In a celebrity world full of Botox-frozen faces, preternaturally perky breasts, and noses that have seen more than one permutation, a few actresses from across the pond are just saying “no” to plastic surgery.
In an interview with the U.K. media, Kate Winslet recently took a stance against getting a nip/tuck, saying that cosmetic surgery “goes against [her] morals.”
“I will never give in,” said Winslet, 35.
Winslet, famous for her curvy, womanly physique, argued that she was raised to appreciate “natural beauty” and doesn’t want, as an actress, to have cosmetic surgery or botox “freeze the expression” of her face.
Winslet isn’t the only Brit speaking out against going under the knife. Fellow Oscar-winning actresses Rachel Weisz, 41, and Emma Thompson, 52, also oppose cosmetic surgery.
“We’re in this awful youth-driven thing now where everybody needs to look 30 at 60. I’m not fiddling about with myself,” Thompson reportedly told the U.K. media.
Weisz reportedly noted that people who look “too perfect don’t look sexy or particularly beautiful.”
Are these comments markers of a mounting anti-cosmetic surgery movement? One look at the red carpet would suggest no, though Us magazine speculated that Winslet is starting an “anti-cosmetic surgery league” with other U.K. actresses.
Cosmetic Procedures Gone Wrong Watch Video
How might plastic surgeons take such a movement?
“Plastic surgery is a very individualized decision and everyone needs to do what makes them feel comfortable, but I don’t think that decision should be influenced by a few actresses who may not feel that cosmetic surgery is right for them,” said Dr. Stephen Greenberg, director of New York’s Premier Center for Plastic Surgery.
Greenberg agreed that celebrities are certainly under “additional pressure to look better, just like they feel additional pressure to lose weight and have a better figure,” but he doesn’t find anything wrong with people wanting to undergo “relatively simple procedures” to make themselves feel better about the way they look.
“Our society looks to celebrities to look good, to emulate what other people want to look like,” Greenberg said. “Obviously, plastic surgery is not for these particular celebrities, but they shouldn’t try to tell other people that it’s not the right thing to do for them, whether they are fellow actresses or the person next door.”
Plastic Surgeons Respond to Surgery Backlash
Plastic surgeons agree that faces frozen by Botox or pulled into unnatural face lifts are not doing anyone any favors, but cosmetic procedures done with finesse and skill are nothing to shy away from, many argue.
Dr. Rhoda Narins, director of the Dermatology Surgery and Laser Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, said that the “biggest problem today is people who are overdone.”
“You can do Botox with skill so you have as much facial movement as you want but have the benefit of looking better,” she said in response to Winslet’s criticism that actresses using Botox don’t have enough facial movement to perform their craft.
Given the need to look one’s best in the movie industry and others, Narins said, the “truth is, as soon as these actresses don’t get jobs because they look too old,” they may start opting for cosmetic procedures.
Dr. Julius Few, director of the Few Institute for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Chicago, also backed an “everything in moderation” approach to getting work done.
“Unfortunately, there are circumstances where people in the public eye may go too far, like in the case of Heidi Montag,” he said, but this is no reason to condemn cosmetic surgery entirely.
“Good plastic surgery is about addressing a specific issue for the individual and for them alone,” he said. “It shouldn’t be for anyone else, and moderation is key. I have celebrities in my practice, and I would argue that you wouldn’t be able to tell they’ve had anything done.”
