Kristin Cavallari is getting candid about the cosmetic procedures she’s had − and experts say more celebrities should follow her example.
During Tuesday’s episode of her podcast “Let’s be Honest with Kristin Cavallari,” the “Very Cavallari” star, 37, spoke with Dr. Jacob Unger, founder of Nashville Plastic Surgery Institute, about cosmetic procedures. During their conversation, Cavallari quipped that she “had my boobs done twice.”
On Instagram, someone commented on a clip of Cavallari making this statement, writing, “I thought she just got a breast lift?” Cavallari then responded to the commenter to clarify.
“I did both after breastfeeding,” Cavallari wrote. “Everyone acting like I lied about it when I never got asked specifically about implants themselves. I said in an interview YEARS ago that I had a lift (which, to me, felt like I was revealing more than I actually needed to) but I never once denied implants, ever.”
The Importance of Transparency in Cosmetic Procedures
Mental health experts previously told USA TODAY that transparency around celebrities’ cosmetic procedures is crucial. By speaking out and being honest about the changes they’ve made to their bodies, celebrities like Cavallari can help curb unrealistic beauty expectations and give fans a healthier view of body image.
More celebrities are talking about their cosmetic procedures, which experts say can benefit fans who often look to famous people as they analyze their own self-images. According to a 2014 study, those who “worship” celebrities may “harbor concerns about body image, be more prone to cosmetic surgery” and are more likely to struggle with their mental health.
Other big names who have opened up about their choices include Megan Fox, who revealed on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in March that she got her breasts done when she was 21 or 22 and then had them redone after breastfeeding her kids. She also said she had a procedure on her nose in her early 20s.
Kaley Cuoco has also been lauded for openly discussing her cosmetic surgeries, and Dolly Parton famously said “if something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I’ll tuck it, suck it or pluck it.” Courteney Cox admitted to “looking really strange with injections and doing stuff to my face that I would never do now,” and, in October, Sia revealed she got a facelift and then in December said she underwent liposuction. In a 2022 American Society of Plastic Surgeons article, Amy Schumer received praise for opening up about her liposuction after she had surgery to treat endometriosis.
Honesty from Celebrities Can Dismantle Unhealthy Beauty Norms
Experts agree plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures are nothing to be ashamed of and transparency from celebrities is critical to dismantling unhealthy beauty norms. Embracing such vulnerability reminds people, particularly young girls, they weren’t supposed to be born with the fuller lips or chiseled jaws they see in media.
When celebrities conceal they had work done, they risk deceiving people into thinking certain aesthetic features are obtainable naturally.
“Many celebrities look good naturally, but many also have work done. And when they’re not honest about it, I think they’re being unethical because they’re in the spotlight,” Dr. Daniel Barrett, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, previously told USA TODAY – unlike average people who can benefit from and take advantage of keeping their body alterations private.
“They… have a moral obligation to be transparent about anything they’ve had done that helps them achieve a certain look,” Barrett added.
Concealing Cosmetic Procedures Can Be Harmful
Concealing cosmetic procedures can have detrimental and long-lasting consequences on people’s mental and physical health, experts added. The pressure to be perfect can also contribute to disordered eating.
“The psychological pressure to meet societal beauty standards can be difficult to manage, especially because it can leave you feeling like you’re never good enough,” Naomi Torres-Mackie, a clinical psychologist and head of research at the Mental Health Coalition, previously told USA TODAY.
Torres-Mackie called these beauty comparisons “a rigged race that’s unwinnable,” adding it’s still the norm to “hide all imperfections at any cost” despite the push for body positivity. She also said admitting to cosmetic work “takes a certain level of vulnerability.”
“It’s a brave thing to do that could potentially help others,” she added.
Instead of shaming others, or ourselves, for what we look like, we should prioritize shifting the conversation around beauty and body image, Elizabeth Daniels, associate professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, previously told USA TODAY. “We should be encouraged to celebrate the differences and think about beauty more broadly. There is no one way to be beautiful.”
#KristinCavallari #CosmeticSurgery #Transparency #BodyPositivity #CelebrityNews