The Kardashians: Kylie Jenner gets emotional in video clip after backlash from fans over cosmetic surgery

Witnessing someone brought to tears by unnecessary and harmful comments on their appearance is deeply upsetting, but Kylie’s cosmetic surgery reflections raises questions about the nature of the Kardashians’ fame as reality TV stars.

How does fame impact cosmetic surgery?

Putting yourself into the public eye means inevitably facing the consequences of having every action scrutinised - both good and bad. Online trolling is immoral and unfair, yet is an unfortunate consequence of the Kardashians’ highly visible lifestyle.

While they receive much praise, critique naturally accompanies their fame. No one should feel uncomfortable - but what does a reality star in the spotlight expect?

Kylie remarked "it's a miracle that I still have confidence, and I could still look in the mirror and think that I'm pretty.” This is sad to hear from a beauty role model, but what can you expect? Masked under the guise of social media, people can anonymously share these damaging opinions on people who they have such easy access to.

There is a vicious cycle of cosmetic surgery amongst celebrities. Placed in the spotlight, they endeavour to ‘better themselves’, feeling pressured into having these injections and surgeries to match their role model status.

But this transition from natural to false sparks more online trolling, whereby people dissect these changes in people’s bodies, leading the victim to feel trapped in no man’s land. It’s either facing the stretch marks and wrinkles or the botched plasticity of surgery - the stars are left to decide which is the better evil.

How do celebrities impact cosmetic surgery trends?

According to Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors: Celebrities have a strong influence over people’s decisions to undergo cosmetic surgery. Everyone is different, and surgery that suits one person may not suit another. It’s argued celebrities endorsement of cosmetic surgery implies a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach when surgeons across the country argue strongly against this. They desensitise people to the potential risks of the surgery, presenting it as a fix as simple as wearing makeup when it really isn’t.

In this moment of vulnerability, Kylie does show the less glamorous side of cosmetic surgery and its emotional toll. However, it has still taken someone else to make a negative comment for her to change her appearance, showing how her surgeries are not coming from a place of personal self-improvement but instead to match the views of the public. Her reliance on the approval of others, including strangers from the internet, promotes a harmful message on the accessibility of cosmetic surgery that is toxic for young people and their body image. 

Other celebrities are also beginning to regret their decision to have fillers following online comments. Friends star Courtney Cox and TV personality Simon Cowell have both decided to ditch the surgery after years of becoming reliant on these aesthetic enhancements. Love Island icon Molly-Mae Hague has also decided to dissolve some of her fillers at just 25 years old.

She argues similarly to Kylie, now feeling more youthful without the plastic. Role models who inject themselves with chemicals  - why should I as a young person be following these people who look and promote a lifestyle that’s so unnatural?

For me, the Kardashians have become the epitome of cosmetic surgery falsity, even changing their weight and body type to stay on trend with beauty standards. This can’t be healthy, and I applaud Kylie for edging away from this brand of the artificial. But will there ever be a time when the Kardashians embrace natural beauty and send out this message of body positivity?

Social media has a lot to answer for, but when you open yourself up to the public eye, it’s essential to take off the rose-tinted glasses and accept there are some people who will do everything in their power to bring another person down.