There has been some research and a lot of talk in the past couple of years about the connection between social media and plastic surgery. At our Marin County practice, we recently celebrated WorldwideSelfie Day by asking our patients to post pictures of themselves on our Facebook page for a chance to win a prize.
Selfies are the self-portrait of the digital age and are now so common that the word “selfie” received the ultimate stamp of acceptance: inclusion in The Oxford English Dictionary.
Visual self-expression isn’t new, of course. But thanks to the combination of sophisticated technology embodied by phone cameras and the emergence of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram, we can instantly share pictures of ourselves not just with family and close friends, but co-workers, employers, and strangers.
One of the possible side effects has been that we care more than ever before about how we appear. That, in turn, may be leading to more people seeking cosmetic enhancement.
Some people see this as a negative, but take a look at the photos submitted for the contest on our Facebook page. You’ll see a diverse representation of beauty, people who are obviously happy and confident. Selfies are rather persuasive evidence that beauty is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder. And when we focus that camera phone on ourselves, it’s our eye that matters. Our proud patients love the way they look, and they use the selfie photo to express that. So go ahead and celebrate yourself!