The Aesthetic Studio speaks out on extending sponsorships to bloggers.
Dr. Lee, are there more girls/women seeking sponsorships for aesthetic surgery in Singapore?
Dr. Jonathan Lee: Well, there have always been media personalities who sought support for aesthetic enhancements. But what we notice in recent times, is a different cohort of writers and bloggers who have a personal following, and these (mostly women), range in age from their 20s to their 40s. And they occasionally come forward asking for help with their aesthetic needs.
Why do you think they do it?
Dr. Jonathan Lee: I think they do it for a combination of reasons:
1. Most women will naturally have a personal interest in beauty, and its possible that this avenue affords them an opportunity to indulge this for less expense, but I think they also do it in order to:
2. Explore new ground for themselves and create authentic, interesting and if possible, novel content for their blogs and their readership.
3. I think they understand their own readership quite well, and this is probably going to be a subject that their readership too, will find engaging.
4. And I suppose because in Singapore, this issue of cosmetic enhancements is still somewhat topical and controversial, they do generate a fair amount of publicity when they write about these topics, especially if they are writing about their personal experiences.
Why do you agree to sponsor them?
Dr. Jonathan Lee: With regards to bloggers, they are more willing to write and share their personal experiences and this is a new but increasingly popular media platform. We ourselves are certainly very passionate about Aesthetics and we obviously want to share this. The medium is more intimate because the bloggers write about own personal experiences, and this can be potentially more educational if used appropriately.
I selectively sponsor them for several reasons:
1. There is already a clear and established interest in all things related to aesthetic medicine and what these procedures can offer so there is a definite need to disseminate accurate information.
2. These opportunities allow us educate and increase awareness about the cosmetic procedures and what they can do.
3. And also hopefully to dispel some of the myths surrounding these procedures, sometimes being clear about the limitations of what can be achieved. We want to give readers some insight into the factors they need to consider in making the right choices for themselves, alleviate some of the fears that future potential patients, friends and their families may have, surrounding these procedures.
4. To demonstrate that the appropriate procedures for the appropriate patient can in fact enrich their lives, and have very positive effect on their self-esteem and confidence.
5. We hope these more personal encounters and descriptions help to dispel some of the stigma that still surrounds this industry. (As we know, cosmetic enhancements have already come a long way in gaining acceptance in other countries like Japan, Korean and even China where they are considered a self-empowering choice).
What are the body image issues that girls/women have today?
Dr. Jonathan Lee: These haven’t changed over the years. Women still want to be slim with curves in the right places, and they may want to improve their facial features, and appear youthful and blemish free.
What is the ideal body/look they want?
Dr. Jonathan Lee: Many younger Asian women focus have more pleasing nose and eyes and chin, often they want a higher bridge, and a more defined tip, and this is sometimes further complimented by a more defined chin. They often ask of non-surgical contouring of a squarish jawline to give them a softer, heart-shaped frame to the face.
They want a slim pleasing body shape which may involve contouring the waist, hips, thighs and arms, and may be further improved by enhancing the cleavage or buttock fullness.
Dr. Jonathan Lee: I think we have to be responsible in this respect. We certainly wouldn’t encourage or support a patient who came to us for instance, who has obviously had one too many procedures, or someone who has unrealistic demands or other underlying psychological issues. Personally I support them when there’s an educational value and a potential for a positive lifestyle change.
We wouldn’t for instance support a woman with already large breasts who wanted to be larger or who already has an aesthetically pleasing nose that wanted something I felt wouldn’t suit her. With liposuction or body contouring procedures for example, we always communicate to them the need to be committed to a healthy active lifestyle and that such procedures are directed at selected patients for problematic areas that are unresponsive to diet and exercise.
I think that in many ways, to maintain a successful blog is in fact work. It requires a commitment to creating new and authentic content on a constant basis, and engaging their readership, and from that they then get their funding. Although it is relatively new platform, and the bloggers are often independent, I think they have to put in the hours and constantly improve their writing/their websites for them to be successful and get financial support from this. It is like their own little business.
The above article is a transcript of Dr. Jonathan Lee's interview with RazorTV pertaining to his agreement to sponsor a blogger on an aesthetic procedure.@ Copyright The Aesthetic Studio, Singapore. All Rights Reserved. The content of this blog may not be copied, transferred or used without written permission.
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