The Only Way Is Essex and AestheticsPublished on 18th June 2013
With popular TV reality show stars from The Only Way Is Essex setting the trends for Botox and buttock implants, an alarming fact highlighted in the PSHE discussion at schools revealed that girls as young as five were worrying about their body image.
The hit TV show which was broadcast three years ago, introduced the “vajazzle”, to our screens, which a Guardian TV reviewer helpfully defined in 2010 as “sequined fanny graffiti”.
Next came the copious amounts of fake tan and breast enlargements, which has now actually become a big business in terms of cosmetic surgery endorsements. Many of the cast featured in the show have now become the models on which cosmetic surgeons show off their latest procedures to promote their business.
Many of the reality TV stars who have undergone the breast the enlargement (Augmentation) or uplift (Mastopexy) are reported to have received discounted or free procedures, in return for positive PR on social media platforms such as Twitter or during glossy magazine interviews. They can also been spotted in photographs, featured at the front door of a specific cosmetic surgery clinic, or in consultation with a particular plastic surgeon. Bigger stars may even request a fee, reportedly in the region of approximately £50,000.
“If you are a good-looking reality TV star, and you are female, there will be a whole host of beauty treatment representatives on the phone,” said Mark Borkowski, an entertainment PR and branding specialist. “The more expensive the treatment, the more likely you are to snare a celebrity.”
Stars from “Towie” as referred to by it’s fans are repeatedly featured on the websites of cosmetic surgery companies, also being linked to tabloid stories regarding the latest and most innovative procedures endorsed by the stars of the series. Basically for any female and attractive looking TV star, there is the potential for PR branding along with a whole host of beauty and cosmetic treatments on offer to them.
“I don’t think 19-year-olds or 20-year-olds should be having fillers, Botox or breast enlargement as if they were just beauty treatments.” commented Rajiv Grover, who is the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). He also said programmes like The Only Way Is Essex “normalised something that is not normal. Mr Grover called for greater transparency when TV stars enter into commercial agreements with clinics and stated “we are not saying it should be a nanny state, but there may be sponsorship deals which we are not necessarily aware of because they are not overt,” he said. “If there was a little more transparency, then when people say nice things about these treatments we would be able to take what’s being said with a pinch of salt
A spokesman for The Only Way Is Essex said none of the show’s current stars had an existing deal with a cosmetic surgery company. “The show never seeks to glamorise plastic surgery, and has indeed on occasion highlighted some dangers, such as documenting Lauren Pope’s discovery that she had the PIP, and required extra surgery.”
Sir Bruce Keogh (NHS Medical Director) released statistics from his new report to highlight that 41% of girls aged seven to 10 and 63% aged 11 to 16 said they felt some pressure to look the way celebrities do. They also felt that some popular reality TV shows played a significant part in the influence on young women for breast implants, nose jobs, botox and injectable dermal fillers etc.
At Liverpool Cosmetic Clinic in Merseyside, we believe that cosmetic surgery can be an extremely positive and potentially life changing experience. However this must not be taken lightly and although money is an important aspect in this current financial climate, money off gimmicks and incentives are not the basis on which to make such an important decision.
Always research your potential surgeon, their qualifications and experience and never be influenced to subscribed into “two for one” offers on cosmetic surgery. Remember the ethos of quality over quantity.
Call Melissa today for further impartial advice on: 07793 738456
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