If you’ve been on any social media page, chances are that you’ve heard of the trending buccal — pronounced like “buckle” —  fat removal surgery.

Buccal fat is found in the midsection of the face and gives your cheeks fullness. Surgical removal of part of the buccal fat pad creates a sculpted, chiseled look. 

Numerous celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Zoë Kravitz are known and idolized for their high, prominent cheekbones, so many are opting to get the buccal fat removal surgery to achieve a similar look.

But here’s the problem: Most of the celebrities speculated to have undergone buccal fat removal surgery have never admitted to — or have outright denied — having this surgical intervention. 

While everybody is entitled to their privacy and not required to disclose what they’ve done to their body, many celebrities are untruthful when they’re prompted to discuss changes in their appearance. Pretending like obvious surgical changes are natural fuels the insecurities of celebrities’ audiences.

Historically, people’s value has been based on their physical appearance; it is literally a model’s job to look perfect for the camera. Rhinoplasties and other nonsurgical procedures to alter the nose are quite common in the modeling industry.

The default excuses most celebrities use when discussing their changes in appearance are makeup, diet and weight loss. When celebrities lie about their obvious changes in appearance and claim that it’s all due to diet and weight loss, it is extremely damaging to their impressionable audience of teens and young adults. 

If celebrities were truthful about what they’ve done to their appearance or at the very least chose not to speak about it, this would not be an issue. Acting as if they naturally grew plump lips and a tiny nose is deceitful and causes their young audience to wonder why they don’t look “naturally” beautiful like their favorite celebrities. 

There is an estimated 2.4% of adults in the United States who suffer from body dysmorphia, a disorder in which those affected have excessive focus on their perceived bodily flaws. Popular celebrities that many look up to and idolize that lie about their obvious surgical interventions are not helping to lower this statistic. 

A few celebrities such as Chrissy Teigen have openly admitted that they have had the procedure, resulting in a positive response from the public. This is mainly attributed to her honesty; she never claimed that her cheeks naturally went from full to hollowed out. If other celebrities follow her example, the negative commentary toward their changes in appearance and speculation of what cosmetic enhancements they’ve had would dissipate. 

Many celebrities who have had surgical enhancements end up being unhappy with their new appearance, which is evidenced by their excessive Photoshop. Reality TV star Khloé Kardashian has admitted to cosmetic injections and a rhinoplasty and is frequently called out for obviously altering her pictures posted on social media. 

If anything, this proves that celebrities feel like they can’t live up to the unrealistic beauty standards they’ve set for themselves and others. 

If celebrities chose to be honest and socially responsible with their massive platform, then they and their followers won’t feel like they’re in a never-ending competition with their own bodies.

Safia is a freshman in LAS.

[email protected]