Cat-like eyes, long lashes, small nose, chiseled cheekbones, flawless complexion, full brows…? Ring a bell? Yes, I thought it would.
It is inevitable that we are made to believe that this facial structure is the beauty standard as we unfortunately have it drilled into us day in day out on social media.
It may influence you into using filters on your selfies, editing your pictures or attempting this look through makeup.
But how common is it that young people will go to the extent of trying to permanently (or at least for a long period of time) change our faces?
The number of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic procedures being performed on teenagers is very low as since 2021 cosmetic surgery was made illegal for under 18s in the UK.
However, in a recent survey conducted by Patient Claim Line it states that GenZ is the most likely demographic to consider getting cosmetic surgery- with 36% of Brits aged 18 to 24 have considered getting some sort of surgery.
As for non surgical procedures, research conducted in 2025 by ITV, one in five 18 to 25 year olds had had some sort of botox filler leaving experts quite concerned.
Many people have campaigned for change as in the UK these procedures on adults are extremely unregulated.
These kinds of treatments are expensive but highly addictive as we are constantly being exposed to ‘perfect’ people on social media creating almost unattainable beauty standards.
Dove developed a survey in 2024 that resulted in some shocking statistics:
- 1 in 2 girls say toxic beauty advice on social media causes low self-esteem.
- 9 in 10 girls say they follow at least one social media account that makes them feel less beautiful.
- Over half of girls say they can’t live up to the beauty standards projected on social media.
Although toxic beauty standards are not only subject to girls, men are also affected.
The Vamps singer, James McVey, has been previously open about struggling with toxic standards and feeling unsatisfied with his body at a very young age.
It is very widely known that fillers, botox and surgical procedures can go wrong despite being extremely popular and normalised.
Many influencers and celebrities have spoken out about their regrets and bad experiences, for example Love Island star Faye Winter, who has often spoken about her ‘botched’ botox, as well as Molly Mae who publicly declared she had dissolved all the fillers she had started getting at the age of 17, ‘I literally looked like a different person. When I look back at pictures now, I’m terrified of myself. I’m like, ‘Who was that girl?’ I don’t know what happened.’ She said in an interview on Diary of a CEO.
Numerous investigations have been made into ‘dodgy’ clinics, for example the ITV documentary “Britains backstreet surgery scandal”, which revealed unregistered training courses at a seemingly innocent salon in London. Moreover, a BBC documentary earlier this year exposed beauty consultant Ricky Sawyer, whose celebrity clientele list included Katie Price. He had left patients with a long list of serious health issues including sepsis, due to his irresponsible BBL’s (Brazilian Butt Lifts).
Despite controversy and risks these kinds of procedures will inevitably be in demand. If you are strongly considering receiving treatments or have done any in the past, be very careful.
If you feel you are negatively impacted by these trends please seek help from a medical professional and use the mental health services there are on offer.
