Well, we are firmly in the era of plastic surgery honesty. After decades of hush-hush neck lifts and boob job recovery in silence, followed by red carpet appearances where something looks just a little bit different, Hollywood is genuinely starting to change its tune. I'm certainly not the only one to notice that getting a facelift is becoming a flex (Kris Jenner even gave her friends a secret password to get an appointment with her physician, Dr. Stephen Levine). And celebrities—from Barbara Corcoran and Kylie Jenner to Martha Stewart—are becoming increasingly candid about their evolving appearances.
The latest to jump on board with transparency? Simone Biles. She kicked off her take on the whole let's-be-honest-about-plastic-surgery trend a few weeks back, sharing an Instagram video of her doing a flip on a trampoline with a caption that naturally got the aesthetic zeitgeist talking. "First flip in a year at the new house with new 🍒," she wrote. For inquiring minds: cherries are a shorthand emoji for boobies.
But this week, she's been stirring up even more conversation after posting a video to TikTok asking her followers to "guess" the three plastic surgery procedures she's had done. Her breast augmentation was already confirmed, but some sleuthing in the comment section revealed the additional two. "🍒, lower bleph because I had THE WORST eye bags & ear lobe—my earring got ripped out when I was little," she responded to a comment.
@simonebilesowens take your guesses 👀
♬ original sound - Simone Biles
An earlobe repair isn't the most dramatic procedure (it's actually quite common for those who wear heavy earrings) and only involves a few stitches. Plus, we already knew about the breast augmentation. I'm personally all for the fact that she's being honest about having a lower bleph in her 20s. (The TLDR: a surgeon makes a small incision under your eye to remove excess skin and reduce puffiness.)
The procedure is most common among more mature women, 55-69, according to the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons. This highlights the importance of empowering women to undergo procedures that help them feel like the most confident version of themselves. Not in an effort to fit societal standards (in fact, society is very embrace-your-tired-girl-aesthetic right now), but to just feel good—for yourself and nobody else. And while celebrities don't owe the public anything (your body, your choice to share information), there is something refreshing about peeling back the curtain.
I, for one, love the fact that Serena Williams shared that she's on a GLP-1. And how Ariana Grande shared she gets Botox, filler, and "that's it." My take: if it's going to make you feel good, it certainly shouldn't be shrouded in shame or hidden by silence. And on that note, I can't wait to see which celeb plays this little guessing game next.
