In 2023, the Kardashians are in a new era of 'transparency'. But there's a lot they're not talking about.

In case you've been living under the sea, for the better part of a decade, the Kardashian-Jenner family has remained at the centre of global beauty standards. There's no denying their impact. It can be found in everything from beauty products and fashion to plastic surgery trends and cosmetic procedures.

In fact, a study looking at celebrity influence on plastic surgery procedures found a significant rise in searches for "lip enhancement", "lip injections", "butt enhancements", and "butt implants". 

Off the back of Kylie Jenner announcing she had lip injections back in 2015, "lip fillers" went up by 3,233 per cent. 

Huge.

And in 2023, their influence on body image and beauty standards is just as strong.

Watch: We asked Dr. Naomi McCullum, a cosmetic physician who runs a luxury clinic called The Manse, everything she'd do to her face.

While there have been some revelations of anti-wrinkle injections and fillers (and Khloe's nose job), for the most part, the family has somehow avoided discussions about their changing appearances. 

This means that as an audience, we've essentially been drip-fed minor admissions of cosmetic enhancements for years, making their influence and selective transparency quite controversial.

And that's part of why Kylie Jenner's admission was so... surprising.

After years of denying plastic surgery, the 25-year-old finally shared she secretly had a breast augmentation procedure at just 19. 

The mother-of-two made the confession in the show's season three finale. 

"You know I got my breasts done before Stormi," she told her best friend, Anastasie 'Stassie' Karanikolaou. 

"Within six months of, like, having Stormi, not thinking I would have a child when I was 20, they were still healing."

She went on to share that she regretted having the procedure, saying beforehand she "had beautiful breasts …natural tits, just gorgeous. Perfect size, perfect everything."

"Obviously, I have a daughter too. I would be heartbroken if she wanted to get her body done at 19," she added. 

"I want to be the best mum and the best example for her and I just wish I could be her and do it all differently, because I wouldn't touch anything."

Earlier in the season the makeup mogul also spoke with sisters Khloé and Kourtney about the pressures she felt to look a certain way. 

"One of the biggest misconceptions about me is that I was this insecure child, and it is false and baseless that I changed my whole face through surgery," she said in the episode.

"I’ve only gotten fillers. I don’t want that to be part of my story." 

She then tells Khloé and Kourtney, “All of us just need to have a bigger conversation about the beauty standards that we are setting."

"What are we doing with our power? I just see so many young girls on the internet now fully editing [photos of themselves]. I went through that stage too, and I feel like I'm in a better place, but other people can instill insecurities in you."

This kind of openness felt different for the Kardashians. Like a whole new level of transparency. 

It was almost refreshing to hear someone with such influence admit that cosmetic surgery doesn't fix everything. That they're not immune to the pressures of society, either.

Because of course, you need to keep in mind that the Kardashians are subject to all the same standards that are pushed on us through social media — we're all subject to it.

But on the flip side, as refreshing as Kylie's admission was, there feels like something is... missing. 

Where was the "bigger conversation" about beauty standards? Did that... happen? Or was it just another necessary hook to make people watch the show?

It's important to note that it's not about Kylie's lip fillers or how much plastic surgery she's had. Each to their own. You do you. 

The problem is that when this new revelation came out and the doors (finally) opened up for a discussion and complete transparency, it felt like we just didn't... go anywhere. 

While the blame can't just be piled on the Kardashians, there just seems to be an empty promise of an honest conversation that never happened.

In the Kardashian-driven world of Ozempic rumours and BBLs, ultimately, the admission from Kylie doesn't feel like it's enough. 

And that's partly because the damage to beauty standards, and what we now think and see as 'beautiful', has already been done. And the profits have been (and will continue to be) made.

Aren't we owed more than this?  

While it might be a step in the right direction, at the end of the day, their newfound transparency around plastic surgery and the impact they have on body image is essentially just acknowledging what we already know — the Kardashians are still at the centre of beauty standards. 

And where exactly are we heading?

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Feature image: Getty