“Black don’t crack”– a quote that we’ve all grown up hearing. As a proud Black man who embraces my culture and roots, I idolize this statement whenever I’m having a conversation with my friends. But on the other side of that coin, is the pressure to uphold a forever youthful appearance, even if it isn’t natural.
These days, to stay inspired beauty-wise, I find myself admiring Black celebrities who celebrate their natural skin. However, I have noticed that there is a significant increase in the number of A-listers who are undergoing cosmetic surgery. When I look back at celebrities from previous years, I wonder what motivated or inspired them to undergo these procedures now. Was it to conform to beauty standards or to maintain a youthful appearance?
In today’s day and age, I have noticed that people around my age, or even younger, are getting cosmetic work done. There are many instances where individuals, out of seemingly nowhere, would share that they have had botox, filler, or lip flips to enhance or change their features. I am astonished and curious as to why people my age often resort to cosmetic work. However, I have to remind myself that we live in a time where people are embracing cosmetic procedures, and they are free to do whatever makes them feel good. But it makes me wonder, where do we draw the line between feeling good in our skin and the pressure to uphold certain beauty standards?
The cosmetic industry has seen a significant increase in the number of people opting for procedures such as nose jobs, face lifts, liposuction, breast reduction, fillers, and the like, all aimed at improving their appearance. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2020, over 1.78 million Black individuals received cosmetic work. Due to our extra melanin, Black people often face issues like sagging skin, hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and sunken eyes, which can make them look older. As a result, many of us are turning to cosmetic procedures to address and hopefully get rid of these skincare concerns.
Seeing all of this definitely takes me back to a time in my life when I wanted to get cosmetic work done to remove my big full lips. Unfortunately, I was ostracized and ridiculed for having them. I thought I had to look a certain way to be liked and accepted by others. I thought that I needed to hide my features. Social media has made an impact on the popularity of cosmetic procedures and I, along with many people, began to internalize and create society’s beauty standards.
However, as time passed, I noticed a surge in the number of people from my high school getting fillers on their lips or face. A reminder that trends and beauty standards come and go. In the end, I’m glad I didn’t change what ultimately became praised later. My relationship with beauty shifted and I had to remember, my features make me unique.
As a Black person, we can all relate to feeling overlooked and fetishized for everything. We, as Black men, for example, are told we have to have big muscles, washboard abs, bone structure, a moisturized body, snatched waist, and clear skin. And if you’re gay, you have to make sure everything is put together before you head out of the house. Otherwise, you’ll be “read to filth” by other gay men.
These standards still have me wondering what it would be like to get work done. Would pressures dissolve? How will my face or body react? What will my friends or family say to me when I tell them I got work done? Would they support me? Or would they roast me like Joan, Maya, and Lynn did Toni for getting Botox in that one episode of Girlfriends?
Thoughts such as these pass through my mind. But, even still, I’ve opted for investing in my internal health instead of how I look. I’ve come to the conclusion because this is an expensive enough investment as is, without adding the cost of cosmetic procedures into the mix. For example, I once had to get a dental implant to replace a missing tooth in 2022, which cost me about $7,000 out of pocket. Additionally, I used Smile Direct Club to close the gap between my two front teeth. Although it was a somewhat cosmetic procedure, these experiences taught me that I need to prioritize my health.
At the end of the day, your health is a reflection of you and shines on the outside anyway. All I can do is drink my water, take my vitamins, boost my collagen intake, and mind my business to live a long life. Because what’s a cosmetic procedure done if my quality of life is poor? Or, God forbid, that I don’t live as long to enjoy it due to not taking good care of myself. And some of us can’t afford both.
Moreover, people fearing getting older concerns me. To me, with age comes wisdom, self-confidence, and a new self-awareness. That is what the grown folks’ generation would tell me, anyway.