What’s a “Normal” Body Anyway?

The headlines were hard to miss: “Yes, Kylie Jenner Did Get Plastic Surgery,” and “Kylie Jenner Expresses Regret Over Cosmetic Surgery — Including Getting Her Breasts Done.”

“Isn’t the entire fam pretty much plastic?? Is there anyone ‘natural’ in that family??” wrote one commenter.

“When are they all going to admit that they have had their butts done too? Normal butts don’t look like that! Ick!” posted yet another.

Comments on YouTube videos discussing Jenner’s surgery expressed similar critiques: “It sends a bad message to young girls who looked as normal as Kylie did as a 19-year-old girl. It makes this unattainable look seem like it’s natural. Which makes young girls feel they’re not normal.”

Normal in reference to whom? I wondered.

The idea of normalcy is something of a paradox when it comes to cosmetic procedures. While there are no objective criteria as to what counts as a “normal” female appearance, plenty of people justify having cosmetic procedures to look “more normal,” and plenty of others argue women should avoid those same procedures to maintain a “normal” appearance.

What’s more, the constant flux of beauty ideals — over time and in different communities and spaces — challenges our perception of what a “normal” appearance is. The soft, double chins of sensual women painted in baroque times were considered ideal at the time, whereas the anorectic “heroin chic” look was idolized in the 1990s. Dark-skinned women often wish to be lighter, while the palest women find themselves searching for the darkest possible self-tanning product. The full-figured bodies demanded by today’s adult film industry starkly contrast the waif-life figures sought after in high fashion.

Then there’s the reality that nearly every image we encounter of other people’s bodies, whether in print or online, has been altered in some way. The means of modification can be digital, through platforms such as Facetune and Photoshop, or temporary cosmetic procedures, or surgically invasive procedures such as breast augmentation or targeted liposuction.

In a world saturated with ever-shifting beauty ideals and constant pressures to conform to certain standards, the notion of a “normal” body is an elusive one. The criticism surrounding Kylie Jenner's cosmetic procedures reveals a deep-rooted desire for normalcy — a desire that clashes not only with how our society regards and idealizes beauty, but with the very essence of human diversity.

For Kylie Jenner’s critics, I have one question: “What’s a normal body, anyway?” I’d argue that there’s no one-size-fits-all normal. Instead, we should champion the diverse spectrum of bodies that authentically define us. As the tides of beauty standards surge and shift, let’s challenge society’s narrow definitions and empower women to carve out their own interpretation of normalcy.