Nicole Montgomery, a registered nurse with more than twenty years of experience in the medical and aesthetic industries, is the co-founder of anybodi.com.au – Australia’s first and only online platform designed to educate, support, and empower cosmetic surgery consumers and promote qualified surgeons.
As a passionate advocate for cosmetic surgery consumers, Nicole is eager to share her knowledge with as many people as possible to prevent, rather than try to treat, the often irreversible mental, physical, and emotional damage of botched procedures.
We spoke with Nicole about the idea behind AnyBodi and if she thinks the pandemic has changed people’s mindset regarding cosmetic procedures, among other things.
Anybodi Aesthetics is Australia’s leading source of information on cosmetic treatments (surgical and non-surgical).
The one-stop site contains all the information that anyone who isn’t 100 percent happy with their appearance needs to know before undergoing any aesthetic procedure, whether a simple ‘facial’ or a total plastic surgery ‘makeover’.
Although the internet is full of websites promoting cosmetic treatments ranging from Botox to boob jobs and butt-lifts, a lot of the ‘information’ is confusing, inaccurate, out-of-date, or even deliberately misleading.
Anybodi Aesthetics is different. We are much more than just another beauty website. We don’t sell treatments, so we provide objective information on all the available options. Most importantly, we don’t minimise the risks or exaggerate the possible results with fake ‘before-and-afters’.
We help consumers choose the best treatment for their needs by providing accurate information.
After working in the aesthetic industry for over ten years, my co-founder Trish and I both wanted to work together to change the perception of ‘beauty’ and the aesthetics industry. We don’t believe that the increasingly obsessive portrayal and pursuit of unrealistic beauty ideals have benefited consumers or the industry, particularly in recent years.
We believe everyone should feel good about the way they look irrespective of their age, race, gender, shape, size, or any ‘flaws’, and we 100 percent encourage self-love and acceptance.
However, we also know that not everyone feels good about the way we look, so we created Anybodi Aesthetics to empower them to make any changes they need to feel more positive about their appearance.
I think many factors have led to the growth of the body positivity movement, including the growth and awareness of mental health issues, gender diversity, obesity, multiculturism, and social media usage.
It is obviously challenging to pinpoint the exact impact of individual factors. Still, I think deep down all of us know that our obsession with the beauty ideal (‘Barbie’) that many of us grew up with and which has since morphed into an even more unattainable ideal (inspired by Kim Kardashian and other influencers dramatically enhanced with surgery and filters) has not benefited anyone.
Despite our obsession and our never-ending attempts to fix our ‘flaws’, most of us remain dissatisfied with our appearances as the ‘beauty ideal’ we aim for is unrealistic. It is, therefore, remarkable that more and more of us are finally realising and celebrating the truth about beauty: there is no one single ‘ideal’ – beauty comes in many shapes, colours, and sizes.
Nonetheless, many of us still want to change or improve our physical appearance, and there is nothing wrong with that.
At Anybodi, we believe in self-love and acceptance. Still, we also think that people may want or need some cosmetic help to feel good or better about themselves, so we give them all the information they need to achieve the results they want.
There are no one-size-fits-all beauty ideals – and there are no one-size-fits-all beauty treatments.
I think one of the most common misconceptions is that aesthetic treatments are only for a specific type of person – usually a ‘rich white woman’ with nothing to worry about but her appearance.
Although this stereotype may have been based on a kernel of truth 20 years ago, today, all sorts of people enjoy the benefits of aesthetic treatments as the desire to look good is universal. Thanks to the dramatic growth in treatment (and funding) options, they are more accessible and affordable than ever before.
I think this increase in acceptance of cosmetic treatments and increased accessibility/affordability is wonderful. Everybody should be able to change or enhance their appearance in whatever way they want – a new haircut, a new outfit, or a new nose – without judgement!
Yes.
The move to working-from-home during the lockdowns, and now, as we adjust to ‘living with Covid’, has really increased the demand for all sorts of cosmetic procedures for three main reasons: the Zoom Boom, increased savings, and more available time to ‘recover’.
Spending so much time looking at ourselves on the screen during endless Zoom meetings caused many of us to see ourselves in a different (not so flattering) light as we really focus on all our imperfections (lines, jowls, and pigmentation, etc.).
This made many of us want to fix our flaws, and working-from-home gave (and is still giving) many of us the time and money we need to do so; we can use our enforced savings to pay for our treatments and (if required) recover in the privacy of our homes without taking any unpaid ‘leave’.
It has obviously been one of the very few upsides of the pandemic.
We plan to continue to grow Anybodi Aesthetics as we think it is essential to change the perception of beauty and the aesthetic industry. Trish and I have both had several cosmetic procedures and want others to enjoy their benefits.
We know that self-love AND cosmetic treatments are not mutually exclusive, but we also know that deciding to change or improve your appearance (even slightly) is rarely easy. We will therefore continue to use our personal and professional knowledge to empower everyday Australians to feel good about the skin they’re in.
If you made it this far, we are happy to see you are working on empowering yourself – just remember, research and constant learning are the most powerful tools out there, so go out there and make the most of it!
If you liked this article, you might like our feature about the biggest beauty trends of 2022.
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