In the early 2000's my mom and aunts plucked their eyebrows profusely. If your eyebrows weren't thin with a high arch, they were ugly. After years of maintaining the same look, the media suddenly decided to bring back thick eyebrows. By the time this shift occurred, it was too late. Their eyebrows will never grow back the same.
What happens when someone goes to extreme lengths such as plastic surgery to fit the trending look, just for it to change a few years later? This is not an uncommon scenario. The only way to avoid it, is self-awareness. Why do you want to change this about yourself? Is it because it will make a positive difference in your life physically/mentally? Or because you want to conform to the current beauty trend?
The beauty industry thrives on this constant desire for change. Every time a new standard is introduced, a product, procedure or service is being offered to help you achieve it. Features that were once criticized suddenly become desirable, while those that were previously celebrated are now considered flaws. It creates an endless cycle of people being encouraged to fix things about themselves that were never problems to begin with.
Social media has only made this issue more intense. We are constantly exposed to images of people who represent the ideal image, whatever that looks like at the time. What we often fail to recognize is how much of what we see is manipulated by lighting, editing, makeup and cosmetic procedures. Yet, these images alter how we view ourselves. The more inaccessible beauty becomes, the more profitable the industry grows. Insecurity is no longer an emotion, it has become a marketing strategy.
If your motive for changing something about yourself is entirely external and influenced by trends and standards, think twice. There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to change your appearance, but there is a difference between making a decision for yourself and making one because society has convinced you that you need to.