Under the needle: How have our perceptions of beauty changed?

Beauty is something that can have a different meaning to different people. Some favour natural beauty, others prefer the more glam look, but people's perceptions of beauty evolve all the time, and trends are ever-changing.

Charlotte Ashton is a regular attendee at her local aesthetics clinic, where she has routine appointments to get her lips filled. Being a loyal client, and slightly obsessed with the plumped-lip look, she has been back for the same procedure an astonishing six times in less than 12-months. But she is worried that the current global pandemic, that has seen thousands of businesses close for the foreseeable future, will rob her of the luscious lips that she now can't imagine herself without.

Photo credit: Char Ashton

"I've definitely noticed that my lips are dissolving as time goes on, but luckily it doesn't dissolve majorly quickly. I know as soon as everything is back up and running I will 100% be going back to make sure the filler is OK and settled. If I need a top up anywhere, I will have it done there and then. I'm just trying to preserve my filler as best I can in the meantime!"

We are now in an era where cosmetic procedures have become a popular beauty craze to enhance or diminish features. While it seems like a fairly recent phenomenon, believe it or not lip filler has actually been around since the early 19th century, with the very first recorded use being all the way back in 1906.

The original substance used for lip injections was liquid paraffin, but this was deemed dangerous due to it leaking into the lips and causing deformities and pain.

Fast forward 60-years, liquid silicone was introduced as the new method, but was soon dropped as it did not give the desirable effects, and there were some health problems that came along with it which were too serious to ignore.

After decades of searching, it was discovered in the 90's that the perfect substance for an injectable filler is one that is already produced naturally in our skin cells. If you're a skincare fanatic, you will have heard of hyaluronic acid by now. As well as being a much-loved skincare product in many people's beauty bags, it is also a favourable substance that is used by most aestheticians to smooth any lines, while adding a plumped and youthful look to the skin.

Filler was first introduced to aid facial deformities and to help reduce ageing skin from developing wrinkles and sagging. However, these days, there are more and more of the younger generation wishing to get cosmetic procedures done. In the most recent statement released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) on the subject of dermal fillers, WhatClinic.com said in July 2017 that '42% of web traffic to lip augmentation pages were from visitors ages 18-24...'.

Aesthetic Doctor, Zunaid Alli, prefers not to carry out procedures to people under the age of 18. Instead, he recommends microneedling and/or chemical peels to keep their skin looking youthful, without needing the injectables.

"I generally discourage it if [it's] not needed or required because of social and social media pressure. I promote good skincare treatments for young people instead, together with proper product use."

Like most trends, the longing for cosmetic procedures have become increasingly popular as a result of celebrity influence.

In 2014, the queen of lips, Kylie Jenner, launched her very own beauty brand 'Kylie Cosmetics', where she made the popular Lip Kits consisting of a liquid lipstick and liner. She said that she made them to help herself, and other people, create the illusion of bigger lips.

A year later, however, she revealed that she had undergone the needle and had her pout plumped at the age of seventeen, after admitting that her small lips had been an insecurity of hers for a few years.

The celebrity influence has a huge effect on our society and how people view themselves, as it has done for many years. As well as Kylie Jenner, there are many other celebrities who have admitted to having cosmetic 'tweakments' to enhance their beauty, such as Ellie Goulding, Heidi Montag and Lindsay Lohan to name a few.

Although there isn't any particular person who influenced her decision to have her lips augmented, 20-year-old Charlotte relates to Kylie Jenner, as she also had insecurities about the way that her natural lips looked before she had filler.

"As a collective, all of the models, celebrities and even generic people who I had seen who have had lip filler [made me want to have it done]. I was always envious.

"Whenever I saw anybody with lip filler, I would compare my natural lips to theirs. Size, shape and how it made their face look. I’ve always had quite a small top lip and it never bothered me until I got into makeup and started over lining my lip to gain a bigger, plumper effect.

"After over lining them for some time, I knew I wanted my [natural] lips to be bigger and that’s when I booked a consultation."

Charlotte had her first procedure done when she was just 19, and says that she now can't imagine her life without them.

"I can instantly tell if part of my lip has dissolved even slightly. I will now always have my lips done as it makes me feel so much more confident and empowered."

In an episode of BBC's Beauty Laid Bare, it was said that 89% of female teens look to online influencers for beauty trends.

With the rise of social media and 'influencer' titles, young people have a new kind of celebrity to idolise and compare themselves to. Reality TV shows such as ITV's Love Island have become immensely popular in the UK, with attractive contestants who are in swimwear all day and are nothing short of stunning. The picture-perfect cast is watched by millions of people each year and their Instagram followings shoot up within a few episodes, earning them their blue-tick statuses, club appearances and brand deals when they eventually leave the villa. Many of the girls on the show have admitted to having cosmetic procedures, including Megan Barton-Hanson, Olivia Attwood and Molly-Mae Hague.

Being the most-watched show in the UK last year among 16 to 24-year-old's, the 'Islanders' are looked up to by many young people, and as a result of watching the show some people want to have cosmetic treatments to look similar to them.

Molly-Mae, who was brutally bullied by the public about her facial filler while on Love Island, has recently revealed in a YouTube video with Patricia Bright, that she regrets having filler done at such a young age. She said that she worries for the younger generation who will think that getting cosmetic procedures done when they are young is the 'norm.'

Many TV presenters and celebrities in the public eye feel pressured to have cosmetic treatments to make them look more youthful, and still be accepted to do their jobs.

In 2009, Countryfile presenter, Miriam O'Reilly, won a case against the BBC for age discrimination after her and three other women, all over the age of 40, were axed from the show. Despite the show doing really well at the time, the decision to let these women go came at the same time as its move to prime-time TV, but the older male presenter was allowed to stay.

O'Reilly decided to speak out about it, even though she knew that her career would be jeopardised, because she believed that there was one rule for men and that this was completely unfair.

In an interview with inews, she said "[Men] were allowed to age on television. It gave them extra gravitas. But women became a problem. I was angry about being treated differently from my male counterparts and it had gone on for so long. It was very much the norm that women disappeared."

Of course, it's understandable that celebrities such as athletes would have to retire at a certain age because they physically aren't fit enough to carry on, but for TV presenters who can still very much do their job, it's very unfair to let them go purely because they look older. This comes with immense pressure which makes them feel that in order to look 'good', they need to look young. Many famous women and men are having treatments that make them look and stay ageless, and this too has a major influence on the public.

Owner of 'Framed Aesthetics', Tristan Frame, decided that she wanted to become an Aesthetician after discovering the answer to her ageing anxieties when she had her very first cosmetic treatment done in 2017.

"I couldn't believe the confidence it gave me; I didn't feel so scared to grow older and I was so happy that I had found the solutions to slowing down the visible signs of ageing."

She says that the majority of people coming into her clinic to get cosmetics procedures done are often between the ages of 20-35, and that the two most popular procedures are lip filler and anti-wrinkle treatments.

"[Beauty] used to be very natural, and now, sometimes a very fake, porcelain, smoothed and filtered complexion is the beauty goal."

Tristan says she has seen a dramatic increase in people wanting aesthetic treatments done, and believes that it is due to social media growth.

"The more you see it, the more you want it. It's an exponential increase."

The media is a significant factor that contributes to the way that beauty is perceived, along with psychological, societal and cultural aspects, too. The desire to be beautiful appeals to all ages, but mostly to young people, who are largely exposed to social media.

Years ago, before social media existed, people mostly looked to models, actresses and pop stars who generally had very waif-like body types and who's faces were mostly natural.

A scroll through the Instagram discover page would now suggest that a few ml of filler, particularly in the lips are the mainstream beauty trend to have now. We mostly agree on what we find beautiful, and follow the trends of the media.