Searching For the Perfect Pout
By Sana Chaudhry
3 April 2016
Karachi: As waistlines get slimmer, women’s lips get fatter. The latest craze to hit the fashion world has females going to extreme lengths.You are speaking to someone, an acquaintance perhaps. She seems excited to see you and is speaking rapidly. You, on the other hand, have no clue what she is talking about. No clue at all, because you have been staring at her lips the whole time. Not in a creepy, voyeuristic way but in a what-have-you-done-to-your-face way. And this is because your acquaintance has fallen prey to the new obsession amongst women of achieving bigger, fuller lips.
But where did this obsession begin, you may ask? Well some may argue that women have wanted fuller lips from the days of Marilyn Monroe and Selena Quintanilla. They were the pioneers of the classic red lip which has now been copyrighted by Taylor. But the younger females will cite Kylie Jenner, the 18 year old, reality TV star as the reason for the resurgence of this fad. Half-sister of Kim Kardashian, Jenner’s lips started to garner attention in 2014 after she posted pictures to her social media which showed a significant difference in the size of her lips. Although she initially denied allegations of plastic surgery, the “Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge”, which started in April of this year, forced her to admit that she had temporary lip fillers.
The challenge itself involved teens taking a shot glass and sucking out all of the air, causing blood to rush to that area, resulting in fuller lips. Since then, dermatologists have come forward and stated that this crazy trend can actually result in permanent disfiguration and bruising. The science behind it is that if you apply enough pressure you can either pop the surrounding blood vessels or worse break the glass.
There are safer ways to achieve the look. Dr. Shahista Effandi, a plastic surgeon, says that there are two procedures that can achieve the desired effect. The first is a non-surgical procedure that involves injecting silicone into the lips. The second, more invasive procedure involves harvesting fat from local tissues and injecting that into the lips. And as horrifying as that sounds, Dr. Effandi has no shortage of patients. “It’s not a particular age group that comes to me. I have women from the ages of 16 to 75 who want to change the way they look”, she says. But beware there are risks involved. Mainly infection if the procedure is not done correctly. “In my professional career I have come across botched procedures that have been done by inadequately trained people, who sometimes are not even medically trained”, says Dr. Effandi.
Lip tattoos are also now a thing that gained traction in the media after a writer for Australian Cosmopolitan chronicled her journey and aftermath of getting. The tattoo artist lines the lip in a shade only slightly darker than your natural shade creating an illusion of bigger lips. Although a more permanent solution, it is extremely painful and requires a touch up every year or so as the color fades.
For those who are too scared to go under the knife and or needle, there is a second option. Mrs. Saaima Wahid, beautician and owner of Scent Salon and Spa, says exfoliating can help improve circulation which can give you fuller lips naturally. But makeup can work wonders too. “Simply contouring the lips with foundation and lining your lips outside your natural lip line can give the appearance of having fuller lips.” Mrs. Wahid, who tends to clients all day long, has noticed a change in the type of makeup clients requested. “In the past, women would go for dramatic eye makeup, but now they want neutral eyes with their lips as the main focal point.”
Interestingly, a survey showed that four out of five men questioned said that they found women with fuller lips to be more attractive. “I would judge them only if it looks fake or if they haven’t drawn them on properly, basically if they have done a poor job” said one of the men. They unanimously agreed that it is a woman’s personal choice and her own decision to change her appearance. But it seems that it’s not just about how you look. “Women do look more attractive after their transformation, but I feel it sends the wrong message to girls who are insecure about their bodies,” stated one of the men interviewed.
And it seems that is not the only criticism that has surfaced from this trend. Whilst celebrity culture has people mutilating their bodies to fit the current standard of beauty, many cried that the challenge was offensive and that its muse was guilty of cultural appropriation. This is owing to the fact that fuller lips are a feature commonly found in females of African descent.
Regardless women still stick to the ideology, “the bigger, the better”. And whilst this trend shows no signs of slowing down, one of men interviewed offered a few sound words of advice. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spice up your look but at the end of the day ladies, you’ve got to draw a line between an extreme makeover and wanting to look like a mop.”
