Over the course of the 2010s (that’s what we’re calling them, right?) the plastic surgery conversation shifted—what was once discussed in shameful, hushed whispers suddenly became Instagram caption fodder. A-list celebrities and reality stars alike started owning up to their cosmetic work, helping to normalize public perception of injectables and surgical procedures and giving us hope that the stigma associated with the industry might be nonexistent another 10 years from now.
Here are the 12 biggest pop culture aesthetics moments that defined the decade.
1. Heidi Montag undergoes multiple procedures (2010)
In 2010, The Hills star Heidi Montag was a rich and famous 23-year-old. She made headlines when she got 10 plastic surgery procedures done in a single day, radically altering her appearance. The full list of surgeries she got in one go: fat injections in cheeks, nasolabial folds, and lips; chin reduction; neck liposuction; ears pinned back; mini brow lift; Botox; revision rhinoplasty and breast augmentation revision (she got her first nose job and breast augmentation in 2007); liposuction on waist, hips, inner and outer thighs; buttock augmentation.
“For the past three years, I’ve thought about what to have done,” she told People in a cover story that ran at the time. “I am absolutely beyond obsessed.”
Today, she says she has a new perspective on plastic surgery. “I was way too young to make such a life-changing decision and was under so much pressure because it was the beginning of comment sections and negativity and hate on the internet,” she told Cosmopolitan in July 2019. “I was just really self-involved at the time—like so many young people—but I was also on TV, where every perceived flaw is amplified. I think I looked in the mirror a little too much. I wish I had waited and not made a decision so young, because I have long-term health complications…. Obviously, it’s your body and I’m not against plastic surgery, but everyone always shows you the before and after pics. They don’t show you how devastating the recovery is. I don’t regret a lot of my enhancement, but plastic surgery isn’t something that should be glorified. Take it seriously.”
2. Kim Kardashian gets a butt X-ray (2011)
You can’t discuss the past decade in plastic surgery without acknowledging the effect the Kardashians have had on the industry. In particular, Kim’s butt. Her famous posterior has been at the center of many debates, and for a time, many speculated she’d enhanced it with implants. On a 2011 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim decided to put that rumor to rest by getting an X-ray. “My sisters have dared me to get a butt X-ray,” she tells the doctor. “I really just want to get [it] so I can show the whole world.” The verdict: no implants.
Related: Will Instagram’s New “Cosmetic Surgery Ban” Actually Change Anything?
3. Botched premieres (2014)
Plastic surgery in the 2010s was such a big part of the cultural conversation that E! decided to launch a reality show about the industry. Botched premiered in June 2014 and is now in its sixth season. The show follows board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif as they consult with and operate on those who have gone to extreme lengths in pursuit of their aesthetic goals or who need severe revisions. Former supermodel Janice Dickinson, Tiffany “New York” Pollard, Teen Mom’s Farrah Abraham, and actress Nicole Eggert are among the many celebrities who have appeared on the show.
“In a culture fixated on looks, I think we are equally fascinated by stories of both good and terrible plastic surgery,” Jeff Olde, former executive VP of programming and development at E!, told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “As more and more people endure multiple procedures for that perfect look, all too often the outcome can be a nightmare. But with the help of two of the best doctors in the field, Botched will offer them a second chance at beauty.”
4. Did Renée Zellweger get a facelift? (2014)
In 2014, Renée Zellweger walked her first red carpet in years—and her appearance caused quite the stir, with many noting that she looked unrecognizable. For a moment in time, the pop culture conversation revolved around one actress’s face; The New York Times even wrote a piece titled “Why The Strong Reaction to Renée Zellweger’s Face?”
In 2016, after critic Owen Gleiberman wrote a Variety story with the headline “Renee Zellweger: If She No Longer Looks Like Herself, Has She Become a Different Actress?”, the actress addressed the speculation in an op-ed for Huff Post.
“Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I did not make a decision to alter my face and have surgery on my eyes,” Zellweger wrote. “This fact is of no true import to anyone at all, but that the possibility alone was discussed among respected journalists and became a public conversation is a disconcerting illustration of news/entertainment confusion and society’s fixation on physicality.… Maybe we could talk more about our many true societal challenges and how we can do better.”
5. Kylie Jenner admits to having lip filler (2015)
Kylie Jenner, the youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner family, has built a billion-dollar empire partly on the illusion of full lips. Though it was long believed that the Kylie Cosmetics founder had enhanced her own with filler, she denied having anything done until 2015, when she revealed the secret on an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. “I have temporary lip fillers, it’s just an insecurity of mine, and it’s what I wanted to do,” she said. Jenner was 17 at the time.
On a 2017 episode of her spinoff show, Life of Kylie, she provided even more details. “I was 15, and I was insecure about my lips. I have really small lips. And it was, like, one of my first kisses and a guy was like, ‘I didn’t think you would be a good kisser because you have such small lips.’” she explained. “But I took that really hard. Just when a guy you like says that, I don’t know, it just really affected me. I just didn’t feel desirable or pretty. I really wanted bigger lips. I would overline my lips with lip liner, just to create the illusion of bigger lips. And then finally, I was like, ‘This lip liner isn’t doing it.’ [I] ended up getting my lips done.”
6. Caitlyn Jenner comes out as a trans woman (2015)
“For all intents and purposes, I am a woman,” Jenner told Diane Sawyer in a 20/20 interview. That was April 2015, and her revelation was followed by a two-part Keeping Up with the Kardashians special; a Vanity Fair cover story, in which she revealed her new name and a glamorous image; a reality show called I Am Cait; a memoir titled The Secrets of my Life; a collaboration with MAC Cosmetics; and honors from Glamour, TIME, the ESPYs and more. In January 2017, according to her book, Jenner underwent gender reassignment surgery and wrote that she “feels not only wonderful, but liberated.”
7. Ariel Winter discusses her breast reduction (2015)
Ariel Winter grew up in front of America, as a star on one of the most popular shows of the decade: Modern Family. In 2015, she opened up to Glamour about her decision to have her breasts reduced after suffering from back pain and having trouble finding flattering clothes that fit her chest.
“I got it for myself. I can’t even really put it into words about how amazing it feels to really feel right,” she said. “I also think there’s some good that can come from [telling] my story. It’s something that I did to better my life and better my health, and I think that that can benefit a lot of young girls. I have felt more happy with myself than I ever have.”
8. Jane Fonda calls Megyn Kelly out for asking about her plastic surgery (2017)
During her short tenure as host of Megyn Kelly Today, Kelly found herself in the middle of more than one controversy; but the day Jane Fonda appeared on the show was particularly cringeworthy.
Here’s the 2017 exchange.
Kelly: “You’ve been an example to everyone in how to age beautifully and with strength and unapologetically. You admit you’ve had work done, which I think is to your credit. But you look amazing. I read that you said you’re not proud to admit you’ve had work done. Why not?”
Fonda: “We really want to talk about that right now?”
Kelly: “One of the things people think about you when they look at you is how amazing you look.”
Fonda gave a sort of nonanswer answer when Kelly said that people think about how great she looks when they see her: “Well, thanks. Good attitude, good posture, take care of myself.” She continued, “But let me tell you why I love this movie that we did, Our Souls at Night, rather than plastic surgery.”
9. Courteney Cox regrets her cosmetic treatments (2017)
Courteney Cox has one of the most famous faces in the world, especially since new generations have discovered Friends on Netflix. In 2017, she opened up to NewBeauty about the pressures of aging in Hollywood and the cosmetic enhancements she now regrets.
“I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I take much better care of myself now. But Hollywood—this business—makes it harder,” she said. “I grew up thinking that appearance was the most important thing. That’s kind of sad, because it got me in trouble. I was trying so hard to keep up, and I actually made things worse.”
“Well, what would end up happening is that you go to a doctor who would say, ‘You look great, but what would help is a little injection here or filler there.’ So you walk out and you don’t look so bad, and you think, ‘No one noticed—it’s good,’” Cox continued. “Then somebody tells you about another doctor: ‘This person’s amazing. They do this person who looks so natural.’ You meet them, and they say, ‘You should just do this.’ The next thing you know, you’re layered and layered and layered. You have no idea, because it’s gradual, until you go, ‘Oh sh-t, this doesn’t look right.’ And it’s worse in pictures than in real life. I have one friend who was like, ‘Whoa, no more!’ I thought, ‘I haven’t done anything in six months.’ I didn’t realize.”
She says she is now “as natural as can be” and has had all her fillers dissolved. “I’ve had to learn to embrace movement and realize that fillers are not my friend,” she said.
Related: What 10 Plastic Surgery Patients Would’ve Done Differently, Had They Known Then What They Know Now
10. Requests spike for Meghan Markle’s nose (2017–2018)
Over the course of the past decade, Meghan Markle went from a relatively unknown actress on USA’s Suits (which premiered in 2011) to lifestyle blogger (RIP The Tig) to Duchess of Sussex and one of the most famous and photographed women in the world, thanks to her marriage to Prince Harry.
One strange side effect of her newfound global fame is that her nose is now one of the most requested in plastic surgeons’ offices. “Patients started coming to me about six months ago, requesting Meghan Markle’s nose,” Dr. Stephen T. Greenberg, a Southampton, New York, board-certified plastic surgeon, told Allure in 2017, not long after Meghan and Harry announced their engagement. “She has a pretty great nose, but I think the beauty of it is that it isn’t perfect. From the profile, you can see that she has a very slight dorsal hump of the nose that is almost undetectable when looking at her straight on.”
11. Cardi B’s various complications (2018–2019)
There seems to be no topic that’s off-limits with the refreshingly candid Cardi B, including plastic surgery. In a 2018 story with GQ, she said she got $800 butt injections in a basement apartment in Queens. “They don’t numb your ass with anything,” she said. “It was the craziest pain ever. I felt like I was gonna pass out. I felt a little dizzy. And it leaks for, like, five days.”
This year, she had to cancel some shows due to complications from liposuction. “I have some news for y’all. I should have canceled today… I shouldn’t really be performing, because moving too much is gonna [expletive] up my lipo. But… I’m still gonna get my [expletive] money back, let’s go,” she said at a show in May, just before she had to miss a few dates. “Cardi was overzealous in getting back to work—she didn’t take the time necessary to fully recover from her surgery,” her rep said. “Her strenuous schedule has taken a toll on her body, and she has been given strict doctor’s orders to pull out of the rest of her performances in May.”
She later tweeted that she “ain’t getting surgery again.”
12. Reality TV gets real
Further proof that plastic surgery is no longer the taboo topic it once was is the prevalence of surgery-related story lines on shows like Vanderpump Rules, The Real Housewives franchise, and The Bachelor. Here are some of the most notable moments.
Vanderpump Rules
Jax Taylor: The SUR bartender’s multiple nose jobs have served as plot points across more than one season. Jax also went under the knife to excise gynecomastia, or enlarged male breast tissue, that he blamed on his use of supplements.
Brittany Cartwright: During her first season on the show, Jax famously bought his then girlfriend (the two have since married) breast implants. “We gave her as big as we could without being obnoxious or causing problems or being too big for her body,” her doctor, Beverly Hills, California, plastic surgeon Dr. Payman Danielpour, told People. “She just wanted it to be that when she put her bathing suit on, she had more cleavage and it looked like she had fuller breasts.”
Lala Kent: The hostess openly talks about her breast augmentation and other procedures. “I like my fillers, I like my Botox, I like anything to make me look froze as f*ck,” she once said.
Stassi Schroeder: WeHo’s queen bee publicly shared photos of the scars from her 2015 breast reduction surgery. “If we’re open and honest with each other about what it takes for us to feel good about ourselves, it’s only going to help everybody else,” Schroeder said. “It shouldn’t even be something to be questioned, it shouldn’t even be something that’s Photoshopped out, it shouldn’t be a question to show it or not to show it.” Stassi has also discussed her chin implant, which she says is “one of the best things” she’s ever done, and love for Botox.
Other cast members, including Scheana Shay and Kristen Doute, admit to using fillers and Botox.
The Real Housewives
From the OGs to the newbies, the women of this franchise (in every city) are all about that plastic surgery life. In fact, it’s basically a rite of passage to admit what they’ve had done to Andy Cohen during a reunion or Watch What Happens Live episode.
A number of past husbands (or ex-husbands) are actually plastic surgeons themselves, including Dr. Paul Nassif (formerly married to Adrienne Maloof, Beverly Hills), Dr. Terry Dubrow (Heather Dubrow, Orange County), and Dr. Leonard Hochstein (Lisa Hochstein, Miami). Dr. Bill Aydin appears on the current season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey with wife Jennifer, who recently got liposuction done by him.
Tamra Judge: The OC cast member showed everyone on Instagram her post-facelift look—and we don’t mean after the recovery period. “I’m getting an overwhelming amount of messages about my surgery. I thought I’d post some of your answers here,” she wrote in the caption. “My doctor’s name is Dr. Milind Ambe of Newport Beach, @milindambemd you’ve probably seen him on the show before. These pics were taking [sic] all within the first week. Yes, I was scared sh-tless! But I’ve seen Dr. Ambe’s work on my mom and knew I was in good hands. I wanted a very natural look, and it’s exactly what he’s known for. There was little pain and bruising involved (everyone is different) the hardest part for me was staying still for 2 weeks.”
Vicki Gunvalson: Never one to hold her tongue, Vicki told Us Weekly in 2018 of her decision to get a facelift, “I had a lot of fillers in my face, and I didn’t feel like it was me anymore. I had too many doctors, too many different times say, ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that, let’s fill here, let’s do Voluma, let’s do Sculptra,’ and by the time I was done, I looked in the mirror and was like, ‘I don’t even look like myself.’ Tamra kept telling me, ‘You need to do another facelift, your neck is getting old!’ And I’m like, ‘Wonderful.’ Tamra looks so good. She got hers done about a year ago. I kept asking Tamra, and she goes, ‘Yes! You need it, you need it!’”
Back in 2013, she did some reconstruction on her nose and had a chin implant, in part due to criticism of her appearance on the show.
Jennifer Aydin: The Jersey housewife isn’t shy about her liposuction results, which her husband gave her. She also had her breasts reduced and lifted and told Page Six in October, “I don’t miss those mushy, saggy melons at all.”
The Bachelor/Bachelorette
Bachelor contestants used to say that the only prep they did for the show involved lashes, spray tans, and gel manicures; but recently, more and more have revealed the cosmetic treatments that go into their TV appearance. “I think it’s good for girls who are Instagram influencers to be honest about what they do, because people are going to be out there asking, ‘How do they look so naturally good all the time?’—and that’s because it’s not natural. Be honest so people aren’t feeling bad about themselves,” Ashley Iaconetti told RealSelf.
Alexis Waters: The comedic relief of the Bachelor’s 21st season brought out boob-themed cakes on the show to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her breast augmentation, much to the delight of her cast members and Bachelor Nick Viall.
Amanda Stanton: The mom of two opened up about having a breast augmentation post-childbirth. “Once I had Kins and Char and breastfed them both for a year, [my breasts] were basically… gone,” she wrote on her blog at the time. “I did make this decision for myself, for my own body. When the time comes where I have to talk to my girls about this… I will always tell them they are beautiful, in every single way, but will also be mindful about being real with them and why I chose to do what I did.”
