Coming

The Battle of the Celebrity Spokespeople

Brooke Shields. Christie Brinkley. Drew Barrymore. Paula Abdul. Viola Davis. No, this is not the credits for a new must-see Netflix series. These are the latest celebrity spokespeople for aesthetics companies.

Today’s companies are reaching for the stars (and landing them) in efforts to differentiate their technologies from the competition and get their messaging heard. The women above are the faces of WarmSculpting (formerly SculpSure), Merz Aesthetics’ Ultherapy and Xeomin, BTL’s Emsculpt, InMode’s BodyTite and FaceTite technologies, and L’Oréal Paris, respectively.

Other companies will likely follow suit as real celebs may be the key to publicity and profits. Ms. Davis graced the cover of a recent People Magazine, and media reports suggest that shares of the newly public InMode surged after they named Ms. Abdul as brand ambassador.

Most of these celebs are women of a certain age. They have established careers (and the awards to prove it) and have experienced very public ups and downs in their personal and professional lives. And this is what makes them oh-so-appealing to a certain generation of aesthetic patients—namely those who know that nothing gets between Brooke and her Calvins, that Ms. Brinkley is the original Uptown Girl, and Drew Barrymore looks really cute in pigtails.

Some of this star power and history may be lost on the millennials, but that’s neither here nor there.

Going

Your last Insta Post?

Facebook, parent company of Instagram, is tightening restrictions on posts related to diet products and cosmetic surgery. The social media titans will ban posts promoting dubious weight loss products that are linked to a commercial offer and restrict users who are under 18 from viewing content that promotes the use of certain weight loss products and cosmetic procedures.

These changes are a big win for the body positivity movement. False promises of miraculous weight loss claims and celebrity emulation bait can have damaging effects on the psyches of people of all ages, and the young are especially vulnerable to this messaging. “Selfie-consciousness” has already led to a rise in cosmetic surgery interest among teens. It’s my hope that these changes may help mitigate some of the damage.

Don’t get caught in the fall out. Make sure your social media manager is up to date on these changes and that all of your posts—and messages—are appropriate and educational.