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Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
When I first heard that someone in the UK had died after riding the Brazilian butt (BBL), my first thought was that it was just a matter of time. In fact, I was surprised that it didn’t happen sooner. Then I read that it wasn’t surgery. And he was only 33 years old. That he had five daughters.
Alice Webb was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Monday (23 September) after falling ill; he died the next morning. According to police in Gloucestershire, she had “made a cosmetic procedure” before she fell ill. An urgent fundraising campaign to raise money for Webb’s family said she underwent BBL surgery, which sees fat or dermal filler injected into the buttocks with the aim of adding volume and creating strength.
We don’t know much more than that, except that two people have now been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with Webb’s death. Dane Knight, a friend of Webb’s, wrote on social media: “I want to say a big thank you to all the family and friends who were with us during this difficult time, including all the sweet messages sent to my children and myself.” He also warned against any speculation about the tragedy, and “unnecessary questions” being asked of Webb’s five daughters.
The whole thing is completely destructive. And while I don’t want to comment on what may or may not have motivated Webb to find BBL in the first place, or the medical problems that could have occurred after his procedure, I say that this tragedy is a symptom of a society that has become so distorted by unattainable beauty standards that it is actually killing people. It’s time to start taking it seriously.
BBLs have been around for a while, and have been associated with many risks. They have increased in popularity since the 2010s, largely due to the spread of social media, and the highly respected bodies of celebrities whose diet and exercise routines are regularly posted online. British woman Melissa Kerr died aged 31 after BBL surgery in Istanbul in 2019, and Salford mother-of-three Demi Agoglia died of a heart attack after surgery earlier this year, also in Turkey.
Not only are BBLs extremely dangerous, they are also very expensive, often costing thousands. Moms are risking their lives for… Under the best on Instagram?
I am a fool; it’s not about anything trivial at all. I’ve never had surgery or cosmetic surgery, but I can understand why people would. I don’t think the reasons have much to do with aesthetics at all, if you break it down.
It’s about wanting to feel like you belong in a world that always makes you feel like an outsider. It is the desire to feel accepted – to be good enough. Women have spent their lives being told what is and isn’t attractive – being a certain size; put on this garment; they have curves here but not there. Wouldn’t it be nice to just pay a lot of money to get rid of all the noise? And yes, there may be risks, but don’t the rewards outweigh them?
Today’s beauty standards are out of control. Take a look at Instagram and you’ll understand why: the rise of fillers, Botox, and other cosmetic procedures has been increasing over the past few years, until people undergoing the same treatment are starting to look alike.
Jia Tolentino coined a term to describe this phenomenon: “The face of Instagram.” For a while, the term was light-hearted – a happy interpretation of the nonsense of beauty articles on the Internet. Now, unfortunately, that is not the case.
We can only hope that Webb’s death is the wake-up call that needs to be made to realize the seriousness of what is happening here – and that it is not getting any worse.
#obsession #beauty #growing