In The Eyes Of The Beholder

In a world where beauty ideals are rapidly evolving, how do we protect our authenticity while pursuing perfection?

- By MARY LIM

The secret's out: Singaporeans are among the world's biggest vain pots. According to the Global Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures, 25,739 procedures were performed here in 2024.

The figure was shared during the ISAPS (International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) Olympiad World Congress in Singapore in June. It included surgical (15,512) and nonsurgical (10,227) procedures. The former was dominated by eyelid surgeries (3,185), and the latter by Botox injections (4,718 to be exact).

We're not the only ones trying to look better. Close to 38 million aesthetic procedures were completed across 32 global regions last year, up 40 percent from 2020, with the US leading the way with more than 6.1 million procedures.

Several factors contribute to our pursuit of perfection, including social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These have spawned a string of blink-and-you-miss-it trends. Face filters galore, faux freckles, and glass skin are just a few of the options available.

Editing software and techniques to brighten eyes or blur out blemishes were once the domain of professional photographers and graphic designers. Today, smartphones and social media apps have made it possible for everyone to achieve that. As the adage states, "What you think, you become; what you feel, you attract; what you imagine, you create".

Celebrities have always played a key role in beauty politics, inspiring us with their good looks, sample-sized physiques, and glamorous lifestyles. Scores of Asian women, for example, have reportedly walked into aesthetic clinics wanting to look like Jennie of Blackpink. But as they were told, Botox alone would not be enough to achieve her slanted eyes, small chin, "cute" jawline, and/or full lips.

Influencers are also getting involved. They constantly remind their followers that better skin can lead to better lives, through their feeds filled with no-surgery/no-pain quick fixes.