attainable through a simple procedure is a harmful message to deliver to all, but especially young women. 

To this day, some cultural movements still reject the idea that nose jobs are a practice of self-acceptance, but rather the cultural erasure of ancestral phenotypes. This, alongside the cookie-cutter practice of slimmer and smaller noses without regard to facial balancing, is cultural rejection. The idea that for one individual to feel beautiful they must conform to a broader social narrative contrary to themselves is a dangerous practice that should not be taken on a whim. 

Furthermore, the promotion of plastic surgery being inherent to beauty only widens class division with the idea that “you’re not ugly, just broke.” Plastic surgery is seen as an all-encompassing empowering movement while ignoring the monetary barriers some face alongside the deliberate rejection of self-identity that comes about. Rhinoplasties cost around $5,483 a procedure and many undergo numerous following surgeries to balance out any errors. 

Having to change your features to be accepted is not empowering. The fine line plastic surgeons toe to balance out ethnic features alongside providing the services requested by the client blurs the reality of subtle change and complete rejection of ancestral features. However, not all plastic surgery is harmful or comes with excessive repercussions.

Not all surgeons practice the same methods or believe in the same philosophies concerning plastic surgeries. Some plastic surgeons today are practicing the technique of blending natural features and/or enhancing features already present. These techniques allow for client satisfaction without absolutely eliminating the features they were born with. Studies indicate the cultural and individual importance of optimizing ethnic traits over Westernizing features with more and more patients expressing concerns over homogenization. These practices are essential to capture the essence of bodily autonomy without further contributing to a wider Euro-centric narrative.

Influencers and surgeons should not promote plastic surgery as a way to conform to a beauty standard. Plastic surgery should continue its path of individualized procedures that refuse to center around specific idealizations of beauty, especially in America. These destructive narratives around perfection and beauty seep into the lives of young women who face insecurities about themselves and their appearances. It took me years to find acceptance and understanding that I don’t have to follow a single image of what it means to be beautiful.