From Kardashian Injectable Lips to Mar-a-Lago Face

In 2023, there were over 34.9 million cosmetic procedures performed globally, a 40 percent increase from four years ago. As these procedures have become more common, the taboos against talking about them have weakened. The New York Times Opinion editor Meher Ahmad speaks to the columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom and the writer Jessica Grose on whether the growing affordability of Botox and fillers has driven this shift, and how an aging face is the new punk rock.

Thoughts? Email us at theopinions@nytimes.com.

Read the full transcript here: https://nytimes.com/2026/01/08/opinion/body-modification-gender.html

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