When Beauty Becomes Toxic: The Effects of Filters and Surgery

We are bombarded every day with images of unattainable perfection on TikTok and Instagram. Filters that alter facial features, enhance skin, and completely change people’s appearances are creating a worrying distortion of what it means to be “beautiful”. But what happens when these unrealistic ideals lead to real consequences, such as an increase in cosmetic surgery among young women?

According to a report by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, requests for cosmetic surgery have increased by 30% among teenagers, influenced by the excessive use of filters on social media. Girls and boys see retouched versions of themselves and others and start to perceive their own bodies as imperfect. This drives them to seek surgical modifications, in a cycle that often does not lead to happiness but to further dissatisfaction.

A poignant example is that of Adriana Thyssen, a Brazilian influencer who, after years of suffering due to the pressure to maintain a perfect image for social media, took her own life in 2023. Her story is a painful reminder of how these toxic ideals can become devastating for mental health.

We need to stop and reflect on the price we are paying to try to adhere to impossible beauty standards. Cosmetic surgery, when motivated by insecurities fueled by social media, is not the solution. The only path to well-being is to accept and love ourselves as we are, turning off the filters and rediscovering our uniqueness.