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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nN<\/span>ews that Barry Keoghan is \u201chiding away\u201d due to relentless face trolling about his appearance \u2013 and it is making him reconsider his future in acting \u2013 is just the latest reminder that the playing field when it comes to beauty standards for men and women is levelling out. Some people might think it\u2019s about time that men are held to the same standards as women when it comes to their looks. I consider it more of an empty victory. <\/p>\nFollowing public scrutiny of Keoghan\u2019s changing facial looks \u2013 including new plumped-up lips while sitting in the front row of the Burberry show at London Fashion Week in February, and a noticeably new, defined jawline and fuller cheeks on show at the Peaky Blinders<\/em> premiere and at the Oscars, both a few weeks ago \u2013 he is struggling with the public criticism. The Oscar-nominated actor, 33, who is set to play Ringo Starr in the Sam Mendes Beatles biopic, told SiriusXM host Ben Harlum that the onslaught of online hate has left him to \u201creally go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside\u201d. <\/p>\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of abuse of how I look, and it\u2019s kind of past the point of, \u2018everyone goes through that,\u2019\u201d said the Saltburn<\/em> actor. <\/p>\n\n
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Barry Keoghan at the Burberry show in February (Reuters)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nMen in Hollywood getting fillers has become increasingly normal, and I am not judging them for their aesthetic choices, even if the cheek fillers risk creating the dreaded \u201cchipmunk cheeks\u201d. <\/p>\n
But what I cannot help but notice is that men like Keoghan, and Ryan Gosling \u2013 who was also noted for sporting a fuller face when he surprised Eva Mendes with an on-air celebration for her 52nd birthday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon<\/em> earlier this month \u2013 are all starting to look the same: more refreshed, angular, and \u201dchiselled\u201d, with more volume in the mid-face area \u2013 and often, added designer lips.<\/p>\nJust like Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway and Gwyneth Paltrow, who had similar looks as they debuted the \u201cnew Hollywood face\u201d at the Oscars \u2013 or Kris Jenner and Lauren Sanchez who looked indistinguishable at Vanity Fair<\/em>\u2019s Oscars party \u2013 these male stars also opt for a uniform, one size fits all tweakment protocol, that screams: \u201cWe all share the same plastic surgeon\/aesthetics doctor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n
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Ryan Gosling had a fuller face when he surprised Eva Mendes with an on-air celebration for her 52nd birthday on \u2018The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon\u2019 earlier this month (The Tonight Show\/NBC)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe overall effect looks less subtle for the men than it is for their female counterparts, partly because we are all so used to high-profile women having \u201ctweakments\u201d and partly because, when they do, they generally go for a more natural, \u201cless is more\u201d aesthetic. <\/p>\n
Indeed, when Jim Carrey, 64, attended the 51st Cesar Awards earlier this month with puffy cheeks and a pumped-up, rounder and softer midface, fans went as far as to suggest that he had sent a body double to collect the award. <\/p>\n
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Jim Carrey attended the 51st Cesar Awards earlier this month (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nDavid Beckham\u2019s \u201cswollen face\u201d on NBC\u2019s Today Show <\/em>in 2025 led to online speculation about potential overfilled cheeks. Simon Cowell admitted he had gone \u201ctoo far\u201d with facial fillers, and said that his son Eric had been \u201cin hysterics\u201d over photos of his dad\u2019s tweakments. <\/p>\nEven Daniel Craig appeared at the Baftas in 2018 looking noticeably different from before, with fans speculating that he\u2019d had Botox and\/or fillers. The designer Marc Jacobswas up front about getting a facelift over Instagram in 2021 with the caption \u201c#LiveLoveLift\u201d. <\/p>\n
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David Beckham on NBC\u2019s \u2018Today Show\u2019 in 2025 (NBC\/Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe trouble with \u201cBrotox\u201d \u2013 and other cosmetic procedures in men \u2013 is that it perpetuates the belief that youth is all that matters. That\u2019s obviously a lie that women have had to live with for decades \u2013 and a concept that is constantly drummed into us by the beauty and wellness industries. <\/p>\n
And, now, increasing numbers of men are turning to the needle for cosmetic assistance to look more youthful. According to research last year, 23 per cent of men in the UK between 18 and 34 have had either Botox, fillers or dental veneers compared with 21 per cent of women of the same age. And face and neck lifts surged 26 per cent among UK men between 2024 and 2025, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). <\/p>\n
Another influence might be the so-called manosphere, in which boys and young men are increasingly pursuing cosmetic surgery as a way to \u201clooksmax\u201d, which entails maximising one\u2019s own physical attractiveness, or as a way of \u201cmogging\u201d others by outshining them. All too often, it seems, this involves men physically altering their appearance to meet rigid, high-status masculine ideals.<\/p>\n
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Braden Peters, aka Clavicular, the internet\u2019s most famous \u2018looksmaxxer\u2019 (YouTube\/Clavicular)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe message being sent by some manosphere influencers is that \u201cbetter\u201d looks will help to achieve higher social status, romantic victories, and \u201csexual market value\u201d (SMV). These things are often prescribed by the internet\u2019s most famous \u201clooksmaxxer\u201d, Clavicular (real name Braden Peters), a 20-year-old who takes extreme measures to alter his looks using steroids, cosmetic surgery, and even taking a hammer to his jaw. <\/p>\n
One of the popular claims in the manosphere is that 80 per cent of women are only attracted to the top 20 per cent of men (the \u201c80\/20 rule\u201d). To move into the top tier to gain power, it seems that tweakments are being seen by many as an essential tool.<\/p>\n
Influencers such as HSTikkyTokky \u2013 whom Louis Theroux interviewed in his recent documentary \u2013 coach guys on how \u201cto be proper boys and not gimps that walk around in the modern world\u201d \u2013 and that includes looking 100 per cent fit as if you spend your life pumping weights.<\/p>\n
Male beauty standards now match women\u2019s. The trend is shaped by gym culture, constant online visibility through social media, high-definition photography, work video meetings, and a growing awareness of how subtle tweakments can boost confidence. <\/p>\n\n
\nThe manosphere claims that 80 per cent of women are only attracted to the top 20 per cent of men (the \u201880\/20 rule\u2019). To move into the top tier to gain power, tweakments are seen by many as an essential tool<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Underneath it all, though, is a deep pit of insecurity \u2013 and men who feel like they don\u2019t measure up. This is particularly dangerous in adolescents who are vulnerable to the \u201cteachings\u201d of the manosphere. <\/p>\n
But instead of booking in for Botox, perhaps it\u2019s time for men to let their inner vulnerability out, as Keoghan has in his expression of his struggles. Following the success of Saltburn<\/em>, Keoghan admitted to finding being in the spotlight suddenly \u201cscary\u201d and \u201coverwhelming\u201d, adding that it is a \u201cdifferent kind of life\u201d; one he is not used to. <\/p>\nThe pressure to look perfect is hard for anybody in the public eye. But cosmetic treatments are a slippery slope: a sharper jawline and trout pout won\u2019t really change anything, and the danger is that nothing will ever be \u201cenough\u201d. <\/p>\n
Men have succumbed to the pressure to have cosmetic surgery later than women. But perhaps a better approach is to do some inner work before reaching for the filler. After all, any meaningful happiness \u2013 and self-acceptance \u2013 comes from within. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more News that Barry Keoghan is \u201chiding away\u201d due to relentless face trolling about his appearance \u2013 and it is making him reconsider his future in acting \u2013 is just the latest reminder that the playing field when it comes to beauty standards for men and women is levelling out. Some people might think it\u2019s about time that men are held to the same standards as women when it comes to their looks. I consider it more of an empty victory. Following public scrutiny of Keoghan\u2019s changing facial looks \u2013 including new plumped-up lips while sitting in the front row of the Burberry show at London Fashion Week in February, and a noticeably new, defined jawline and fuller cheeks on show at the Peaky Blinders premiere and at the Oscars, both a few weeks ago \u2013 he is struggling with the public criticism. The Oscar-nominated actor, 33, who is set to play Ringo Starr in the Sam Mendes Beatles biopic, told SiriusXM host Ben Harlum that the onslaught of online hate has left him to \u201creally go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13821"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}