Is natural beauty a myth? Unpacking the tweakment trend and cosmetic pressure

Beauty used to be about finding your style or just being lucky enough to have those good genes. These days, however, it feels like beauty is a full-time job – and not just any job, but one that requires a very deep wallet.

From endless skincare routines that take longer than most Netflix series to the booming industry of injectables promising a "natural" look (whatever that means), the pressure is real. And let's be honest – we are the ones creating this pressure.

We scroll through TikTok, screenshot celebrity jawlines and eyelids, and take note of which filters work best. It's a bit like a beauty rat race we can’t seem to escape from.

The latest trend in the world of aesthetics is “tweakments," those subtle, "barely-there" cosmetic procedures that claim to enhance your features without making you look done. The idea is to still look like you, just ... filtered in real life.

But this rising trend, particularly popular among Gen Z, says a lot about how beauty standards are shifting or is it spiralling?

Let’s break it down. Tweakments include procedures like Botox, lip flips, chemical peels, dermal fillers, non-surgical nose jobs, and jaw slimming injections. Not quite a facelift, but also not just moisturiser and SPF. It’s that sweet spot between doing nothing and doing the most. 

One Australian influencer, Sarah Gardner, got the internet talking on TikTok recently after revealing the reality behind her “untouched” 27-year-old face.

In the images, she's listed all eight of the procedures she’s undergone: from masseter Botox and brow lifts to multiple non-surgical rhinoplasties. It was a lot, and yet she still labelled the end result “natural”.

But what is natural anymore when a new trend drops every week and TikTok decides what face shape is in?

Plastic surgery used to be something people did after having a few kids – you know, a little facelift at 50 or a boob job to perk things up. It wasn’t for everyone, and it wasn’t something you admitted to openly. 

Today 20-year-olds are booking tweakment appointments before they even get their degrees. Lip filler is practically a birthday gift, and wrinkle prevention starts before you even have any.  

While some procedures, like a little lip filler or wrinkle treatment, might seem harmless enough, they’ve become so mainstream that the lines between cosmetic enhancement and natural beauty have blurred completely.

Filler overload has become a real issue. Many people now have lips, cheeks, and jawlines that look more sculpted than human. It’s not uncommon to see influencers or even ordinary folks getting lip enhancements on their 20th birthday or undergoing Botox before wrinkles even have a chance to form.

It’s about achieving that Instagram look: plump lips, chiseled cheekbones, and a small, snatched nose. The obsession with fillers is making many of us forget what an unfiltered face looks like.

And let’s not forget the rise of Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs) – a procedure that started with a small group of people but is now practically a rite of passage in some circles. The BBL is everywhere – from influencers to reality stars, and it's hard to find a celebrity who doesn’t have one in their past.

While the procedure might be adored by many for creating that curvy, hourglass figure, it’s also a highly risky surgery that has sparked a host of complications, including fatalities. Yet, it’s still hailed as the "perfect" body type to have.

When the baseline for “normal” is airbrushed skin and symmetrical cheekbones, we stop recognising what unfiltered beauty even looks like.

There’s a growing pressure to look flawless without looking like you tried – the ultimate catch-22. And while tweakments are less invasive than full-on surgery, the message behind them is still the same: you are a work in progress. Constantly.

Let’s not forget that the quest for perfection has a darker side. People are cutting corners to look “Instagram-ready,” even if it means going through the back door of unregulated clinics. The result? A growing list of complications and even deaths have occurred in the name of beauty.

So yes, while tweakments might be marketed as subtle enhancements, they’re part of a much bigger picture – one where beauty is curated, filtered, paid for, and very rarely natural.

It’s okay to want to look your best. But maybe we should also normalise looking like a human being – lines, pores, and all. Because if beauty is starting to feel like a job, maybe it's time to call in sick.