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“In the current age of filler and Botox, it’s important to highlight that aging shouldn’t be something deemed ‘ugly’ or ‘undesirable,’” shares London-based TikTok creator Philosofay, who has participated in the trend. “I recognize as a beauty creator I play a role when it comes to beauty standards; I don’t want to further push the ideal of perfection. Human existence is not perfect, skin is not airbrushed, and wrinkles and fine lines are very, very normal.”
Philosofay tells Allure they find it “amazing and important” that the TikTok beauty community has come together to embrace their little lines and crinkles, and many comments on anti-injectable makeup videos reflect that sentiment.
“I love my little eye crinkles that are forming. They’re evidence of the good times and the bad times and how I’ve made it through them all,” one TikTok user commented on a video. “Using our natural wrinkles for make up [sic] as beautiful as this is soo healing! Brought tears to my eyes,” wrote another in the same comment section. “I adore how this trend looks different on everyone who does it. It’s like tabby stripes, everyone has their own unique pattern,” commented another user on that same video.
Though these videos are positioned as “anti-Botox” makeup, they’re not really shaming anyone with injectables, just providing a creative beauty space away from the “Instagram face” of it all. We’d be remiss not to mention that most of the creators making these anti-injectable makeup videos seem relatively young and have to force their faces into scrunched-up positions to create wrinkles, as opposed to mature skin that appears wrinkled at rest. Showcasing pride in your eye crinkles because they’re a marker of happy moments is truly wonderful, but at the same time, we live in a culture that is terrified of and often hostile to aging, especially for women. It also demands aesthetic perfection from women by all means necessary, which has led to an increase of cosmetic procedures and created the injectable fatigue many of us have been feeling (both in the emotional and physical sense) the past few years.
And just because someone’s face wrinkles when it moves doesn’t mean they’re not getting a little something-something injected at the dermatologist’s office, by the way. It’s worth pointing out that these looks are possible with neuromodulators and/or filler in your face, as those procedures are completely customizable based on your desired look. The “overfilled” look—in which your skin is completely smooth and plumped and doesn’t budge an inch—is not always the end result, especially when a highly trained and precise doctor is holding the needle. It all depends on the placement. “You absolutely can move and crinkle with Botox if you want,” says Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut. “You can honor your lip lines and still have filler.”