According to the June 29 cover story of TIME Magazine, Nip. Tuck. Or Else. Why You’ll Be Getting Cosmetic Procedures Even if You Don’t Really Want To, “not having work done is now the new shame.” Ours is a time when plastic surgery is almost a given. Just look around you: last year, U.S. doctors performed over 15 million cosmetic procedures. This is a 13 percent increase from 2011 and over a 50 percent increase from 2005.

“Not having work done is now the new shame,” writes author Joel Stein. “Cosmetic surgery has become the new makeup.” Society’s acceptance of cosmetic improvements is at an all-time high, and it’s not just the procedures that require you to go under the knife- but facial injections and fat melting sessions. Why? “Not because you hate yourself, fear aging or are vain,” writes Stein. “You’re going to get a cosmetic procedure for the same reason you wear makeup: because every other woman is.”

Thanks to social media and smart phones, “everyone is always on the red carpet,” writes Stein. We also feel more comfortable with the idea of cosmetic enhancements. A 2014 MSN survey found that 62% approved of people who “had work done,” and another survey from last year, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery found that 52% are considering aesthetic treatments, up from 30% in 2013.

Consider these facts from the article: “In 19th century America, makeup was often sold under the counter because it was considered a tool of prostitution. In the 1930s, when hair dyeing was new, women got their color done in the basements of beauty parlors so no one would see them and continued to do so for decades after; now 75% of women dye their hair. And 15 years ago, getting your teeth whitened made you a tool; now dentists throw in free whitener in the goodie bag along with the floss and a toothbrush.”

Skin resurfacing, skin tightening, wrinkle treatments, brow lifts, elimination of double chins- thanks to medical and technological advances in procedures, combined with widespread knowledge and acceptance, looking your very best (surgical or not) is now easier, more affordable, and more accessible than ever. Maybe this is the reason why everyone is doing it?