Yahoo Lifestyle "It Goes Against My Morals": 12 Celebrities Who've Spoken Out About Their Stance On Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic surgery is an individual choice. Over the years, it has helped many people feel more comfortable in their own skin, but sometimes, others may do it simply because they feel pressured into changing their looks by the press or social media.
This is a common occurrence in Hollywood, especially among women. Many famous women have been pressured to appear more youthful in an effort to lengthen their careers and increase the number of roles they are offered. Recently, however, there seems to be a trend with female celebs revealing their stance on plastic surgery and the reasons why they have chosen not to have it.
Here are 13 celebrity women who have publicly spoken about their decision to not undergo plastic surgery:
In 2022, the Beetlejuice star opened up to Entertainment Tonight Canada about her thoughts on aging, saying, “First of all, I’m lucky to be alive, so I don’t mind aging."
She continued to talk about her decision to never go under the knife (or needles, for that matter), “I’m a freak in that I’ve never had anything done to my face. I don’t want to get surgery and I don’t want to get needles, other than acupuncture needles. I believe we should embrace and respect age and love ourselves for it.”
2.Halle Berry:
In 2015, Berry spoke to Yahoo! Beauty about the pressure placed on women, especially those in the spotlight, to keep a youthful appearance through cosmetic surgery. The Die Another Day star stated, "It is pressure. When you see everybody around you doing it, you have those moments when you think, 'To stay alive in this business, do I need to do the same thing?'" She continued, "You know if you just did a little bit of this and that, lift this up, then this would be a little bit better.”
"It’s almost like crack that people are trying to push on you. That’s what I feel like. I just have kept reminding myself that beauty really is as beauty does, and it is not so much about my physical self. Aging is natural, and that’s going to happen to all of us. I think of those women that I thought aged so beautifully, like Lena Horne. Even how Jane Fonda is aging — I don’t know what she has or hasn’t done, but she looks beautiful as she’s going about her way. I just want to always look like myself, even if that’s an older version of myself. I think when you do too much of that cosmetic stuff, you become somebody else in a way."
During a November 2023 interview with People, Barrymore revealed her personal stance on plastic surgery (while stating that she has no criticisms for people who choose it), "I haven't done anything, and I'm going to maintain that as long as possible. I have zero judgment for anyone doing anything. But I don't see myself resorting to it." Laughing, she added, "And I look forward to seeing what I look like as a leather bag in the future!"
However, the 49-year-old also stated that her hesitation stems from a fear of becoming fixated on her looks, "I have a highly addictive personality, so I worry I'd continue to chase it, get this and that done. That scares me, just because of my own approach to things. So, I'm waiting on making any alterations."
In a 2023 interview with Allure, Theron spoke out about how seeing herself on billboards during her 20-year partnership with Dior has impacted her thoughts on aging, “My face is changing, and I love that my face is changing and aging. But, people think I had a facelift. They’re like, ‘What did she do to her face?’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I’m just aging! It doesn’t mean I got bad plastic surgery.' This is just what happens.”
She continued by pointing out the double standards that exist for men, not only in Hollywood but everywhere, “I’ve always had issues with the fact that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers. I despise that concept and I want to fight against it, but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them. I think we need to be a little bit more empathetic to how we all go through our journey. My journey of having to see my face on a billboard is quite funny now.”
5.Kate Winslet:
The Titanic star is famous for her body-positive approach to every project she appears in, but she voices her opinions off-set, as well. In 2011, she revealed to The Telegraph that she and friends, Emma Thompson and Rachel Weisz, were forming a British Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League.
“I will never give in," Winslet told the newspaper. "[Cosmetic surgery] goes against my morals, the way that my parents brought me up and what I consider to be natural beauty." She added, "I am an actress. I don’t want to freeze the expression of my face.”
6.Emma Thompson:
Speaking of Emma Thompson, the Love, Actually actor didn't hold back her opinions on plastic surgery during a 2014 interview with Hello Magazine: "It's mad. It's not a normal thing to do, and the culture that we've created that says it's normal is not normal. Why do people ask persons to cut them open and put things into their body? What is that, what are we doing to ourselves?"
The 65-year-old admitted that she is concerned about the effect cosmetic surgery will have on future generations: "It's chronically unhealthy, and there's this very serious side to all of that because we're going to end up with this sort of 'super-culture' that's going to suggest to young people, girls and boys, that this looks normal. And it's not normal."
7.Jodie Foster:
Foster has been publicly outspoken about her plastic surgery opinions since an interview with More magazine in 2007. "[Plastic surgery is] not my thing. I don't have anything against it for other people. Whatever they want to do, I'm fine with it. For me, it's really a self-image thing. Like, I'd rather have somebody go, 'Wow, that girl has a bad nose' than, 'Wow, that girl has a bad nose job.' I'd rather have a comment about who I am than about something that identifies me as being ashamed of who I am."
The Silence of the Lambs star has held firm to her beliefs, telling Interview magazine in November 2023, "Sixty was the best shift of all because I was struggling in my 50s. I was sort of like, 'Am I ever going to do anything meaningful again? Is this all there is?' There's that awkward phase where everybody who's in their late forties or fifties is very busy getting all plumped and shooting s--- into their face. I didn't want that life, but I also knew that I couldn't compete with my old self."
She continued, "Then something happened when I turned 60. I was like, 'I figured it out. This is good.' There was something about going back to the work with a different attitude, I think, about really enjoying supporting other people and saying to myself, 'This is not my time. I had my time. This is their time.'"
8.P!nk:
In 2020, pop icon P!nk shared a candid "note to self" through a series of tweets about why she “cannot get behind” plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. Writing, "Letter to self; Dear Me, you’re getting older. I see lines. Especially when you smile. Your nose is getting bigger ... You look (and feel) weird as you get used to this new reality. But your nose looks like your kids, and your face wrinkles where you laugh. And yeah you idiot ... u smoked."
However, the "TRUSTFALL" singer continued to list reasons for her stance, noting that she has considered cosmetic surgery in the past. "Continued note to self: Every once in a while you consider altering your face, and then you watch a show where you want to see what the person is feeling... and their face doesn’t move. I'm can’t get behind it. I just can’t."
"I want my children to know what I look like when I’m angry"
"I’m fortunate because I’ve never really depended on my looks. I’ve decided that my talent and my individuality is far more important than my face. So get on board cause I am about to AGE THE OL FASHIONED WAY (in a tutu ruling shit at 30 mph 100 ft in the air over 40) yasssssssss"
9.Justine Bateman:
The Family Ties star has long been outspoken about her beliefs regarding aging and remained steadfast in her decision to never undergo plastic surgery. In 2021, she told People, "I find it really wrong that women right now are absorbing this idea that their faces need to be fixed. I realized my face is only going to get older. So why not take care of whatever fear I have attached to that."
Bateman continued, "I think getting all this plastic surgery is just people-pleasing. You don't want people to criticize you anymore, so you appease them. The more you do that, the further away you get away from your true self. It doesn't work for me."
Two years later, during a 60 Minutes Australia segment, the 58-year-old addressed criticisms she has received about her appearance: "I needed to Google something to do a little research [for her first book] and remind myself of something that happened when I was famous. So, I put in my name, I Googled 'Justine Bateman,' and then the auto-complete came up, which was 'look old.' Looks old? And I was only 42 at the time....I couldn't see what they were talking about."
Pulling her skin taut to mimic a facelift, the actor and director added, "I feel like I would erase not only all my authority that I have now, but also, I like feeling that I am a different person now than I was when I was 20. I like looking in the mirror and seeing that evidence."
Finally, she added, "I just don't give a s---. I think I look rad. I think my face represents who I am. I like it."
10.Julianne Moore:
Although she had previously criticized Botox in a 2010 interview with Allure, Moore expanded on her thoughts about beauty standards in 2021 during an interview with As If Magazine. She spoke out against society's treatment of aging as "taboo" and her disdain for the term "aging gracefully."
“There's so much judgement inherent in the term ‘aging gracefully,’” said the May December actor. “Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don't have an option, of course. No one has an option about aging, so it's not a positive or a negative thing, it just is.”
“It's part of the human condition, so why are we always talking about it as if it is something that we have control over?” She questioned, “How do we continue to challenge ourselves, to interest ourselves, learn new things, be more helpful to other people, be the person that your friends and family need or want? How do we continue to evolve? How do we navigate life to have even deeper experiences? That should be what aging is about.”
She then recalled advice Helen Mirren gave her about aging, “Aging is a requirement of life: You either grow old or die young,”
11.Kate Beckinsale:
In a 2017 interview with the Times, Beckinsale discussed aging, insisting that it meant little to her. She said, “my family are generally on the younger-looking side. Even my dog is nine and looks like a puppy.”
Another reason behind her refusal to worry about aging is that her father suddenly died from a heart attack when he was only 31 years old. “I’ve been so aware of the possibility people can drop dead at any time … People started trying to worry me about turning 40 when I was turning 33. If you overload it like that, you’re going to make the person not give a shit," she stated.
When asked about cosmetic procedures, the Underworld actor claimed, “I haven’t had any! I’m not against people having it. [But] I do get pissed off. It’s sort of a given that I’ve had it, which I just literally haven’t."
"I’m frightened of paralysing my face. My mum’s voice is in my head, very loud, at all times. My mum wouldn’t even get a facial, she is suspicious of anything like that, and looks f***ing radiant and amazing. I know if I did do Botox, I’d be the one that would get the droopy eye, and my mum would go, ‘I f***ing told you! See? You should never do that.’"
"But I do like PRP, when they take your blood [plasma and reinject it into your skin]. That’s a real thing, from your own body. But not with scary poisonous things!”
12.Paulina Porizkova:
Porizkova has been transparent on social media about her approach to aging. In a 2023 Instagram post, she showcased her "face without fillers, Botox, or surgery."
The author and supermodel expanded on her thoughts in the caption, writing, "I have chosen not to put anything ‘into’ my face - but even with the fanciest creams and lasers that promise to restore some collagen- I am aging. Some days, I like it. I feel like my face has gained character even as it’s lost its youthful prettiness. And it seems a fair trade off. Other days, (and this is mostly only if I do a photoshoot), I have to gulp some self acceptance. I have changed."
She continued, "Fortunately, this change also means being wiser. And bolder. So I keep gulping self acceptance,"
"I won’t skip over the obvious- that there is a love in my life who finds me beautiful, and tells me so with words and actions every day — and this is really the only one I NEED to hear — But! I was on the same path before meeting him. I wanted to be able to accept myself as I am. And needed to know that those who love me - love me for the truth of who I am rather than who I pretend to be or who I’m expected to be."
"Outside, I have changed. I’m told by society - for the worse. Inside, I have also changed. I’m told by those who matter- for the better. When I close my eyes, I have never felt so desirable or beautiful,"
"When I open them, the world has never been as beautiful as it is now. So another gulp of self acceptance. Maybe, one day I can just look and see myself as I see others," she concluded.
