By Jennifer McShane
27th Jul 2019
27th Jul 2019
The obsession with the royals has always been fever-pitched but Kensington Palace has publically had to deny that Kate Middleton has had botox. This is a step too far in the obsession with the Duchess of Cambridge, says Jennifer McShane
The ‘Kate Middleton effect’ still remains bemusing. If she wears it – it sells out. Her love of classic tailoring and the British high street means her style is constantly emulated. Similar to Princess Diana, she has the power to influence trends as well as setting her own. Critics will argue she plays it safe when it comes to fashion but she always looks comfortable. She wears the clothes (often re-wearing the same outfit more than once), they don’t wear her.
Understandably, there will always be public interest surrounding a woman in the royal family. Sometimes it’s positive but usually, depending on whether you’re Meghan or Kate, it’s largely negative. Is it because they are royals? Yes. But it’s also because they are women – and we know the obsession the world has when it comes to making a woman’s face, body, style and age the talking points.
It won’t just be harmless hearsay. Sometimes, it’ll be before-and-after photos with comments from a paid-off surgeon on the botox “she must have had” in-between having three children.
This is the reason that Kensington Palace has been forced to issue a rare statement about the Duchess of Cambridge, to shut down speculation that she got “baby Botox” following a plastic surgeon’s recent claims on social media. The comments sparked a frenzy of coverage, leaving the Palace to deny it ever occurred. The rumours are “categorically not true,” a palace rep said in a statement to The New York Post, adding, “The Royal Family never endorse commercial activity.”
No woman, royal or not, should have to see her face dissected by a stranger who will painstakingly point out the features she had supposedly changed.
Speculation that the duchess received the cosmetic treatment peaked when Munir Somji, the chief medical officer of the British Dr Medi Spa clinic, posted supposed before-and-after photos (which have since been removed) of Kate on Instagram. “Our Kate loves a bit of baby Botox,” he wrote in the lengthy caption. He also pointed out potential evidence of the procedure, like refined forehead lines and an elevated “lateral tail of the brow.”
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Dr. Medi Spa’s marketing manager, Sammy Curry, clarified to the Post that Somji’s post was meant to simply show the transformation baby Botox (Botox administered in lighter doses) could do for the face but there’s no denying that using her as a scapegoat for this treatment leaves her open to immense judgment and criticism.
Problematic
His statements are a prime example of how different hypocritical demands are placed on women to uphold a particular standard of beauty, while at the same time mocking them if they take steps to help this. This expert has no proof that Kate had any work done but what if she did? She’s one of the most scrutinised women in the world and fully aware of the expectations placed upon her when it comes to her physical appearance.
Never mind that the photos were likely edited and handpicked to reflect the ‘changes’ the surgeon pointed out.
Another issue is the press dedicated to the men in the royal family versus the women. Both Harry and William’s column inches largely veer towards praising their commitment to various charities and groups while the women are left to feud or subjected to racist commentary.
No woman, royal or not, should have to see her face dissected by a stranger who will painstakingly point out the features she had supposedly changed.
There’s the Kate Middleton effect and then there is taking it a step too far.
Related: Meghan Markle and the hypocritical media reporting of the royal family
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