- I definitely think social media is causing a spike
in mental health issues. - The fact that people
are going through with cosmetic surgery
to get their faces looking like a Snapchat filter is ridiculous.
♪ (punk rock intro) ♪
- (reporter) Clothing designer Jessica has been changing her appearance
to look more like she does in her filtered selfies.
- Oh. - (reporter) It's called
Snapchat dysmorphia. - Ohhh, like body dysmorphia?
- (reporter) It's called Snapchat... - Snapchat dys-- what?!
- (Jessica) I'm like, why do I look so much better?
- She looks fine. - (Jessica) And my nose looks thinner.
- Your eyes look bigger. (chuckles) - (Jessica) Wait, maybe I should
get it done, 'cause I wanna look like this in real life.
- (reporter) This is a photo of Jessica before the procedure.
- She's beautiful. - That's so crazy.
She's really pretty. - (reporter) ...after the procedure.
- Oh. That's a big transformation. - (reporter) Here's what she looks
like after the procedure. - What changed? She looks the same.
- (chuckles) This chick got an IRL Snapchat filter.
- (reporter) These selfies are causing unrealistic standards of beauty.
- (woman) If you take a selfie at different angles,
the face will look different. - It's true. Selfies
are all about angles. - (woman) If you take it up here,
the eyes will look bigger and there'll be less submental fat.
- Know your angles. - (reporter) And procedures
can bring risks. - (woman) To give them the nose
that they want to look good in that selfie, you would have to
reduce the nose size so much that it would look
abnormally small in real life. - Yeah.
- (doctor) ...problems breathing. - That's how most surgeries go.
- (reporter) Without Snapchat, Jessica says she wouldn't have had
the idea to alter her looks in the first place.
- See, that last part gets me intrigued,
because if she hadn't had Snapchat, she wouldn't have thought
of altering her facial features in the first place.
- I don't like that, because I don't feel like anybody should change
how they look. - I see the attraction
for the surgery, but the inspiration behind it,
that you got it 'cause it was a Snapchat filter
kind of ruins it. - In Korea, it's really normal
to get ssangkkeopul. It makes your eyes look
a lot bigger than what they normally look like.
A lot of Asians get 'em just' cause we're really known
for having small eyes. - (reporter) In 2017,
nearly 230,000 teens had cosmetic procedures.
- Teens?! - Ah, come on.
- But you're children. Your body's not done developing.
Like, you do-- wha? - (reporter) ...as young as 13
are getting them. - 13? Oh, hell no. What?!
- (reporter 2) How many people here know a teenager that's gotten
cosmetic surgery? - I know people.
I know a couple of people who got nose jobs
for high school graduation. - (woman) I mean, I feel
like you should wait at least until maybe 21, because you really
aren't sure what you want. - That is true.
- (woman) What I wanted at 16 is completely different
than I wanted now. - Yeah, I agree with you.
- Well, you also haven't grown into your whole body yet.
- (woman 2) We equate our self-worth and value with literally
numerical value. - True, with all the followers
and you just wanna impress people.
- (reporter) 17-year-old Ryan Geter says he got surgery after being
bullied for his big ears... - Yeah.
- (reporter) ...starting in middle school.
- That's how it usually starts, just about the bullying and how
they look different. But sometimes I think it's great
to look different and unique. - (Ryan) They really would
give me nicknames about my ears. - Awwww.
- (Ryan) Like "Dumbo" right there. I was basically crushed.
- Kids are so rude. - It's so crazy.
Kids can be really [bleep] up sometimes.
- (reporter) At 15, Ryan had his ears surgically pinned back.
- Oh my god. I didn't know that young.
- (reporter) He says it's changed his life.
- I mean, he looks good. - (reporter) Gave him new confidence
and a girlfriend. - You could've gotten a girlfriend
without your ears pinned back, bro. He was already cute.
- (reporter 2) Getting that surgery is kind of like letting
the bullies win. - Not really. In the past,
I didn't have the courage to stand up for myself,
but after the surgery, I won't let anyone mess with me.
- He's got his confidence. That's good.
If that's something that you genuinely feel inside can help you
as a person, live your life to the fullest and do what you want.
- It's so weird for me, because it's like,
these are people my age that are getting these surgeries.
There's a lot of things that I could say
that I would want to fix about me, but then I'm not going to.
It's because I just have to embrace it.
- It's so weird to me how parents will allow teenagers to get
cosmetic surgery altering the way they look
when they want a different pair of shoes every other month.
- (Zamirah) Hi. My name is Zamirah Salim.
Two weeks from now, I'm about to have nose surgery.
- "Snapchat user." - (Zamirah) When I get my nose done,
I'll be able to take more pictures that I wanna take.
- (Dr. Devgan) There's less guilt about undergoing procedures.
- That's very true. - (Dr. Devgan) Five or ten years ago,
people might have brought in the picture
of a magazine cover supermodel. Now, they're bringing in
a picture of themselves, but just in a slightly optimized way
where Facetune or Snapchat... - I guess it makes sense.
I see where these people are coming from.
- Ugh. Wild. - (Lara) ...Facetune
or a Snapchat filter will give them a millimeter more
of a cheekbone projection. - (doctor) Younger people are
more aware of the way that they look
from all different angles. They see themselves...
- They're glued to a device that has two different cameras,
and you can look at yourself in all different ways.
- (doctor) ...the advent of things like Facetune and...
- Oh my god. Facetune's a huge one. Facetune completely changes you.
- (doctor) ...the ability of us to manipulate our photos.
- Yeah, you can edit a picture of yourself on Facetune easy
and see how you look with plastic surgery.
- (doctor) Gives people a clearer idea on what exactly
they want to change. - That makes sense.
- (Zamirah voice-over) I don't post as much on social media...
- She's so beautiful! - She's so pretty!
I don't get it. You are really beautiful. (laughs)
- (Zamirah) Part of the reason I do want this surgery is so I can
take nicer pictures and be proud of them.
- Yeah. See, it's like an approval type of thing.
- (Zamirah) And I think the only way to do that is if I was to either
get my nose filled or surgery itself. - I look at her and I'm like,
"She's a gorgeous girl." But just, it's her inside being like,
"I'm not comfortable with this."
- Okay, I see the difference in the nose and the lips.
- (Zamirah) For me personally, I think that this is where it ends
with the surgeries.
- It's not necessary. Her nose did not look bad beforehand.
- There's parts of me that I don't like,
but I don't think I'ma change 'em.
- (Zamirah) I wouldn't write anything off,
just because maybe 10 years from now, I'll wanna change something.
But for now, I think that this is it.
- There are issues in our society I didn't even know were issues.
- It's not a bad thing. I'm totally with it
if you're happy with it and everything.
But me personally, I would never do that.
- I definitely think social media is causing a spike
in mental health issues for people of my generation.
- It's so not surprising that this is a big trend now.
The fact that people are going through
with cosmetic surgery to get their faces
looking like a Snapchat filter is ridiculous.
- This is really happening because of the rise of social media.
We're just all trying to be defined by looks.
And if you don't look a certain way or if you don't act a certain way,
then I don't wanna talk to you. I don't wanna associate with you,
because you're gonna bring my likes down.
Social media could be used for such a great thing.
But then it goes to the worst sometimes.
- (FBE) So, those videos were all talking about a new issue
in the world of cosmetic surgery, which some are calling
Snapchat dysmorphia. - I actually have not heard of it.
I've heard of body dysmorphia, which is a very common thing,
especially-- I know a lot of my friends talk about it.
- The name is a little too specific, and it's blaming Snapchat
a little bit too much. - (FBE) Well, it wasn't
until fairly recently that anyone could filter their photos.
It used to be something primarily only seen of celebrities
that were in magazines that had access to that kind of technology.
- (FBE) Now, with all these editing applications,
pretty much anyone can go into a photo and put a filter over it...
- Yeah. - (FBE) ...edit it, take something out
that they don't like. - Yup.
- You can go apps and in one button, you can change your eye color.
You know, you wanna make 'em blue? [Bleep] it. Your eyes are blue.
- (FBE) So for you, personally, when you post a photo
to social media, do you tend to use Facetune or Snapchat
or any of those to adjust your looks at all?
- I don't know how to use any of those.
If anything, I like my face better without a filter.
- I will use, you know, the common Instagram ones
that they let you do before posting.
- I use Photoshop just for the lighting and stuff.
- I like to lighten up a picture just because sometimes
the camera quality's not that good.
So, I kind of sharpen it. - I don't try to do it
to the extent of where I look super different.
But say, I have a blemish here. That's gone.
- When I was about 15, I Facetuned the heck out of my photos
just because I was so uncomfortable in my own skin.
I felt like I needed to meet a certain standard of beauty.
I was putting so much effort into making myself look
like this Barbie doll after I had taken hundreds of photos
to get the "perfect" one. And I...
at some point, I realized that's obsessive and it's not healthy.
- (FBE) So, experts are expressing concern, but we wanna know from you
as a teen in 2019, do you think filters and Facetune
are impacting the way youth view their appearance in any way?
- Yeah. I can see how that could be a thing just 'cause
we spend a lot of time on our phones
and spend a lot of time sending pictures.
Because you're staring at yourself so much
through Snapchat and Instagram stories and whatever, just I can see
how that would affect a person. - 100%. And honestly,
I don't think the problem will ever go away
that people aren't gonna edit their photos.
As long as social media's around, someone is gonna try
to make themselves look better. - It does kind of put that idea
in people's heads that we need to look a certain way.
But I think if we had a better understanding
of what people were actually doing in the photos, even though--
like, I'm very open about, yes, I use those applications.
I won't deny it at all. So, I think if we had more
of an openness about it, it would kind of take away
that stigma a little bit. - I do believe beauty standards
have been on the rise just because of the amount
of beauty gurus that we have. - A lot of those apps
are negatively impacting people instead of positively
because, you know, you resort to those apps
when you're not feeling good about yourself,
which is never the solution. - To an extent, yes.
But also, for the vast majority, no. If you're not already seeking
to change your face or anything, you probably won't find it
as destructive. - (FBE) So, outside of the videos
you just watched overall, you know, how do you view plastic surgery
in general? - If you wanna get plastic surgery,
that is all your business and none of mine.
- If you feel that this is what you need,
I'm not gonna tell you otherwise. - I don't think there's anything
wrong with it if you do it, but I think it's important
to accept yourself first. - If you think you'll benefit
from it and you're personally more fulfilled in life and happier
at the end of the day after plastic surgery, go ahead.
- It's a waste of time. I truly believe how you came out
the womb is the way you're supposed to look.
So, learn to love it, because if you can't love it,
then no one else will. - It can be so beneficial.
There are so many things about plastic surgery
that are helping people around the world.
There's a lot of trans people that undergo surgery.
Honestly, that is such an amazing thing.
And people just getting a simple nose job
because they've hated their nose for their whole life and are like,
"This is what I wanna do for me." That is so-- I commend those people.
But think about it before you do it.
- (FBE) Well, have you or anyone you know gotten
any plastic surgery or thought about getting plastic surgery?
- Yeah. I don't know anyone who's actually gotten it,
but I have some friends who are like, "I could fix this about myself."
- One of my friends says that she wants to get a breast reduction,
because it's hard on her back. So, I can see a medical issue.
I can see a health issue. - Two of my cousins
had the eye surgery to make their eyes bigger.
Double eyelid surgery in Korea is extremely common.
- Personally, I've thought about getting plastic surgery.
I do know Instagram influencers that I've kind of hung out with
who have gotten lip fillers, eyebrow lifts, like the little things
you don't even think of. - I know girls with lip fillers.
And multiple girls in high school get nose jobs for their graduation gift.
It's a normalized thing now. Even YouTubers make vlogs
of them getting plastic surgery. - (FBE) So, when it comes
to celebrities, I mean, are you aware of any
who have work done and who talk about it openly?
- Oh, yeah. For sure. (chuckles) I know a lot of YouTubers,
like Jeffree Star, Trisha Paytas. - The Kardashians have--
they deny it for a minute, and then they're like,
"Okay, we did do this." (laughs) - I know a lot of trans YouTubers
like Nikita Dragun. I watched her plastic surgery video.
Gigi Gorgeous. - Other than the Kardashians
and the Jenners, I don't know a lot of celebrities.
- Someone who's openly talked about it who's closest
to my age would be Kylie Jenner. I don't agree with people
judging her for making a decision about her own life, her own body.
- If you feel like you have a voice and a platform
to speak on something and you're comfortable doing it,
it's something really courageous. - (FBE) So, when a lot of adults,
or people who are your parents' age, were young, you know,
it was more common for people and celebrities to hide the fact
that they had work done. Why do you think that it was
more frowned upon back then versus now, where people
are pretty open to talking about it? - I really have no idea.
I feel like times are just changing in general.
We've grown a lot as a society and become more accepting
of people and their choices. - Now, it's not as frowned upon,
because people are having conversations about it,
and people are understanding why people are getting surgeries.
It's just adding more to the conversation.
- We're very open about a lot of different topics.
And I feel like that's why so many people are kind of,
you know, willing to talk about it. And I feel like it's also
a good thing that they do talk about it if they talk
about it in the right sense. - (FBE) So finally, what would you
wanna say for teens or anyone who may be considering
getting plastic surgery? And what should they be
considering beforehand? - Well, I say give it some time.
Talk to your friends about it, your family or, you know,
anyone in your life that has a huge impact on you.
- Do your research on the negative side
to the plastic surgery that you want and see
if all of your positives still outweigh those cons.
- I personally would not get plastic surgery.
And if I had teenage daughters and sons, I would kind of
encourage them not to do it. - If you're getting plastic surgery
because you look better on social media,
don't get plastic surgery. Wait a couple of years.
You're fine. Love yourself. Love who you are,
'cause there's only one you. - If you guys are thinking
about doing it, because, you know, you are a little depressed
or you're not, you know, self-loving with yourself,
and if this is gonna make you happy, then I say 100% go for it
and don't be afraid. You know, your family and your friends
are still gonna love you no matter what you look like.
And I feel like that's something that you have to remind yourself.
- You should sit down and talk it through with somebody
or write it out if you don't wanna talk about it with somebody.
Just make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into.
Stay true to yourself and don't let the surgery
define who you are as a person. - Make sure that you are doing it
for you and your insecurities and knowing that it'll make you
feel better on the inside and will give you that confidence,
and you're not just doing it because people pick on you about it.
You need to do it because you want to, and it's gonna make you feel better.