The Body Image Activist (™) Viewpoint on the Rise of AI and the Increased Demand for Aesthetic Injections and Plastic Surgery

AI Art is a Miracle for the Medical Aesthetics Industry

 

Human beings are not designed to be filtered 24/7.

Social media is our greatest tool for connection with others and a weapon when it comes to connection with ourselves. 

Filters have made social media and video conferencing more fun and have made many feel “safer” when it comes to showing up online, because we can hide behind an AI generated version of ourselves. 

AI is the future despite if we agree with it or not.  The new Lensa AI app launched and immediately began breaking revenue of $1,000,000 a day. 

Sean Vosler, an investor and marketing guru put it best: 

 

“Never underestimate the value of showing someone their own face”

 

This image is now construed with filters, retouching apps and AI Art which is bridging an important and needed gap between reality and a fantasized ideal version ourselves. 

What happens when we try to filter ourselves in real life via actual medical procedures?  

Do we lose our sense of self and our unique features? 

Are we spending money on plastics and injectables to make real life feel like AI?  

Are we trying to see in the mirror the version of ourselves we have become comfortable seeing online?

Or are we simply trying to have our eyes reconcile on the outside the way we feel on the inside?  

My opinion on this is split in half.

Many doctors agreed that early into the pandemic the “Zoom Boom” and immediate switch to virtual reality at the start of covid has been a catalyst for increased facial and body dysmorphia and a rise in the demand for facial surgeries and injectables. 

According to The Surgical Clinic, “Zoom Dysmorphia is not an actual diagnosis or condition, but it is somewhat related to body dysmorphia or dysmorphia of the face. Essentially, because so many people began spending much more of their time on social media, Zoom, and other video based platforms, more and more people seem to be self conscious about how they look. According to a study from the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, 30% of the 7295 study participants reported they intend to invest in their appearance as a coping strategy for returning to in-person interactions after the lockdowns. Participants also identified skin discoloration, wrinkles, and acne as concerns for their appearance.” 

Surprisingly, as someone with a career centered around helping women to accept themselves exactly as they are –  I am a believer in the power that modern medicine has given us to cure dysmorphia and improve our mental health.  

 

I am simultaneously of the belief that many doctors and aesthetic nurses will choose an increased revenue flow to their pockets vs helping their patients reconcile their dysmorphia and referring them to proper mental health resources before continuing with injections and procedures

This causes us to ask when is too much actually too much?

2022 was the year of Lip Injections, Botox fillers and Brazilian Butt Lifts.  

I have seen women I know personally travel to unsafe conditions to have their “BBL” done at affordable prices because how we look on the outside has become a priority over our health and safety.   

For those confused, a BBL is essentially a surgical procedure where doctors are removing unwanted fat from the stomach, waist and other areas and placing it into your buttocks / hips to give the illusion of a small waist and larger booty. It was made popular by pop culture in the 2000s and has since grown into an epidemic of believing the only beautiful bodies are the ones shaped like hour glasses.

This trend has lead women to seek out cheaper and less safe alternatives to achieve their “ideal body”

I have also seen women who have saved money, researched, spoken with their therapists and interviewed doctor after doctor until the perfect doctor match is found.  Safely supported and confident in their decisions to alter their bodies – I stand with these individuals.  

The problem with the medical aesthetics industry is not the procedures themselves, but an industry has lost its limitations. 

Instead of many medical professionals creating unique looks for every individual based on their unique facial features, we are seeing a trend towards everyone looking like an Instagram filter.  An AI version of themselves that they hope will become their reality.

When lip injections are so full the subject struggles to speak – we have reached “too much”

When lip injections are used to create balance on the face and they do not hinder the subjects ability to communicate we have a solution to dysmorphia. 

I believe the same of Botox and other injectables. 

Facial movement is an imperative part of non-verbal communication, it relays trust and provides insights into how someone is feeling when they speak and more importantly when they are not speaking. 

 

In my viewpoint, if you begin to lack the ability to communicate non-verbally due to injections hindering movement in your face, it is time to consider if continued injections will remedy your relationship with yourself or if the real next step to liking your image is seeking a licensed mental health professional.

 

I myself have spent the past year researching doctors and procedures for injections in the tear trough area of my face. I have yet to find one aligned with my philosophies, so the search continues.

How in the world am I able to preach body acceptance yet stand by my desire of injectables into my own face???

When I look in the mirror I don’t see the heavy bags under my eyes as badges of honor.  I see hurt.

I see all of the nights I couldn’t sleep from being in pain from a car accident, I see the tears I cried working on confronting my childhood trauma, I see exhaustion from a pandemic….but I do not see me. I don’t see my big sparkly green eyes when I smile because the puffiness of my under eye covers them. 

I crave the ability to look in the mirror and see ME and my eyes that I love…not my pain. 

Aesthetic medicine has made this possible.  

However, we are meant to look like humans, not  how artificial intelligence paints humanity.   

 

Human beings are not designed to be filtered 24/7. 

 

If your desire for aesthetic medicine is to look like a computer generated version of yourself, I encourage you to look deeper and ask yourself why?

Modern medicine is an incredible resource and one I stand behind 100% so long as your mental health is equally a part of your decisions. 

Self Love comes in all forms and it begins with your relationship with your reflection in the mirror.  

The work done at Self Love Experience ® is to show individuals how the perceived version of perfection we see on social media and in magazines is created. 

By going through the editorial process you will learn that the “reality” you experience online is simply generated through editorial procedures.  

Like unveiling the wizard in Wizard of Oz, we break down preconceived notions of beauty to show that you are no less beautiful or magical than what you see online. 

You deserve to love your reflection and if that includes aesthetic medicine than I wholeheartedly encourage you to explore that journey BUT encourage you to only do so with your internal and mental health as your top priority. 

 

AI Art versions of yourself may be fun, but the you that exists in the real world deserves to be loved, and celebrated. 

 

It is my goal to show that what is behind the curtain of AI and computer generated perfection is a beautiful human being, who’s body is beautiful at any shape or size. 

As humans we need to remember the difference between what is fake and what is real and remember to embrace who we actually are as whole and perfect.

We also must give ourselves grace when the only way to believe in ourselves is to engage in medical aesthetic procedures. 

They exist for a reason and I will never condemn or judge anyone for doing what they must to reconcile their relationship with their own reflection.

To explore your own Self Love Experience ® and become enamored with your real self again please reach out below.

 

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