Looking around the ornately decorated room at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel, several things were clear about the extraordinary congresswomen, prominent political wives and other important female political figures who were being honored at a recent political event — their strength, their poise and the fact none of them had wrinkles.

With all these influential women undergoing face lifts, Botox and chemical peels to look perfect for the public eye, it sends the message to young women that they must also look perfect to be prominent or successful.

Ironically, many of these women continue preach about loving one self then go under the knife to fix minor flaws. Ultimately, they are no better than the next reality attention-seeking reality TV star.

If teenage girls do not have role models who are proponents of realistic and natural beauty, they will never be able to develop confidence in themselves. Teens begin to question their own beauty when they see some of the most visible women in the country changing themselves to become “perfect.”

The glamorous connotations of plastic surgery are unrealistic, as cosmetic surgery comes with the risk serious side-effects or complications. Plastic surgery is often portrayed as a simple procedure, but it is actually major surgery that requires a long recovery period and results in serious pain.

Nose jobs, or rhinoplasty, can take up to one year for a full recovery. Common side effects are lack of sleep due to pain, swelling around the nose and eyes, and a stiff upper lip, which can take weeks or months to heal.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a cliche heard often, but never less true. When successful women feel the pressure to conform to society standards of beauty, it becomes nearly impossible for teenagers to find any hope in their own beauty.

Plastic surgery will never solve internal self-esteem issues, and ultimately those are the aspects of a person that will remain after beauty fades. It is time for successful females to accept themselves for who they are and become real role-models for the women of the future.