Kristin Cavallari has spoken openly about the cosmetic surgery she's had, and experts say more celebrities should follow her example.
During Tuesday's episode of the “Let's be Honest with Kristin Cavallari” podcast, the “Very Cavallari” star, 37, spoke about cosmetic surgery with Dr. Jacob Unger, founder of the Nashville Institute of Cosmetic Surgery. During the conversation, Cavallari joked that she's had “two breast implants.”
On Instagram, someone commented on a video of Cavallari making the statement, writing, “I thought she just got breast implants,” after which Cavallari responded to the comment with an explanation.
“I did both after breastfeeding,” Cavallari says, “and people were acting like I lied, even though they had never asked me specifically about the implants themselves. I said I had a lift in an interview years ago (which, to me, felt like more of a reveal than necessary), but I never denied having implants.”
Mental health experts previously told USA Today that transparency around celebrity cosmetic surgery is crucial: By being vocal and honest about the changes they've made to their bodies, celebrities like Cavallari can curb unrealistic beauty expectations and promote healthier body image for their fans.
Why Celebrities Should Be Open About Plastic Surgery
As more celebrities talk about plastic surgery, experts say it benefits fans who often use celebrities as a guide to analyze their own image. A 2014 study found that people who “worship” celebrities may be “more likely to have body image concerns and undergo cosmetic surgery” and may also be more likely to suffer from mental health issues.
Other celebrities who have spoken openly about their choices include Megan Fox, who revealed on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in March that she got breast implants when she was 21 or 22, then had them redone after breastfeeding her children. She also said she had a nose job in her early 20s.
Kaley Cuoco has also been praised for speaking openly about her cosmetic surgery, with Dolly Parton famously stating, “If anything's loose or sagging or dragging, I'll pull it in, suck it out or pull it out.” Courteney Cox admitted, “I used to get injections and do things to my face that I would never do now, and it made me look really weird,” while Sia revealed she had a facelift in October and liposuction in December. In a 2022 article for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Amy Schumer was praised for speaking openly about liposuction after undergoing surgery to treat endometriosis.
more:Megan Fox has spoken honestly about her plastic surgery, and more stars should do the same
Experts agree that plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures are nothing to be ashamed of, and celebrity transparency is key to breaking down unhealthy beauty standards. Embracing such vulnerability reminds people, especially young girls, that they weren't supposed to be born with the full lips and chiseled chins they see in the media.
When celebrities hide the fact that they have had plastic surgery, they risk making people believe that certain aesthetic features are naturally achieved.
“A lot of celebrities are naturally beautiful, but they also have plastic surgery, and I think if they're not honest about it, they're acting unethically while in the spotlight,” Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Barrett previously told USA Today , rather than keeping their body modifications secret so the public can benefit and take advantage of them.
“They have a moral obligation to be transparent about everything they've done to achieve a particular look,” Barrett added.
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Misleading the public about plastic surgery could cause problems
Experts added that hiding cosmetic surgery can have harmful long-term effects on people's mental and physical health, and the pressure to be perfect can also contribute to eating disorders.
“The psychological pressure to meet societal beauty standards can be difficult to deal with, especially since it can make you feel like you'll never be good enough,” Naomi Torres-McKee, a clinical psychologist and research director at the Mental Health Alliance, previously told USA Today.
Torres-McKee called such beauty comparisons “an unfair competition that you can't win”, adding that despite voices promoting body positivity, it's still common to “hide your flaws at all costs” and that admitting to having plastic surgery “requires a certain level of vulnerability”.
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“This is a courageous act that could potentially help others,” she added.
Instead of criticizing others or ourselves for our appearances, we should prioritize reorienting the conversation around beauty and body image, Elizabeth Daniels, an associate professor of developmental psychology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, previously told USA Today: “We should be celebrating differences and encouraging people to think more broadly about beauty. There's more than one way to be beautiful.”
Contributors: Katie Camero, Morgan Hines, Jenna Liu