Invisalign vs. BBL 🥊

BBLs can smell, or at least that’s what a TikTok video had me believe. I was shown a video from a doctor who stated that it is true: some Brazilian Butt Lifts can emit an odor if there’s an infection. Yuck.

When I was twelve, I got braces. Steel brackets with gray rubber bands wrapped around them until one day, they turned fluorescent green, and I freaked out. My mother cooked with a lot of turmeric, which comes complimentary with a Gujarati diet. That moment that they turned green, yuck. I never wore my retainer, and as a result, I needed Invisalign as an adult to get my smile back in shape.

If you really think about it, the structural rearranging of an entire skeletal system in the name of a better smile that has zero shame. Yet adding some extra padding to your booty carries stigma and judgment. To begin answering this question, I thought I’d ask myself what I really think. Why am I ok with Invisalign and laser hair removal? Because I’ve done both and I feel better about myself. Why is my level of ick so high, face lifts, filler, and Ozempic?

• Is it because I haven’t done them?

• Is it because I don’t think I need them?

• Is it because I think I’m above it?

• Is it because it’s not part of my value system?

And if any of the above is true, who shaped those values? When? Why? And why am I not simply happy for someone who did do these things and feels better because of it? I think you should pause and consider how you would score these treatments in your own mind.

People who undergo invasive cosmetic treatments often feel better about themselves. And logically, we should be happy for them. But many people aren’t. Why? I asked a lot of people this question, trying to get to the heart of it. What I kept hearing sounded like a turf war. A turf war between people who were genetically gifted with great faces, lips, noses, metabolism, hair, skin, and teeth, and those who weren’t. When that unfair advantage starts to fade thanks to innovation, it stings.

It’s the same instinct that allows people to shame short people or bald people. Is it conceivable that naturally thin people are furious about Ozempic? Are naturally thick-haired people annoyed by extensions and plugs? Is this, at its core, a threat to status?

The most common pushback I heard is that some invasive treatments make people “not look like themselves.” That it’s artificial. That they can’t move their face. That they all have Instagram faces. That they wasted money or damaged their future or their health. That they took a shortcut, followed by we don’t know the long-term side effects.

All valid concerns.

But if the person who chooses these treatments feels happier and more confident, why don’t we prioritize that? Often, I found that the discomfort has less to do with moral values and more to do with a threat to ourselves. If everyone can be beautiful or thin, then what? We all want to look and feel better. Maybe it’s time to fill in your own internal scorecard and sit with it, alongside what genetics gifted you, before passing judgment on new beauty treatments.

This is a mindset I’ve set as a goal for myself this year. Everyone is just trying to improve their own confidence and happiness, and I want to support them. We may not like their ideas, opinions, or taste, but judging them on these things is just a cheap shot that makes us feel better temporarily. When we shame those choices, we miss the point of helping one another. We need to do a better job of choosing less judgment and more generosity.

Thank you for reading and supporting me, Bina