Chrissy Teigen Has Revealed Her Boob Job Scars and It’s A Timely Reminder That Plastic Surgery Shouldn’t Be Taken Lightly

Surgeons say plastic surgery bookings have increased five-fold...

Updated on20 07 2020

Chrissy Teigen has posted pictures of her post-surgery scars following her recent decision to have her boob implants removed.

The model, who is famously open about her life on social media, said she posted the pics because ‘no one believes’ that she had her implants taken out, as she revealed she was doing in May.

But while Teigen may have posted in a shout-out to the trolls she’s incessantly having to deal with, the pictures, one of which looks like it was taken during or soon after the surgery, are a reminder that when we talk flippantly about plastic surgery – often using euphemisms like ‘tweaks’ – we’re talking about well, surgery.

It’s a timely reminder as The Times yesterday reported people are ‘going crazy’ for cosmetic surgery – before they return to the office (so utilising the time when no-one knows what they’re doing), and prompted by having to stare at themselves endlessly on Zoom calls.

Cosmetic and plastic surgeon Gerard Lambe, a spokesman for the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said he’s seen a fivefold increase in bookings.

©@chrissyteigen

‘Many are extra keen to get booked in while they can work from home and recover without colleagues and wider family knowing they’ve had some work done. There will be a lot of people returning to work in the coming months looking mysteriously fresher, perkier and slimmer.’

While Teigen will likely not have posted her pictures for that reason, it might just act as a warning for some sitting at home, making those decisions. While the decision to have surgery is obviously personal and one that should be made without judgement, especially in the case of where it affects people’s mental health, if we’re entering a moment where people are making those decisions quickly and ‘going crazy’ with bookings, it could help. It’s easy to sit at home and stare at Instagram without any distractions (and reminders that there are many many things in life aside from the way you look) and become trapped in a mindset that plastic surgery is an easy fix to problems.

©@chrissyteigen

In fact, the reporting of surgery fluxes as a ‘trend’ in itself is to make light of things. Quite grossly – to my mind – the report added that as well as eyelifts, one of the things on the rise is ‘mummy makeovers’, which involve a breast lift, tummy tuck and liposuction and can cost up to £2,000. Again, if that’s something you think you need or want, that’s a personal decision. But the marketing around the ‘mummy makeover’ is just rank – the idea that women’s bodies need a little tidy up after birth. And that you might as well chuck all three major surgeries into one basket, like there’s a BOGOF on Boots Christmas giftsets. No thank you. That’s a level of women’s-body-hating-flippancy we shouldn’t be encouraging.

As Chrissy herself has posted, having surgery is a very personal decision. In May when she admitted she was going back under the knife, she said: ‘Hi hi! So I posted myself getting a covid test on the twitter, as I’m getting surgery soon. A lot of people are understandably curious (and nosey!) so I’ll just say it here: I’m getting my boobs out! They’ve been great to me for many years but I’m just over it. I’d like to be able to zip a dress in my size, lay on my belly with pure comfort! No biggie! So don’t worry about me! All good. I’ll still have boobs, they’ll just be pure fat. Which is all a tit is in the first place. A dumb, miraculous bag of fat.’

Now, this week she felt forced to acknowledge the public interest again, saying: ‘A few of my friends keep having to tell people that I really got my implants out because no one believes it. These are the scars.’ Then, posting the more graphic picture, she wrote: ‘Trust me lol.’

The picture showed cuts, lines, stitches. A realistic portrayal and reminder of what cutting open your body looks like. Funnily, in the marketing pages of the private surgeries up and down the country (the surgeries that want you to know that FIVE TIMES MORE WOMEN are rushing to them while you are at home minding your own business), you don’t see those pictures…