Plastic surgery has gained popularity over the last few years. Selinah Demir (22) has undergone several cosmetic procedures in an attempt to keep up with today’s beauty standards.
Text by Samen Rehman, photos by Ingrid Godager & Ramon Mebrahtu
At the age of sixteen, Selinah Demir started to dislike a particular feature of her face. “When I took selfies, I wondered what I looked like from the side. I took a picture of my profile and I didn’t like the way my nose looked. The more I focused on it, the more it annoyed me.” However, this was not the trigger for her to go under the knife.
One year ago, my colleague got a nose job and you could see the results very clearly from her side profile.
Selinah Demir has never been fond of cosmetic procedures and never would have thought of getting cosmetic surgery herself. But then she started to get influenced by her surroundings. ‘’One year ago, my colleague got a nose job and you could see the results very clearly from her side profile. It honestly looked very nice, and she was really happy with the result. That made me think that plastic surgery might be an option for me too.’’
The now 22-year-old got a nose job earlier this year. Besides getting a nose job, she has also opted for fillers in her lips and smile lines.“After I got my nose done, I strongly believed I would have a perfect face. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.” In fact, Selinah got even more aware of her features. She noticed new imperfections, which she thought could be adjusted. “I was convinced that my smile lines needed fillers as they became more visible. She refers to her experience with cosmetic procedures as a vicious circle, “I will definitely keep getting filler for my lips and smile lines to maintain my current look. But as of now, I’m not considering getting anything else done. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to cosmetic procedures in general, but I do love the result fillers give me.”
Doctors in general, regardless of which field they are specialized in, can become a cosmetic surgeon. Dr. F.R.Gaffar, a doctor with his own dentistry in the Netherlands, explains why lately, more and more people are opting for cosmetic surgeries. “Especially young people undergo cosmetic surgery very easily nowadays, because they are easily exposed to it. On several social media platforms, cosmetic surgery clinics promote their work by sharing videos of surgeries.”
Selinah travelled all the way to Istanbul for her nose job, and there is a particular reason for that. ’’In Istanbul, they don’t look surprised seeing a girl with a bandage on her nose. Despite giving strange looks, men and women asked me for the contacts of my cosmetic surgeon,” she explains. Selinah wanted to feel comfortable after the surgery and was not ready to have various reactions from her neighborhood in Leiden. She explains that her Dutch friends would probably be negative about it, although her cousins from Turkey supported her idea.
Undergoing cosmetic procedures doesn’t mean that I strive for perfection or the typical Kylie Jenner look.
Selinah thought it would be a good idea to go for consultancy in the Netherlands before undergoing a surgery. “I actually got a red signal for the nose job, they advised me not to undergo a surgery for small changes. I was told it wasn’t worth the result, money and pain”, Selinah says. Contrary to the Dutch surgeon’s advice, she still decided to go through with the surgery. Her decision to get a nose job abroad was now final.
Today, Selinah is happy with the results of the cosmetic procedures she went through, and is willing to keep her face like this. If she sees a wrinkle in the future, she will not hesitate to opt for Botox. However, she has become aware of the fact that perfection doesn’t exist. “Undergoing cosmetic procedures doesn’t mean that I strive for perfection or the typical Kylie Jenner look.” She just wants to achieve the best version of herself with a little help from cosmetic surgery.