Chasing perfection

AESTHETICS: SOCIAL MEDIA DRIVES US TO STAY YOUNG

- Hein Kaiser

One of the greatest gifts that social media have given the world has also become one of its largest curses - vanity and the relentless pursuit of perfection, each person's individual definition of body-positive, and how their next selfie can represent that.

It's also helped spur a sustained boom in aesthetics, said psychologist and medical doctor Dr Jonathan Redelinghuys. Technology has enabled it all.

"Once a luxury afforded only by the wealthy has become more accessible to the masses, transforming how people approach ageing and self image," Redelinghuys said.

"People want to look the way they see how others look on TV or the way they looked when they were 20," he said.

These unrealistic standards perpetuated by media and social platforms feed into the belief that ageing and imperfections are flaws to be corrected.

"While ageing is a natural and inevitable process, many struggle to reconcile this with the desire to maintain a youthful appearance. Being able to age healthily and look the way you feel is important for some people," he said.

"Looking after your appearance in a reasonable, non-obsessive manner is completely acceptable," Redelinghuys noted.

The availability of cheaper treatments has opened doors for many who previously considered procedures like Botox, fillers and chemical peels out of reach.