Is talent still what makes a pop culture icon, or has appearance taken over? A TikToker named Faith, who goes by @trainingforamazing on the platform, has ignited a debate about the type of Hollywood faces being “rewarded” in the 21st century.
In her viral video, which has racked up 7 million views, Faith used a photo of actress Karen Allen’s “real face” from the 1980s film Scrooged.
“This is her real face. This is a very real, like, smile lines around the eyes, a gummy smile. And I’m not saying that is a bad thing. I think she has a beautiful smile,” she explained.
A woman named Faith drew attention to how similar many actresses look today compared to retro Hollywood icons
Image credits: IMBb
Faith then added a collage of iconic movie stars, including retro photos of Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep.
“This group of women has some of the most prolific acting credits of all time. And all of them look like real people,” Faith pointed out.
The content creator contrasted those images with another collage of young, famous actresses, asking, “What happened to all the faces?” Faith argued that plastic surgery has made them all look identical and, as a result, has made the stories they’re telling far less interesting.
Image credits: trainingforamazing
The “modern” collage featured images of Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan, and Sydney Sweeney, among others.
All of them had plump lips, small noses, and very contoured cheeks with hollowed-out cheekbones.
She stressed that plastic surgery has become so normalized that people don’t notice the changes until they see a contrast with the “real” faces of 1980s Hollywood.
Faith argued that audiences now tend to reward actresses who look like “supermodels”
Image credits: Getty/Gabe Ginsberg
Faith mentioned The White Lotus star Megan Fahey, saying she was a fan of her work but lamenting that she went from looking like “a real person” to allegedly molding her features to fit current Hollywood trends.
According to the TikToker, society now demands to see beautiful faces and bodies when consuming films or TV shows.
“We expect our actresses nowadays to look like supermodels,” she said, “whereas supermodels used to be supermodels, and actresses were actresses.”
Image credits: Getty/Michael Ochs Archives
In the past, she noted, actresses became famous exclusively thanks to their talent, even if they didn’t meet society’s beauty standards.
Faith added, “The more we reward a certain type of beauty that often has undertones of white supr*macy, we steal from the craft.”
She concluded her video by stating, “Our faces are our stories. They are what’s passed down to us through generations. And if your face can’t move and you look like everyone else, what story are you telling?”
Viewers agreed that plastic surgery has become “normalized” and pointed to the influence of social media
Image credits: Getty/WWD
Her video, posted on December 12, sparked a broader debate about Hollywood trends in the comments.
One commenter argued that people shouldn’t make generalizations about young actresses. “Yes but also Jenna and Hailee just look like that. Let’s be careful on how we describe these features because a lot of them are natural.”
Many others agreed, noting, “Not just the women. Look at Bradley Cooper.”
“I’m over the veneers too! I miss normal teeth,” shared someone else.
“I’m actually really scared of how this level of surgery is being normalized,” added another user.
Image credits: HBO/Getty/Pascal Le Segretain
Meanwhile, some said they preferred watching UK productions, arguing that the plastic surgery trend is less prominent there than in Hollywood.
Others blamed social media for creating “copy-paste” actors, with one user writing, “Social media caused people’s insecurities to absolutely skyrocket.”
One user cited an SNL skit making fun of Aimee Lou Wood’s smile as an example of how the industry “can’t handle or accept real faces anymore.”
On Instagram, the British actress said the US comedy show “punched down” on her and suggested the sketch was “cheap.”
Image credits: Getty/Evan Agostini /Pascal Le Segretain
In recent years, fans have raised concerns over a number of actresses—many of whom were already considered beautiful—seemingly going under the knife to enhance their features.
For instance, following a recent appearance at Paris Fashion Week, some claimed Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence had “bought a new face” and now resembled Dakota Johnson, Ivanka Trump, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Jennifer has admitted to having a rhinoplasty (nose job) in the early 2010s but denied undergoing any other cosmetic procedures.
Many stars are believed to have undergone buccal fat removal, also known as cheek reduction
Image credits: Getty/Katy Winn/Dimitrios Kambouris
Many actresses have sparked speculation about undergoing buccal fat removal, a surgery that removes fat between the cheekbones and jaw bones to create a slimmer appearance.
As with any cosmetic procedure, buccal fat removal carries health risks. In this case, potential complications include infection at the incision site, injury to facial nerves or salivary ducts, numbness, and asymmetry, the Cleveland Clinic explains.
Among the actresses believed to have undergone the procedure are Sophie Turner, Demi Moore, and Cynthia Erivo. The Game of Thrones actress has denied the speculation, while Demi and Cynthia have not addressed the rumors.
Some actresses have openly admitted to undergoing cosmetic work, including Lindsay Lohan and Ariana Grande
@trainingforamazing I miss real faces on screen #beautystandards #plasticsurgery #feminist ♬ original sound – Faith
Some stars featured in the “modern” photo collage have openly admitted to cosmetic procedures, including Lindsay Lohan, who told Elle in May that she does Botox.
Similarly, Ariana Grande told Vanity Fair last year that she’s had “fillers in various places and Botox,” but said she stopped four years ago.
Ariana denied having a fox eye lift, a procedure that slightly lifts the outer corners of the eyes, saying, “No, but I discovered it through people who thought I did and I said, ‘Thank you.’’
The Wicked star suggested that plastic surgery shouldn’t be viewed as a cause for concern or speculation, but rather as a way to help boost people’s self-esteem.
“(I’m) also in full support of all people who do these things; whatever makes women, men, non-gender conforming people feel beautiful should be allowed. Why do we care?”
Viewers shared their thoughts on Faith’s theory that Hollywood actresses now all look identical
