Becoming a modern day Barbie & Ken could set you back $80k

The countdown has begun for the highly anticipated release of ‘Barbie’ (July 21st 2023), a movie dedicated to a doll that has become one of the most influential figures in the beauty and fashion industry since its launch in 1959. With 100 dolls sold every minute¹, Barbie continues to enter children’s homes and children’s hearts, and remains the pin-up perfect role model. 

In response to this, our research team has created a list of the most enviable celebrity body parts, to determine what the plastic perfect pair – Barbie and Ken – would look like today. 

We analyzed search traffic data² to determine which celebrity body part was most favorable amongst the public, ranging from Shawn Mendes’ hair, to Megan Fox’s feet, and paired that research with the price of related cosmetic procedures. The estimated surgery cost for both Barbie and Ken, would equate to $80k – that’s one expensive couple!

KEN

Recent statistics suggest that America isn’t short of potential candidates looking to become ‘plastic fantastic’, in 2021 the number of people opting for surgery increased by 54%, while non-surgical procedures were also up 44% from the year before³. More significantly, the number of facial procedures doubled (+55%), which won’t be a shock to those who began working from home, becoming all too aware and self-critical of their faces over video call. In fact, the customer base of Zoom grew by a mammoth 470% in 2021 alone⁴.

Famous faces have always played a role in influencing the way we look, but today access to celebrity selfies and the latest trends are available at just the touch of a button. Worldwide, social media usage has increased by 13%⁵ since the start of 2020, meaning that more and more people are being exposed to, and influenced by celebrities. Looking at our list of celebrities, the infamous Kylie Jenner is the most followed female on Instagram, with an impressive 359 million followers⁶, and receives 26,000 google searches every month for her luscious lips. Coincidentally, there has been an 84.2% increase in the use of dermal filler in women over the past five years. In 2020 there were 48,688 dermal filler procedures performed in the U.S alone, that’s roughly one procedure every 11 minutes⁷.

Surgery may seem like a fast and promising way to achieve results that turn you into your favorite celebrity, but it’s important to remember you are putting yourself at risk of complications. However, if you find yourself in the event of medical malpractice, we want to highlight that 75% of all cases will result in no payment⁸. That being said, if there is indication that someone has breached a legal duty of care, we’d recommend seeking legal advice. Depending upon the severity and the location of the injury, you can claim compensation for injuries such as physical and psychological injuries, costs of correcting faulty cosmetic surgery, and extended cost of care.

Andy Gillin, Managing Partner of GJEL, said:

“Barbie has been around for decades, and her long reign in popularity among children and adults alike means she, together with her counterpart Ken, will forever be iconic. However, in a modern world revolving around social media and celebrities online, the shift in beauty standards is forever changing, which means achieving ‘perfection’ will often involve surgical intervention.

“It’s important to note that in the case of medical negligence, although you are entitled to compensation for the long-term effects on both your physically, and mentally, it’s not always guaranteed. 

“We hope to highlight that although surgery may seem like a quick fix for people wishing to alter their appearance, we recommend that you fully vet potential surgeons and their credentials before agreeing to any surgeries, to prevent often avoidable complications.”

REFERENCES:
¹www.barbiemedia.com

²https://ahrefs.com/

³https://cdn.theaestheticsociety.org/media/statistics/2021-TheAestheticSocietyStatistics.pdf
⁴https://backlinko.com/zoom-users

⁵https://www.avocadosocial.com/the-uk-social-media-statistics-for-2021/#:~:text=There%20are%20now%20an%20estimated,%25%2C%20or%20490%20million%20users.

⁶https://www.instagram.com/kyliejenner/?hl=en

⁷https://www.isaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ISAPS-Global-Survey_2020.pdf

⁸https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33370072

Andy Gillin

Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Andy is a highly recognized wrongful death lawyer in California.