Danielle, now 37, once enjoyed a successful modeling career and received ample positive attention from men, but her self-esteem took a hit during a two-year period of unemployment that led to financial struggles. Reflecting on her situation, she remarked, “It was easy to wonder if I was prettier, if some of my features were different, would that help?”
Her curiosity was piqued when she encountered TikTok videos promoting a facial analysis service that promised “science-backed” advice for enhancing her appearance. Without a second thought, she invested $330 in the service, sending in selfies for evaluation. Subsequently, she received a detailed 30-page report from the company Qoves.
The analysis scored various aspects of her appearance, including the shape of her ears and the femininity of her features. It suggested a range of cosmetic procedures, such as rhinoplasty, lower blepharoplasty, canthopexy, chin implants, and malarplasty, along with non-surgical options like microblading, lash enhancements, and various fillers and Botox treatments.
Currently employed in the tech industry in Colorado, Danielle has postponed any surgical enhancements until she can pay off her credit card debt accrued during her unemployment. Once her finances stabilize, she is considering traveling to Mexico for surgery on her nose and eyelids and has recently sought advice from a Botox and filler practitioner.
Qoves asserts that individuals deemed attractive receive preferential treatment across various sectors, from healthcare to legal settings, and are more likely to secure jobs and higher salaries. This notion is supported by research indicating that attractive people are often perceived as more intelligent and sociable compared to their less conventionally attractive peers, which Danielle found compelling. “It gave me motivation that I didn’t have before, seeing it as potentially enhancing my career and financial stability,” she explained.
The popularity of plastic surgery and non-invasive cosmetic procedures like Botox has surged over the past twenty years, with social media amplifying the obsession with curated beauty. This trend has given rise to “looksmaxxing” influencers who advocate for extreme measures to enhance physical appearance, often framing their messages in scientific language and self-improvement terms. Lookmaxxing advocates suggest that beauty can be quantified, urging individuals to analyze and score their features to achieve what is termed “facial harmony,” or an ideal balance among facial features.
A variety of facial analysis services have emerged, leveraging the looksmaxxing trend and catering to individuals’ insecurities under the pretense of helping them reach their fullest potential. Qoves, the service utilized by Danielle, references peer-reviewed studies to bolster its claims about quantifiable beauty. It offers analyses for both men and women, providing nonsurgical recommendations for $150 and surgical suggestions for an additional $180. More affordable options, like Facemaxify and Epica, utilize artificial intelligence to evaluate users’ facial features against a vague standard of facial harmony, often promoting costly procedures and subscription services. Epica, in particular, focuses on skin and makeup regimens for women, linking users to affiliate products.
Danielle expressed her belief that societal beauty standards are nearly unattainable without significant financial investment. She noted a decline in her self-esteem since joining TikTok, observing that many of the individuals she admired for their looks had undergone cosmetic surgery.
Océane, a 25-year-old from France, discovered Qoves through its popular beauty videos on YouTube, which boasts over one million subscribers. Self-image has always been a challenge for her, as she reflected on her upbringing where her parents frequently criticized her appearance. “My mom wanted to pay for a nose job for me when I turned 18,” she recalled, adding that she faced bullying at school for her nose.
Océane paid an extra $80 for expedited delivery and received her Qoves analysis within two days. The report brought her relief by indicating that no changes were needed for her nose, simply confirming her existing perceptions of her flaws.
Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt, a psychology professor at the University of Ottawa and one of the experts cited by Qoves, raised concerns about the detrimental effects such facial analysis services may have on individuals’ self-esteem. “Women are particularly sensitive about their appearance,” she noted. While some may receive positive reinforcement from the analysis, she questioned the long-term sustainability of such validation. “Can a service that emphasizes looks as a measure of self-worth provide lasting contentment, or does it simply reinforce a cycle of self-criticism?”
Additionally, while Qoves and Epica target users aged 18 and older, the age restrictions are easily circumvented by minors. Users are expected to self-report their body image concerns, but there are minimal safeguards in place to prevent individuals with body dysmorphic disorder from being exposed to a critique of their appearance. “It’s simple to bypass those restrictions, which merely give the illusion of diligence in protecting vulnerable individuals, yet they are ultimately taking advantage of them,” Vaillancourt remarked.
