Why people are downsizing their breast augmentation to ‘ballerina boobs’

Another day, another unrealistic body standard

Here’s why more women desire seemingly undetectable results from breast augmentation, and why this shift towards more ‘natural’ results could actually inspire a whole new era of toxic body standards. 

Last month, Kylie Jenner, a celebrity who (along with her entire family) has arguably shaped society’s beauty standards, broke the internet by sharing the exact details of her ‘perfect’ breast augmentation after a TikTok creator posted a callout on the platform.

As expected, the internet went wild, with countless fans praising the 27-year-old beauty mogul for her transparency, something Jenner has openly struggled with in the past, having grown up under the spotlight of public scrutiny. 

But despite celebs and influencers like Jenner facilitating an increased awareness, openness and transparency surrounding cosmetic procedures, global stats reveal an uptick in patient requests for undetectable cosmetic enhancements.

Like most trends, this uptick represents a dangerous reality only possible in today’s world: ‘Natural’ beauty is in, but only a manufactured, cookie-cutter version of it. 

The latest trend, dubbed ‘ballerina boobs’, is no exception, with an increasing number of women seeking smaller, more ‘natural-looking’ breasts, shifting away from the ‘bigger is better’ breast augmentation mentality held in past decades. 

The rising demand for smaller, perkier cup sizes over an overtly augmented bust reflects many women’s desire to achieve a more toned, athletic physique, and according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, they’ll pay a pretty penny to go up even just one cup size.

Do 'ballerina boobs' promote natural beauty, or yet another impossible benchmark? Image: Pexels

So, what exactly are ballerina boobs? 

Inspired by the signature athletic and toned body types of professional ballerinas, the latest trend in cosmetic procedures reflects (once again) a major shift in society’s ideal body standard.  

Stuck somewhere between the waif-like, runway-ready body image ideals of the '90s and the voluptuous hourglass figures sported by Kardashians and influencers alike in the past decade, Ballerina boobs promote a new breed of thinness: athletic thinness.

Heavily influenced by the fitness industry and the promotion of active lifestyles, ‘Ballerina boobs’ (also referred to by some as ‘yoga boobs’) are designed to allow more flexible movement, support an active lifestyle and create a more subtle, ‘naturally contoured’ figure. 

Body standards are constantly changing. Image: iStock

The dark side of this ‘natural’ trend

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the popularity of this ‘idealisation of thinness with a vogue for fitness’ began to gain momentum in the wake of the global pandemic. 

But like most unattainable beauty standards, ballerina boobs reflect the growing presence of another impossible benchmark: We can and should be open about any cosmetic procedures and augmentations we’ve undergone, but to the naked eye, any such tweaks should be impossible to detect.

Despite being pitched as a shift towards promoting healthy, active lifestyles, we’re well and truly witnessing the renaissance of thinness (with a toned touch of fitness). 

Originally published as Why people are downsizing their breast augmentation to ‘ballerina boobs’