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AMM 312: Cosmetic Consult: Navigating Beauty’s Contradictions and Complexities
January 01, 2025
This episode explores the complex relationship between self-image and the acceptance of cosmetic enhancements in today’s society. Ashley Stobart, founder of Cosmetic Consult, shares her personal journey through extensive aesthetic alterations, spending over £135,000 on procedures like fillers and a facelift. Her experiences highlight the surprising permanence of cosmetic changes and challenge common misconceptions about the motivations behind them. As we enter 2025, the discussion encourages listeners to reflect on how changing beauty standards influence and sometimes distort our perceptions of self-beauty.
Quick Takes
- Cosmetic enhancements are more widely accepted today despite the increasing focus on loving our natural selves.
- Ashley Stobart spent over £135,000 on cosmetic procedures starting at 22, eventually leading to significant changes in her appearance.
- Stobart’s aesthetic journey serves as a cautionary tale about the complexities and implications of altering one’s appearance in pursuit of personal satisfaction.
Episode Transcript
In our ever-changing quest for beauty, contradictions abound. We’re urged to love our natural selves, yet cosmetic enhancements are more accepted than ever. This duality challenges our perceptions of self-image and beauty standards. But what truly defines beauty today?
Ashley Stobart, founder of Cosmetic Consult, reflects on her aesthetic journey, which included spending over £135,000 on her appearance. At 22, she embarked on this path with a rhinoplasty, later experimenting with fillers, unaware that they wouldn’t fully dissipate. It wasn’t until her last pregnancy that the impact of these treatments became clear. Her face had become unrecognizable due to retained fillers and swelling. Deciding to cease fillers entirely, she underwent a facelift despite being told she was too young for one at just 34.
Her tale isn’t just one of aesthetic exploration—it’s a cautionary tale about the complexity of altering one’s appearance in pursuit of personal satisfaction. It challenges the misconception that such procedures stem from insecurity. For some, like Stobart, they are simply part of an adventurous expression. As we step into 2025, on this New Year’s Day, maybe it’s time to reflect on how these evolving beauty norms shape and sometimes distort our self-image.
