Aqsa Manzoor
With two billionaires and four multi-millionaire women, a combined following of 979.5 million on Instagram alone, and multiple business ventures of each sister, The Kardashians(America's unofficial royal family) are unarguably one of the most significant cultural phenomena in today's age of social media. Being famous for being famous is an art well versed by the Kardashians, a skill that has earned them an immense influence.
And one of the ways in which this fame has manifested itself is the rise in plastic surgery; This rise in plastic surgery is so influenced by the Kardashians that there is a whole cultural term for it, "The Kardashian Aesthetic". Post-2013, after Kim Kardashian's rise to prominence, there has been a 51% increase in breast augmentations, buttock augmentations, buttock lifts, and tummy tucks compared to other cosmetic surgeries. Results show a 20% increase in cosmetic surgical procedures performed. Results also show as Kim Kardashian's celebrity interest rises by 1%, the consumption of Kardashian and Minaj-style cosmetic surgeries increases by 2%.
On the one hand, this family has revolutionized the entertainment industry, and the matriarchy that exists in the family has broken so many societal norms, but since their brand is almost entirely based on their bodies, it has set such unrealistic standards of beauty and desirability for women across the globe; standards that continue to make women around the world insecure about their natural bodies.
