Influenced by social networks and the popularization of aesthetic medicine, body transformation has become a culture of its own, a mix of self-love and hypersexualized aesthetics. Immersed in an era marked by injections.
In the film “The Substance,” directed by Coralie Fargeat, Demi Moore portrays a woman willing to do anything to regain her youth. “Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You should try this new product,” designed to generate another version of oneself: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. Even if it means causing harm, a lot of harm… with no going back possible.
Behind this dystopian thriller is a magnifying mirror of an injected era where the best becomes (as often) the enemy of the good. Full lips, slim waist, sculpted buttocks: following the Kardashians, entire generations of young women and men are transforming their bodies like customizing a Sims character. On TikTok, hashtags like #BBLEffect (Brazilian butt lift) or #FaceCard (used to describe a more attractive face than average) are booming. And behind the ring lights, clinics are working at full capacity.
“The Covid years have been a true turning point in this ever-evolving world that follows trends on social networks. People have spent a long time confined at home, staring at themselves through webinars and discovering themselves through screens. Social networks have become the main sources of information and trends, more than just a distraction… At first, there was a trend towards consuming aesthetic treatments to fight the effects of aging, then a real interest in XXL treatments and the desire to turn the body and face into a ‘work of art’ or a ‘showcase of transformation’,” analyzes Dr. Wided Limaiem-Joumni, specialized in aesthetic medicine.
Kim, Kylie, Khloe, and others have gradually redefined the female body in the age of Instagram. More than celebrities, they have become interfaces of aesthetic trends. Kylie Jenner, named the world’s youngest billionaire by Forbes in 2019 thanks to her lip fillers, recently regretted a breast augmentation at 19. Between empowerment and image dependence, the line is thin.
Meanwhile, her mother, Kris Jenner (70 years old), is giving herself a new youth and flaunting it on Instagram. Unrecognizable! The photo has caused a stir online: “She looks like she’s 30 years old!” reads the comments. Behind this new wrinkle-free face is a deep plane facelift performed by Dr. Steven Levine, costing nearly 115,000 euros, the price of an apartment… Transformation comes with a price that is not always paid in euros.
Boosted by the omnipresence of these transformed bodies and faces that seem to set a new standard on social networks, the practice of illegal injections carried out by individuals sometimes trained on TikTok is exploding. In hotel rooms or apartment salons, dangerous products like industrial silicone or counterfeit hyaluronic acid are injected, causing infections, necrosis, or vision loss.
In October 2024, a 24-year-old French student committed suicide after a botched beard transplant in Istanbul, performed by a real estate agent. Aesthetic doctor Amel Korchi explains how she refuses certain procedures: “When a request seems excessive, rushed, or simply out of harmony with the face, I prefer not to perform it. Our role is also to provide a framework, temper some expectations, and help the patient see more clearly in their request.” But sometimes, addiction is too strong.
On the set of “It Starts Today” on France 2, Margaux shares her first injection at 18. Since then, she has transformed her entire face and gets injections every four months, unable to stop. An addiction to the needle, known as kentomania. “From the first year, I felt the need to go back. When I couldn’t get an injection, I would get blood draws, tattoos, just to feel the needle in my body,” she reveals.
For others, like singer Theodora, nicknamed “the Congolese with BBL,” transformation becomes a performance staged on social media, amidst fascination, provocation, and body worship. “BBL is more of an image projected by social networks than a medical reality. It is not a practice I recommend or encourage for my patients. This kind of extreme aesthetics remains marginal and often ephemeral,” states Benjamin Sarfati, an expert in plastic surgery at the Clinic des Champs-Élysées.
Olivier, 45, a fan of aesthetic surgery, confirms this new quest for a more natural transformation: “I don’t want to alter my face, but rather maintain a certain freshness. I think there will be a turmoil in these trends, because on social networks, more and more celebrities are adopting new techniques that enhance them without transforming them.” Even Brad Pitt (62 years old), at 60, joins the trend: collagen, skin boosters, discreet injections. With more subtlety, but still the same obsession: never give up on fighting aging under his LED anti-aging mask.
And while aesthetic transformation can be seen as a form of empowerment, it should never come at the expense of health. For the process to remain positive, it must be accompanied by essential precautions and supervision. Behind each injection, there is a medical act whose stakes often do not merit just a like on Instagram.
