UNDER THE NEEDLE

With filler-face phasing out, we are embracing the natural aesthetic but not how you might expect it

- KONIKA DATTA

In the race against time and the pursuit of youthful beauty, we’ve created a billion-dollar industry that’s all about changing the features of our face, aka, the world of aesthetics, which is propelled further by celebrity culture. Think of the era of the Kardashians where overly pouty lips, exaggerated cheekbones, and unusuallysmoothed expressions became the defining markers of beauty, resulting in the popularity and fame of dermal fillers, the most soughtafter treatment until recently. No matter what, fixation towards a certain standard of beauty is bound to backfire in some way or the other, as also evident in recent times. As fillers became more accessible to the masses due to their rising demand, cases of ‘fillers gone wrong’ and ‘pillow face’ (unnatural-looking puffed face) started popping up more often, instilling a sense of fear in people with this treatment. A recent case would be of Kylie Jenner. She attended Paris Fashion Week this year with an unusually swollen face, leading to the speculation of an under-eye filler gone wrong.

Currently, a growing sense of filler fatigue is on the rise as social media and the new generation have turned their backs on it. In fact, many celebrities are now dissolving their fillers. From Olivia Culpo, Ariana Grande, and Blac Chyna to Bhad Bhabie, Courteney Cox, and Kristin Davis have in recent years spoken about getting rid of their fillers. The ‘done’ plumped-up filler face is on its way out, but that’s not to say that the cosmetic enhancement industry is declining. As a matter of fact, with this shift, the landscape is becoming more and more advanced and nuanced. Welcome to a discreet era of beauty.

Beyond What Meets The Eye