CNN
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Isabelle Lux, a 32-year-old content creator from Palm Beach, Florida, said she was terrified as she sat in the chair and waited for her “Barbie Botox” — 40 units of neurotoxin injected into each trapezium, the muscle that holds her neck. She was looking to tone up her shoulders in preparation for her wedding, as well as get rid of some upper back pain. “I was thinking the whole time, ‘If it goes well, it’s going to be great and I can’t wait to share it (online).’ If this goes wrong, I better warn people. So I basically figured that whatever happens, I’m going to tell people.’ And God, I prayed it would go well.”
The procedure was originally devised to help release overworked trapezius muscles that could cause migraines and severe tension in the neck. Now, it is administered off-label to cosmetically reduce the size of the shoulders by elongating the neck. And it’s gaining ground on social media.
“When Botox is injected into a muscle, it stops the connection to the nerve,” Dr. Parisha Acharya, chief esthetician at London’s prestigious Waterhouse Young medical aesthetic clinic, told CNN in a telephone interview. “Over time it leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Indirectly, the muscle contracts.”
The ‘Barbie Botox’ hashtag currently has over 7 million views on TikTok, where MediSpas and clinics document their clients’ injection by adding pastel pink captions and glittery emojis. Lux’s video detailing her own experience with the treatment has now been viewed more than 250,000 times. She credits herself with coining the phrase. “It came out of the idea that you would look more like Barbie when you do it, which I don’t think is a bad thing,” she told CNN in a phone interview. It elongates the neck, slims the shoulders and creates a very slim physique when done correctly.
But if given incorrectly or in the wrong dose, Botox could completely paralyze the muscle, Dr. Acharya said. The neurotoxin can also occasionally migrate from the original injection site, weakening the nerve connections of other surrounding muscles. “And especially if it’s around the neck, that can be very important because it can affect your ability to hold your head properly.”
Lux – who was given the $1,200 treatment by an on-demand booking app for beauty services – was told to avoid carrying heavy backpacks, vigorous exercise and massages for at least 72 hours. “I was actually quite scared,” she said. “Once it (Botox) is in, there’s nothing you can do to reverse it. The first week I felt such real pain, tension and stiffness in my neck, shoulders and upper back. I was really, really worried.” Two months later, Lux said she feels “better than ever” and is already planning a follow-up session in the winter.
However, he insists that this is not a treatment to be taken lightly. “I think you should go to a surgeon or a doctor. If you can’t do it in the right place, I’d say it’s honestly not worth it.”
The sentiment was echoed by Dr. Acharya, who expressed concern about the ‘Barbie Botox’ trend on social media, especially as it attracts the attention of a much younger audience. “I think a medical procedure should be treated as a medical procedure. And in the UK, (the beauty industry) is not regulated. So, shockingly, anyone can get botulinum toxin injections. This could be a beautician or hairdresser with no clinical experience, no knowledge of anatomy. It really worries me.”
The global market for injectable facial products is predicted to more than double in the next decade, reaching $36.8 billion by 2032. According to a 2021 survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there has been a 54.4% increase in minimally invasive procedures such as Botox and fillers since 2017.
Lux argues that the aesthetic pursuit of doll-like features and thinness in general should not be condemned. Online, she has been called anti-feminist, insecure and even a “victim of the patriarchy,” by one commenter. “The desire to look a certain way has been seen for centuries as silly, a waste of time, a waste of money and pointless, especially for women,” she told CNN. “But when a man wants to look a certain way, it’s scientific, it’s cool. I think we should stop putting women down for things they care about, including looking a certain way if they want to. It’s not stupid. Like, it’s real.”
For Dr. Acharya, ‘Barbie Botox’ ironically clashes with the recently released film. (“Barbie” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which also owns CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery.) “It was very pro-feminist, and (women) were moving away from the sexuality of our bodies and thinking them as mere objects,” he said. “I don’t like the fact that this trend is using Barbie to say we should have thin necks. We have to embrace ourselves for who we are.”
