Do public figures owe it to their fans to divulge their personal business? The question seems simple, but the answer is more profound than a simple yes or no.
Yesterday, comedienne Jess Hilarious was “outed,” by her alleged sister, for getting plastic surgery. Photos of Jess post-op surfaced on Instagram then Twitter until they had been retweeted so many times, they’ll forever remain in the depths of the Internet.
Fans are either outraged Jess lied about having work done on her petite frame or curious why people feel it’s their business what she does with her body. Polarizing.
Jess isn’t the only celebrity whose been accused of secretly enhancing her last lumps. Superstars like Khloe Kardashian have profited off their “weight-loss” journeys. In 2017, Khloe became the host of E!’s Revenge Body, where she guided the transformations of everyday people through intense excercise. However, the decision to use Khloe as a host was met with controversy since it’s speculated she obtained her curvy shape by way of plastic surgery. Their argument, it’s not about getting plastic surgery, more than it is about using your platform in a fraudulent manner that misleads your audience. Squats + lunges does not a Kardashian body make.
In the era of social media, it’s easy for public figures to portray unattainable images that shift and mold the beauty standard. Women who desperately try to achieve plastic surgery results through everyday routines don’t have the same effect. Women have also died on surgery tables trying to achieve the desired Instagram look.
Men have stepped into the plastic surgery conversation. Kanye West, whose mother died after undergoing plastic surgery, revealed he liposuction after feeling pressure to lose weight. It is rumored Drake had his abs chiseled. A New York man recently died in the Dominican Republic after getting a similar procedure.
Operating under the guise of exercise to uphold a facade can be dangerous and ultimately misleading. On the flip side, society, which operates from the White gaze, has always determined the beauty standard and women who just want to live up to it are human. Wanting to be desired, a la Ayesha Curry, is human and we all have insecurities that influence our decisions.
It’s understandable why women get plastic surgery, why it’s so easy to fall into the pressure of looking a certain way. It’s hard to place blame on one party more than the next when each end of the spectrum upholds the standard.
So what say you readers, are celebrities obligated to divulge the work they’ve had done?
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