Speculating about the changing appearance of one's face is never OK. And unfortunately, Jennifer Aniston is the latest celebrity to fall victim to the subject of a harried debate about her looks. Social media trolls, I have some choice words to share…
Yesterday [July 31, 2024], the Friends actor took to Instagram to innocently share a new video post. Excited about the expansion of her haircare line, Jennifer explained that LolaVie is launching in UltaBeauty at Target. "I’m so proud to see this baby growing up👏🏼❤️👏🏼," she wrote in the caption.
However, with such a large following (44.9 million to be exact), there sadly come challenges. A select few users took to the comments section to not congratulate Jen but instead, share negative opinions about her appearance. "Plastic surgeon did a pretty bad job…," one person wrote. At the time of writing, the comment has almost 200 likes and over 40 replies, with others sharing their opinions, too.
Of course, this hate is a small minority among those who love and support Jen An, however, no matter whether it's one or one million people, it's never OK to speculate on such things.
Earlier this week, Selena Gomez also faced similar rumours. Commenting on plastic surgeon physician assistant Marissa Barrionuevo's TikTok video from 2023, which included a series of side-by-side photos of the actor from over the years, Selena wrote, "Honestly I hate this. I was on stripes because of flare up," she penned, referring to being prescribed a steroid by her doctor. "I have Botox. That's it. Leave me alone."
Not only that but Olympic gold medalist, Simone Biles also recently took to social media to respond to negative comments about her hair. "Next time you want to comment on a Black girl's hair, JUST DON'T," the gymnast wrote in an Instagram Story.
So, what does this tell us about the beauty standards on social media today? Well, not only does it underpin the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of women but also how dangerous and damaging 'freedom of speech' can sometimes be online. Do we need stricter regulations or should we all try a little harder to understand that what one does – or doesn't do – with their face is none of our damn business?
I'll leave that thought there.
