THANGO NTWASA | Idealised beauty image warps who we really are

For many of us there are different thoughts that come up when we speak of Lil’ Kim. It could be her affair with rap legend Biggie or the many feuds she has entangled herself in as a means of protecting her status as the Queen Bee of hip-hop.

One of the most ignored issues in her life and career is her cosmetic journey, particularly her surgeries.

From sweet-faced black girl to racially ambiguous blowup doll, Lil Kim has become a totem of what not to do when going under the knife.

But how did the biggest female rapper get here and, most importantly, how did cosmetic surgery become a dangerous social norm? 

To better understand the problem we have to look at what built the foundation. Society works with beauty ideals, agreed upon ways of what makes you beautiful.

While it might be harmless to tell people what makes them look good, it births standards that are impossible to follow. They don’t just become trends we can ignore like wearing shades indoors but trends that are invasive in the way we go about our lives.

When looking at a country like ours, the complicated history we have often intermingles with the worst body ideals.

While already battling racism, people of colour must also juggle colourism which is further re-established within our communities.

It can be heard in the lyrics of Tswang Tswang which celebrates a bride-to-be whose fair complexion makes her a beautiful spectacle.

Which brings us back to Lil’ Kim who has had to face the same issue in the US.

In a previous interview, the star revealed that a lot of the men in her life often left her for light-skinned or biracial women.

Something we all got to witness in Biggie’s loyalty to Faith Evans.

And this was not just limited to her romantic life but her career in the limelight as well that pushed her to make a change, because if society tells you you're ugly if you’re fat you will most likely feel the pressure from the mocking and taunts by losing weight.

So naturally, Kim took to bleaching herself and committing to surgeries that would assist in her transition to looking like the expected image of beauty.

But it was not just limited to her. Through tabloids and TV interviews we have seen stars being ridiculed for ensuring they look youthful throughout their careers.

Especially for women who are pressured to look young lest they get booted out for fresh blood.

While this was a twisted hobby of the rich and famous it quickly became accessible to the average Joe as the pressure to look young and perfect moved from celebrities to young and old folks on the internet.

Something evident with the likes of the Kardashians-Jenner family who have made a career out of capitalising on a hybridised image of black women in what has been called the Instagram Face.

Fusing the ideals pined for by black people and white people, they have become a bridge fusing those two worlds.

Their “Instagram Faces” are identified by a plump face with high cheekbones, pore-less skin, cat-like eyes that go with the cartoonish eyebrows and bronze skin topped with plump lips.

You only need to look at the current social media filters applied by a majority of people today to see how much this has influenced the way people see themselves.

The Kardashians along with other reality TV stars and influencers have been called out for pretending their bodies and faces are the result of hard work and disciplined approaches to a beauty regimen.

Whenever the truth comes out that they have lied to people, there is no backlash but instead it is encouraged.

Cosmetic surgery in the name of aesthetics is viewed as empowering and healthy for the men and women who want to look their very best.

This can be seen with the reaction to Brazilian butt lifts (BBL).

It’s an overnight remedy for getting the trendy small-waist and plump bum a lot of people are pursuing. While there have been a number of deaths during and post operation, the trend has not stopped the loyal thousands who line up for it.

Like most surgeries, the results are demanding so people constantly need to refresh the procedure.

This already costs an arm and a leg but when you have been told that it’s empowering and important, it’s a small price to pay for an easy glow up.

Pressure is mounting for more people to keep up appearances by seeming eternally young but just how much of this growing trend can be taken before it ultimately warps our perceptions with who we really are.