My Generation Is Rejecting "Natural Beauty" | Surgeon Reacts 

He says "People are afraid of aging." I'd say WOMEN more so. Why? Because there is a HEAVY penalty to being an older woman. Pretty privilege is real and young women, especially, are aware of this and are very afraid, and for good reason, about what will happen when they no longer benefit from the "cute ingénue" appeal. They arent afraid of death. They are afraid of becoming invisible, unwanted second class citizens.

I appreciate your broad persepctive doc, but I do think its really sad that people feel "immense pressure" to change their appearance surgically. As a broke millennial, Im gonna keep working on my education and health. People will eventually catch up and realize that aging is a privilege, and true beauty always shines from inside out ✨️

If people cared half as much about being a good person, as they do about the way they look, we would be living in completely different world.

Omg calling an unworked-on face a “raw” face gives me the heebie jeebies 💀

Aging is a PRIVILEGE that is denied to many. We live in such a shallow, appearance-oriented culture. When this generation gets to be my age (I'm 56 and have had no cosmetic work other than braces on my teeth), they had better have already gotten their fears under control because, otherwise, they're going to be in a world of hurt! _Just sayin'...._ Ladies (and some gents), PLEASE learn to love the way you look NOW while you still have the time and please STOP depending on your looks for happiness. God forbid anything should happen and you lose them early through some kind of accident or tragedy. Watching these young people stress over every blemish is so, so sad.

I’m 66 years old. At 65 I decided to quit coloring my hair and go grey. It was a hard decision because I didn’t want to look so old. I have aged about 10 years in the last 3 years. The interesting thing is I’ve had some compliments by very young women (younger than 20). One young lady in a restaurant said, “You’re so pretty!” It made me feel much better than it would have had it come from a person my age.

The real issue is that so many people who have had so much done don't look that good. Especially some of the celebrities look so much worse than before their surgeries.

We're creating a totally unrealistic expectation of what constitutes beauty. There was a time when we accepted the differences in faces and found the individual beautiful. Now, beauty isn't born, it's purchased. We used to talk about the need for more diversity in our fashion magazines, but it appears that today we can only appreciate one type of beauty - tiny, tiny nose, full, full lips, and eyebrows lifted to the hairline.

Doc just mentioned that good plastic surgery should whisper, not yell. I know I had good plastic surgery when people tell me I have the natural body that people pay for. I tell them I did pay for it, and they're always shocked loool

It’s kind of sad that women have to wear make up in public to feel good about themselves or to get views, but men don’t really have to. I think that’s an issue that needs to be looked at more

The freckles I was made fun of for? My curvy bum I was made fun of for? My thick eyebrows I was made fun of for??? I was young in the 80s, 90s and part of the 2000s. And now almost everything I was made fun of for on my body (and I did learn to hate myself for it, for quite some time) is now en vogue

At 60, I am putting on my makeup and taking care of my health and working on getting past the stigmas. You either get older or die. So live your life for you and what works for you. Makeup no makeup surgery no surgery. What someone else comments is irrelevant. Enjoy your life.

I'm from Argentina, we don't use make up for everyday. When i watch movies/sitcoms from USA, i always found it weird. I mean, we use make up for a party, or a date, but not for work. People at work Will ask you where are you going after work or what are your plans, if you show up with make up

I also wanted a nose job when I was a teenager (i am now 27) and I never got one! Thank God!! The feeling of accepting yourself as you naturally are is so rewarding and creates real peace. There’s no journey for me to arrive at a place where I’ll feel good about myself through “fixing things” about my appearance .. I just accept this is the body I have,and I wish more people could experience that. I wish people would stop interpreting their features that don’t “match society” or “fit in” as wrong or broken needing fixing.. we are all different and that’s ok.

The thing is, these procedures have become a normal trend, so I think we should know to draw the line and stop praising unnatural beauty.

I think the problem with beauty standars, is that whatever it is, be surgery or simply makeup, gets people to bully those who don’t get those things done.

Im 56 yrs old. The only thing I had done was some deep laser treatments on acne scars. I LOVE being middle aged. No more period cramps. I only need about 5 hrs of sleep. I have worked hard and saved and invested a lot of my money- so I have 3 houses now. Plus I do not give a crap about wrinkles and thinning hair. The not giving a crap is the best part

As millennial I agree with Brett Cooper. I haven’t had any work done, but the pressure is so immense and I could see how younger women would feel the need to keep up. I wish we would just embrace natural beauty more

I mean, im gonna say it. This is coming from a 22 year old female who is already naturally pretty. As the doctor said, everyone has different starting points. I've known girls in their 20s who are already developing forehead lines, or have bags under their eyes. I've known women who feel just fine until they start see the first signs of aging crop up. Everyone is different. No one should get surgery because of societal pressure.. I think the most important thing is to ask yourself why you're considering it. Will it make YOU feel more confident? I also think it's important to WAIT and really sleep on it. I have a bump on the bridge of my nose and always felt that my profile is too severe. In my 20s I desperately wanted a nose job and people always said don't do it, you won't look like yourself then, it'll change your face too much. As I got older I realized my grandma had the same nose and looks quite regal in old photos. I like that I have her nose and I'm glad I didn't change it, even if society says it's flawed.

I'm so happy to have signs of aging because for a long time I was suicidal and I didn't see a future past 18 years old. I'm 32 now and every laugh line, crows foot, and gray hair marks another moment that I am still here thanks to God!

I’m glad that you mentioned not everyone has the same starting point. Some people just want to fit in and shouldn’t be judged for that.

What happens when people who've been very cosmetically tweaked and beautified have children who don't naturally look stunning like their beautiful parents?

I think we have normalized that "beauty" means "having procedures", and people who decide not to (and are not naturally "beautiful") are called ugly by society. It shouldn't be a societal pressure to get things done, if you do then that's fine, but a lot of jobs (specially for women) require you to look a certain way that can only be achieved through aesthetic procedures.

You brought such a balanced view on her conversation on the subject. Humble and empathetic.

I’m 68. I really hate losing what decent features I did have. Just had my first procedure, an upper and lower blepharoplasty. I’m on day 5 post op. I had a very nasty reaction to the ophthalmic antibiotic ointment. It made me think twice about my next procedure! Surgery is serious business and should not be taken lightly. P.S. I bought your scar cream Dr. Linkov! Hope it works well!

Glad you mentioned the fear of death. In my early to mid 40s I started perimenopause and everything started hurting and when I looked in the mirror my face reminded me of a deflated, rotting peach. I felt repulsed as it was a tangible sign that death is coming for me too. This would be easier to accept if I felt I'd 'earned' the lines and sagging but I don't feel I've lived enough to warrant looking this old. My advice to younger people (and my younger self) is yeah, use the sunscreen, hydrate and fix major things that make you miserable like terrible teeth or a massive nose, but fill the years you have with as many adventures as you can. No matter what procedure you have, age will get you in the end - yes even you - and even if you take all the supplements -and you'd rather have spent the money on a great holiday with friends or an education or counselling rather than trying to keep the inevitable at bay because you will lose that battle. If all you look back on is a lifetime of selfies and fixing (what it turns out when you are older) are tiny flaws then you too will have the disconnection with the person in the mirror when your hormones begin to splutter out. Go and take risks and make friends and earn your older face and make the world glad you were here then maybe death will become less terrifying?

This feels like a similar issue of steroids/SARMs, fake natties, etc. that encourage unrealistic body standards. I think this wave of transparency is a huge leap forward though.

I really dont care about plastic surgery :) but the calmness, compassion, and understanding of Gary is so appeling that i would listen to him even if he spoke about the most lame boring topic what so ever..

You seem like a very kind open hearted person. Your patients are lucky to have you.

how is Gen Z affording all this?

Great video. I'm 45 and I've had pretty minimal interventions (botox starting at age 42, lip filler since around the same time), which I feel fine about because I still look like myself. But I wish I could reach out to some of the 20-somethings who feel these insane pressures. I'd tell them to hydrate, wear your sunscreen, get as good of sleep as you can and work on the internal things that have led you into false feelings of inadequacy. We all go through this and a lot of it comes from lifelong internalized misogyny ... we don't even realize that we're doing it. It's something I feel I'll always have to work on. I'd also tell them, your feelings of self-love and self-acceptance will tend to grow a lot in your 40s and 50s, and it takes away a lot of the burden you feel when you're younger. I know this isn't true for everyone, but for many of us. Certainly for me! I love myself and celebrate myself more and more with time. I hope you all will too❤

I don’t know the “clean girl” trend seemed refreshing to me as a millennial cuz I was like oh cool young people are accentuating their natural features and being more natural. I mean there’s still makeup but I think there was a resurgence of “natural beauty”

I'm in my 50s and I watch this type of content to witness the state of Society in general. Once, when I was 40, a male friend and I were talking about plastic surgery. He told me his sister have breast implants. I went to talk about the societal pressure on beauty standards. He told me "It is easy to say when you are naturally beautiful". My jaw dropped, because I was bullied all my childhood and teenage years because I NEVER was part of the beauty standard, and I suffered a lot due to my physical appearance. So, beauty is truly something very subjective, for him I was beautiful, for others I was the object of bullying. But, I always have had an immense appreciation for the talents and intelligence that life has given me, because I knew that looks will wane sooner or later.

I was born and raised in Miami (the plastic surgery and BBL capital of the US 😂) and let me tell you guys, it take A LOT of mental work to not succumb to the pressure of getting something done. I'm only 26. I'm constantly bombarded by lip filler ads, baby botox ads, breast augmentation, etc. It's a lot

What she said is true, but some people need it for deformities. However, everybody shouldn't have the exact same face or body!. ....and some people go so overboard with it. It's hard to have a conversation with them. Without being distracted.

I remember when Aerie (girls underwear company) pledged to never retouch their photos, my jaw literally dropped when I saw tummy rolls, cellulite, stretch marks etc. We've just become accustomed to make "perfection" the standard - AND THIS is unhealthy

I also think its a little interesting that the women showing off “makeup free” fit the general beauty standard. People complementing her smile lines which are practically non existent. I haven’t seen any influencers with major acne or actual wrinkles that aren’t normal for their age. At the end of the day the influencers getting compliments for going natural are the traditional beautiful ones Ive had deep forehead lines since i was 11 and i get botox not because i am scared of looking old, ill take lines anywhere but my forehead 😂

Very sad to see young people and people in general are so scared of aging.

I haven’t gotten filler in my lips in years. I still have filler in my lips. 6-9 months yeah right. I wish someone had told me. Thank you for sharing!

love the balance you bring to the conversation

I really love how you can give your point of view in an explanatory way and that you are very empathetic about different people s feelings and preferences. I have had plastic surgery, most people would not have guessed that I got done anything at all. But I got done several things and sometimes I am terrified if I have to explain to a new acquaintance that I had not only one, but several plastic surgeries. I often feel ashame of that for the exact same reason that I don't want to appear vain. But the way you talk about it makes it understandable that wanting to appear attractive is the most natural thing for humans. I also have a friend who made me aware that maybe it's better to invest some money into therapy, to why I struggle with self esteem. He is not wrong about it at all, and I even can love a face and that is far from perfect in their own way. But your videos also really help to be okay with having insecurities which makes practicing self love and self acceptance instantly much easier. I think I have been judgemental myself, but I want to be more like you: being reasonable, but also more understanding for humans desires and needs. At least it feels much better on many levels to be that way towards myself and others

You're looking great, Dr. Gary! You've done an amazing transformation with your hair regrowth!

I had a rhinoplasty performed 6 months ago and this has changed my life for good in many ways. It has changed my confidence and people are also treating me differently, I lost weight as well and I think people thinks my change was part of that as well but overall is not noticeable and my friends that know that I had it say it looks very natural. It was so well done that my friends and family that dont have a good perception about cosmetic surgery changed a bit how they viewed it after i had mine. Thank you for this videos dr Gary!

The crossover I didn’t expect 😂

You are my comfort channel, so I was having a mini marathon for watching your videos last night. Pleasant suprise that this is a new one!❤

Let's be honest here. This is a target on most woman's backs. The need to feel desirable, beautiful, pretty and sexy has been around forever. Maybe it's time to change that narrative and bring up our daughters differently. Praise their intelligence, kindness and worth to the world instead of praising beauty per se. Just a thought.

Oh my God. They are worrying over nothing. My generation and Gen Z are still acting like angsty teenagers.

Everyone is so afraid of ageing that they forget to live and enjoy life ... I prefer to expend money on experiences... when I'm old I'll be cover of wrinkles but I'll be happy that I lived at my fullest and didn't care about society trends... ❤❤❤❤ enjoy life people,most important is to be healthy ❤❤❤

I'm Team Brett on this, and will argue that she's not being hypocritical about the makeup. The studio makeup is like taking the original painting, covering it with gesso, and starting fresh to make a different painting. That's what a lot of the cosmetic procedures are becoming like as well - and even if that lip filler looks natural today (hint: if your top lip is more plump than your bottom then it doesn't), cumulatively, it won't when you fill that frequent flyer card. But everyday makeup is often more like taking the original painting and adding the highlights back in and touching up the contrast. It's still recognizable.

We already had this conversation over and over. I was a teenager in the 1990s and remember vividly how the resistance towards the beauty industry grew. What happened in the meantime? Didn't we learn anything? And why do the younger generations make the same mistakes we did? (Not talking about low rise jeans...) Didn't they listen?

I find it very important to hear different perspectives and view points, and I appreciate both your and Brett’s opinions. I used to be very negative about getting work done, but I’ve opened more up to seeing that people do it for different reasons and it doesn’t devalue them as a person.

Another excellent and insightful video. I always appreciate your input/outlook on what you see as a plastic surgeon.

I wear makeup mostly because when I don’t use it, almost everyone tells me I look sick and become concern (and no, I’m not sick). So I wear makeup up especially to work just to increase the confidence in coworkers that I’m healthy and ready for work

I totally agree that if you can tell it was done then it wasn’t done well.

I love your take and how peacefully you lay it out. Specially because you have a very informed posture

Once again Incredibly important what you have shared here Dr ..just Ty ..

The lady is so right. It’s ridiculous how much time/money/resources is spend on what is not feeling that ppl think they are not good enough. It’s up to ppl themselves to do what even they want, what I think is terrible is the horrible animal testing on the products just to look “good”.

Perhsps people saw the NYT docu about aging called "Dying Broke". All about how little care there is for elders built into our social system. If you have seen it you will surely be afraid of aging. I don't live in the US but if I did I would certainly start doing what I could to lobby for better care. The surgeries are not going to help you.

thank you for sharing your thoughts. All are valid points, and at the end, it is about keeping it healthy, in all ways possible: socially, mentally, financially, physically; simply, to be sensible about it. Also, I'd like to add that I really like your energy. Your voice, the way you talk, your postures, there's something very soothing and relaxing about watching your vids. So, thanks for the vibes also.

Very admirable of you to present an unbiased take

Good job Mr. Doctor. ❤❤❤

Omg, this video is so important!

I absolutely love Dr. Gary’s cool, calm and collected demeanour ❤

Great video! I really enjoyed Dr Gary's comments and his balanced approach to aging and procedures. Many plastic surgeons would be pushing procedures and I appreciate that he doesn't. In fact, many of his videos have actually discouraged me from seeking aesthetic procedures 😂.

I love your balanced perspective, Dr. Gary. We are in a spectrum of satisfaction…the black and white thinking really puts people in a box of shame.❤

I'm curious about aesthetics procedures. Interestingly the more videos I see about aesthetics procedures, the more I'm conviced to never have one

You have all the right answers Dr Gary!!

This video makes sense it more about people's fears of aging and getting closer to death. My age is now closer to 40 than 20 and my Grey's are popping out my eyes are staying puffy for longer and I'm tired all the time. Lol but I love most of it cuz it keeps me humble and more accepting of people. I see younger people judgements especially at the gym and remember how I was that naive. Growing up is not always just physical but psychological as well.

I really appreciate the honest nature of your response. There are real reasons why people do all of these things. whether we like it or not people judge us based on our looks. I’m so tired of this toxic positivity.

As someone that had freckles growing up I hated them it’s so funny to me that people get them. Whats beautiful to some is ugly to others everything is so subjective

I love your channel, your professionalism, your voice! you are a great educator! thank you @Doctor Gary Linkov

You are very wise. Thank you for making me reevaluate myself and my fear of aging.

Because unfortunately they have been raised on pornography.

Forever & ever we have always joked about “the natural look” being so much effort, even when it only involves makeup & hair styling.

I grew up not liking myself, but then started to focus on the features I liked and working on those I could "improve". I take cold showers, live an healthy life, run and work out, work on myself and I turned 50 and never felt better. Without any procedure l. And I learned to embrace those features I don't like that much 😊 I almost never wear make up, but I take good care of myself and it's visible

Dr. Gary! I love your videos. Thank you for sharing your expertise ❤

Don’t worry she still wears makeup. The most shocking was when Alicia Keys stoped wearing makeup. She looked kind of ill at first but after a while you get used to it. She’s still beautiful but in a different non CGI way

i know that the trends have been rising but i never understood people who see a social media trend and let it actually influence the clothes they buy or th procedures they get,. i dont even know anyone in my close circle who would blindly follow those trends and thats as someone born in 2000

Yes inside work is so important. It should never be neglected for external beauty pursuits. Also, sometimes it’s hard to appreciate aging but as someone who almost had my life cut short from illness, aging truly is a privilege.

I think we should focus into getting the best version of ourselves, but not loosing ourselves in the process. Im 40 and considering getting lips done for the hydration side of it, but changing so much so early is just not ok for mental health

Professional makeup is definitely a lot of makeup compared to doing a tiny bit yourself.

Aging is an interesting thing. I'm in my mid40s, and while the one thing I won't stop is finasteride/minoxidil, I did stop dying my hair a few years ago. Now I have long hair very salt/pepper in color and I love it. I'm slightly embarrassed to say a lot of that has to do with the Witcher tv show. Seeing Henry Cavill with long white hair just looked really good. Now, I'm not Henry Cavill (LOL) but I try to stay in good shape and after having embraced the gray hair, I now actually find I get compliments. I'm sure women have it FAR worse as wearing make up for many women seems like a daily thing they have to do. But getting all those procedures seems unnecessary to me. Maybe slowly embracing age? Wear less and less make up until you feel confident enough to not wear any? I don't know. Interesting stuff.

I would love to see a video about the history of botox and its use in medicine for conditions like bells palsy and face asymmetry. One of the many beauty's of life is having choices, its definitely important to make our own informed decision and not be swayed by other people's opinions. I have botox in my forehead for my fine lines and wrinkles at age 33. I started at age 31. Since then I no longer get migraine headaches which I was getting weekly before botox. I also had one eye that was slightly a lazy eye with the other eye more dominant and more awake looking. One day I had someone ask me is there something wrong with your eye. The forehead botox evens out my eyes I don't have to worry about having a lazy eye. I had been convinced that I would look frozen and fake with botox so put it off for several years. Having had botox has changed my life.

Thank you for this balanced analysis...balance. That is what is missing here

Is this why so many women and some men look Kardashian like?

You have got to have the most integrity of any plastic surgeon I've come across.

Dr. Gary, Its nice to see your hair coming back in. I'm sorry this is something you battle. I'm 41 now, and after surviving a rare disease twice, I'm not afraid of aging. Its something that should happen overtime and may we all live long healthy lives so that we do see ourselves age gracefully and the generations of our families grow. :)

Very interesting and thought-provoking video.

Is this woman from The Daily Wire?

This video is sad. I recently heard about a trans reality show star blasting a woman for NOT having any work done. The nerve!! I am about to turn 53 with a *RAW* face and look at myself in the mirror like I'm the hottest chick out there! I love the way I am gracefully aging and have no plans of touching up my face. I looked into RED light masks but have decided to just stick with applying castor oil on my face. At the end of the day, JUST LOVE YOU! It sounds simple but it is a choice that I am making, along with choosing joy in my life.

We wear makeup and dye our hair so we can avoid the staring and the judging of people. If others would learn to shut their trap, people would be less fixated on looks.

I'm 35 years old. I fast for 48-60-ish hours 2-4x / month. Try to limit processed foods and added sugars. I eat steak, lamb, eggs, bacon, dairy, rice, fruit, select veggies, and sometimes a small amount of rice or bread. I used to practice carnivore diet, but "fell off the wagon" due to being relatively new to the diet while having a lifechanging traumatic event occur. I did not cope well and returned to my old habits or worse for a few years. I'm working towards returning to carnivore diet because I felt my absolute best then, as well as my skin issues and various other health issues disappeared. I mentioned all that because I've never had a cosmetic procedure, I'm reasonably fit and lean, I rarely wear makeup, and people still ask if I'm closer to 25 than 35. Similarly, my fiance (turning 44 soon) who is and has been pretty fit, lean, and had a good diet for about 90% of his life looks far younger than most or all of his peers in their mid-40s. We both don't drink or smoke. We work to prioritize sleep, fitness and time outdoors, like hiking or even just sitting on the porch outside to watch the sunset. He has coffee with a natural creamer made of cream, a little sugar, and some flavoring. I don't consume any caffeine on a daily basis, weekly basis, maybe once a month I may have a small amount for taste. Otherwise I try to avoid caffeine. In the area I'm from, I'm maybe in the top 15% of common women in my age range (based on my observations of both men and women generally interacting with me, or even strangers responding to me in public settings as I go about my day). In the area I presently live, I'm sadly more like the top 5%. What's also sad is I'm less fit with slightly worse skin now than I was when I was fitter in my home state. If I maintained or return to my old health and fitness, I'm willing to bet I'd be in the top 2-3% for this area of common women. It's weird how different cultures within the same large country can vary so widely. All that to say nobody regrets aging gracefully. There are no shortcuts to aging. We ALL age. Nobody can or will look youthful forever. BUT my observations of the populace in general is those who fight to look younger for longer via artificial means, like botox, fillers, and cosmetic surgeries, inevitably get more and more procedures and look more and more fake, malformed, and alien. Closest I've come to wanting anything "done" to me is I want to find a good cosmetic dermatologist (is that a thing?) or some such to remove a few moles, including two on my back, as a preventative measure. I think too many of these young women grew up too attached to technology and not grounded enough in healthy reality to normalize natural faces.

Brett Cooper is so hypocritical. She's wearing makeup regardless, at home and in the studio. And I'm willing to bet she has a skincare routine as well. Why is that acceptable and yet what everyone else does is too far and a reflection of insecurities and social pressure? The line is completely arbitrary. Reminds me of Alicia Keys when she decided she wasn't going to wear makeup anymore. Do what's right for you, but don't shame or pressure other people for doing what's right for them.

I'll trust it when it's someone who's not traditionally attractive is saying that. easy to say "vanity" when you are born more attractive than even people who've done work on their face "the right way".

Very insightful. Thanks ☺️

If people are going to get something done anyway, I'm glad they have professionals like you available who can allow them to get it done safely and with good care.

Honestly the solution is not to complain that no one is “naturally beautiful” the solution is to just be nice to people and give people compliments. Make people feel good about themselves where they are at natural or not. It sucks that anyone feels “pressure” to get anything, but if they see the results on someone and love it then thats more of a creative thing in my opinion, kinda like makeup and tattoos and hair color. It might not be attractive to a lot of people but as long as the individual likes it who cares

I’m 66 years old, and I haven’t had anything done. Now there are days I think about how good it would feel to look a little younger, but when I was as young as these girls I was beautiful, and I knew it. There is a huge difference between how you look in your 20’s, 30’s, and even 40’s, compared to your 60’s, and up. It makes me profoundly sad that lovely looking young woman in their twenties are even thinking the are starting to look old, when they should be out enjoying their lives in the bloom of their beauty. I applaud this young lady, and her message.

Hello👋 Dr Linkov from Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, UK 🇬🇧 L❤VE your videos!!! I really do, genuinely appreciate the information provided, as it seems everyday is a school day with you 😊 Sending you warm wishes & cwtches (hugs) 🤗

“Terrified” is a stretch. I’m not terrified of my smile lines. But I fully dislike my crepey under eye area and will eventually get them lasered. And I will keep getting Botox when I can, because the lines in my brow area make me look angry when I’m completely not.