Have you ever heard of the term “buccal fat removal” before? Like, before 2022? No? Well, welcome to the club—I didn’t either. Until I saw popular celebrities and personalities like Bella Hadid, Madonna, Sophie Turner, Margot Robbie, Zoe Kravitz, and infamously, Lea Michele, getting the procedure even without them announcing it.
That was when I got introduced into this body part I’ve never even heard of myself—the buccal fat pad. So essentially, according to plastic surgeons, the buccal fat pad is a fat mass located deep underneath our cheeks and is the one responsible for making our cheeks look quite puffy and prominent.
By December 2022, almost everyone on the Internet has become aware of what the buccal fat pad is, and of the procedure that can take it all out. When the buccal fat pad is taken out, it makes the cheeks look hollowed out and gives the face a more defined and “editorial” look. By editorial, I mean “runway model chic” and those models with highly defined cheekbones and jawline.
Seeing that this is now the “trend” being set by celebrities (most famously, by the Kardashian-Jenner family) and on social media, let’s take a look back to see the other “trends” that were being fawned over by almost everyone in the past. Think broadly about it—fashion, makeup, lifestyle, plastic surgery, etc.
Lip fillers
The hourglass figure
Big butts and butt implants
Botox
Thick and full-faced makeup in 2016
Skinny jeans
Latex fashion
Now, these “trends” may not have entirely left, but some have clearly become outdated and old-fashioned, also thanks to celebrities themselves. Celebrities and social media personalities are always at the forefront of setting these kinds of trends, and with the immense power and influence of social media, these things are continuously being amplified and given the spotlight.
Though, we can all agree that not all trends have a positive effect on social media users. Thanks to the ever-changing standards of beauty that’s being imposed by the media and by celebrities, the youth are almost always being given more reason to think that their appearances aren’t enough. That there needs to be some kind of change to be done in order to be thought of as conventionally attractive.
And the thing is, everyone can’t just fit the “mold”. Some trends may be a perfect fit for others, but can also be the complete opposite for others.
The “trends” being set by celebrities can’t really be called as such, seeing as how the standards of beauty change over a decade or two. The things that we call trendy now may even be regarded as a “dark time” on the Internet (think early Tumblr days). By the time celebrities set another “trend”, they also make something completely old-fashioned.
So, should it be called a “trend” or a “fad”?
If you’re thinking of going under the knife just because you’ve seen it trending all over TikTok or going through an entire change thanks to a famous celebrity you admire, please do think twice. These changes can be permanent (and pretty damn expensive).
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