The darkness of social media continues to crop up the larger a user’s base, as evident in another instance where Catherine Zeta Jones posted a few pictures and was subsequently ridiculed for supposed plastic surgery. A beautiful woman in her late 40’s posts some selfies of herself…and her followers’ response is to ridicule her for plastic surgery that they don’t even know whether or not she had?
What’s the deal with the hate? Board certified plastic surgeons discuss on the latest episode of No Spin Live.
The Dark Side of Social Media
A mountain of written work will one day catalogue the immense impact social media has had on society and the individual. It’s undeniable, and, unfortunately, not always a positive thing. In the Jones example, a talented, beautiful actress posts some harmless selfies of herself to Instagram. In the mix of comments congratulating her, and others that seek to cast her down, the classic ” crime” of having plastic surgery seems to have been invoked.
“Catherine Zeta Jones is a beautiful woman,” says board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Dan Del Vecchio. “She’s obviously getting on in her years. Instagram is a toilet bowl of haters. The bigger you get on Instagram, the more people out there try to bring you down. It’s amazing, I see this as nothing more than Catherine Zeta Jones being on Instagram and there are people who are jealous. It happens all the time, haters are gonna hate. It’s pretty blasé to me on Instagram.”
Del Vecchio speaks to the unfortunate reality of social media where anyone can follow anyone and say whatever they’d like. Evidence shows that this lowers the barrier to entry and, for some reason, prompts a lot of negative, perhaps jealous commentary. For Jones, it resparks the negative connotations that plastic surgery seems to carry in the mind’s of the mainstream.
“In the pictures sent to us, it looks like she’s lost some volume in her face,” shares board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Pozner. “People are going to change over time! When you’re in a movie, you’re made up with 3 hours of make-up for your scenes. In an Instagram shot from your car – like me right now – it may not be the truest picture of yourself.”
Context is always key, but rarely used on social media when one minute and a few sentences can deliver raw thoughts rather than measured, thoughtful discussion.
It’s Not a Crime to Have Plastic Surgery
If indeed Catherine Zeta Jones has had plastic surgery, there’s nothing wrong with it – a notion seemingly lost on her Instagram following.
“If she had plastic surgery, she’s just a person who wants to look as good as she can look,” explains board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Pinsky. “I think she looks natural, I think she’s a gorgeous woman. I think she’s actually a person that’s a good example of good plastic surgery, if in fact she had it. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Those who misunderstand plastic surgery and cosmetic improvement seem to focus on vanity solely. A person who gets plastic surgery is obviously someone suffering from self-confidence issues and requires cheap attention, right? Wrong.
“Everyday we help people with how they look, which improves their self esteem – it’s not different than trying to stay in shape,” shares Dr. Pinsky. “It’s good to stay in shape, it keeps your heart and your respiratory status good. And what’s so bad about using plastic surgery as a means to looking as good as you can? As long as it’s done not to excess and done in good taste.”
For Catherine Zeta Jones and others of Instagram fame, it’s better to keep on keepin’ on and avoid social media comments – if you are in the business of preserving self-esteem and certainly sanity. Those who suffer themselves with internal strife too easily have an avenue to project, and measured, sensible comments on the Internet are all too rare, it would seem.