.png?ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&crop=top&auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Anastasia Karanikolaou, otherwise known as Stassie (or rather, Kylie Jenner’s best friend), has opened up about her plastic surgery on the Call Her Daddy podcast, telling host Alexandra Cooper that she is in the process of reversing much of the work she’s had done. Immediately trending online, the interview is now being interpreted as evidence of Kylie’s plastic surgery too.
Why? Well, this is the first time Stassie has actually confirmed she’s surgically altered her bum. While the 24-year-old is open about her numerous boob jobs and cosmetic filler, she stayed quiet about anything else she had done despite years of speculation that she either had bum implants or had undergone a Brazilian butt lift (BBL). For context, bum implants involve surgically inserting a silicone into the bum to increase volume, whereas a BBL uses liposuction to extract fat from other areas of the body – usually the stomach or thighs -and insert it into the buttocks. The BBL is said to achieve the most natural result, but it has the highest death toll of any cosmetic surgery procedure.
In the episode, when Alex asked about whether or not Stassie had bum implants, she had the following to say:
‘I have not had butt implants, the only implants I have are in my tits. I’m not saying I haven’t done other things or moved some things around… but I feel like I was at a point in my life when I was younger when I felt like my lips needed to be big, my boobs needed to be big, my butt needed to be big.’
While that’s certainly not confirmation that Stassie has had a BBL, listeners are now speculating that by stating she had ‘moved some things around’ she is referring to the fat transfer process involved in a BBL. And that’s not the only assumption. Popular Instagram account Problematic Fame posted the interview on IG Stories, asking ‘What does this mean for Kylie? Stas has now opened up about a procedure that Kylie, Kim and Khloe have all widely been speculated of having. Now that Stas has lifted her veil of secrecy, has she in turn also lifted there's[sic]?’
Essentially, the account – which posts unfiltered, unedited pictures of celebrities to encourage transparency online – is implying that Stassie’s confession has implications for the Kar-Jenner’s because of their close ties and similar body changes over recent years.
Of course, Stassie’s admission in no way confirms rumours of plastic surgery about anyone but herself. While her honestly might allow for other celebrities to feel more comfortable beig transparent about cosmetic procedures, it seems unfair to suggest that Kylie, Khloe or Kim must certainly have had the same procedures as her.
And actually, when you listen to the full interview, Stassie makes some noteworthy points about the pressure of being ‘transparent’ about surgery.
‘People hate you for not saying anything, but the second you open up about it they’re like “Oh that fake bitch”’ Stassie said. ‘They say “You’re setting the beauty standards but you’re not saying what you’re doing so you’re making people think you’re naturally look like this” but then when [you’re honest] they’re like “You’re fake as f*ck, money can really buy looks”. People say the nastiest shit.’
Essentially, it’s another lose-lose battle for women when it comes to beauty standards. The pressure to ‘be real’ is just as strong as the pressure to look perfect at all times and the only women who can win are those born naturally gorgeous.
In fact, Stassie said the main reason she kept quiet about certain procedures was because of how embarrassed she was that she wanted them in the first place.
‘I was just really f*cking young and stupid and maybe I don’t like to talk about it because I don’t like the decision I made when I was 18,’ she explains. ‘Now being almost 25 I’m trying to reverse my dumbness. So maybe it’s something I am self-conscious about that I don’t like about myself that I’m working to fix?’
Stassie went on to explain that while she doesn’t regret any of the work she’s had done, she’s in a different place in her life now and wants to re-do much of her surgery in order to appear more natural.
‘At the time I wanted it and for the time I liked it, but I have taken it back,’ she said. ‘Over the past couple of years I’ve made my implants smaller, I’ve tried to make everything smaller because I just like the more natural look and I feel like you get caught up when you’re younger… you see things differently. For me now, I want to look natural, I don’t want to look plastic or fake – I want to look like me.’
A compelling interview, Stassie’s honesty about the nuances of getting plastic surgery in the public eye – and the weight of public ridicule - is being commended. Of course, there’s elements of power and privilege that are still yet to be explored. While we shouldn’t expect women at large to declare their work, does the Kardashian’s huge influence on beauty standards mean they’re more obligated than others to be honest? Or, as victims of patriarchal beauty standards themselves, do they just epitomise the flaws of a capitalist society that forces women to feel inadequate in order to sell them beauty products and procedures? Ultimately, what Stassie has done is show that it’s a much more complex conversation than is often debated.
Whether or not the Kar-Jenner’s follow suit remains to be seen, but after everything Stassie said, perhaps we shouldn’t expect that transparency after all? It’s food for thought.
Read More:
Love Island’s Anna Vakili Nearly Died During Brazillian Bum Lift Surgery