Barbara Corcoran's 'plastic surgery secrets' and why honesty matters

USA Today

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Barbara Corcoran's 'plastic surgery secrets' and why honesty matters
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Christina Aguilera responds to plastic surgery comments
The 44-year-old popstar has been subject to scrutiny due to her new look, with some saying she has had "undetectable" cosmetic surgery.
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What's Barbara Corcoran's secret to looking great at 76? Plastic surgery − lots of it.
The real estate mogul and "Shark Tank" star got candid on Instagram earlier this month in a post detailing all the cosmetic procedures she's had. In the post, Corcoran said she's had three facelifts, a lower eyelid skin pinch, a brow lift, a neck lift and an eyelift. Not to mention, she also gets her hair cut and colored at home every six weeks, filler (including ear filler) four times a year, a brow wax once a month, professional teeth whitening and more.
"Heard the cool kids were sharing their plastic surgery secrets," Corcoran wrote in the caption, adding in the post: "I woke up like this..."
Corcoran has long been honest about the work she's had done, and her transparency is something more celebrities could learn from. After all, mental health experts have previously told USA TODAY that, when it comes to cosmetic procedures, celebrities' honesty is crucial. By speaking out about changes they've made to their bodies, celebrities like Corcoran help curb unrealistic beauty expectations and give their fans a more healthy view of body image.
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Why celebrities should be transparent about cosmetic procedures
More celebrities are talking about their cosmetic procedures, which experts say can benefit fans who often look to famous people as they analyze their own self-images. According to a 2014 study, those who "worship" celebrities may "harbor concerns about body image, be more prone to cosmetic surgery" and be more likely to struggle with their mental health.
Other big names who have opened up about their choices include Megan Fox, who revealed on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in 2024 that she got her breasts done when she was 21 or 22 and then had them redone after breastfeeding her kids. She also said she had a procedure on her nose in her early 20s.
Kaley Cuoco has also been lauded for openly discussing her cosmetic surgeries, and Dolly Parton famously said "if something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I'll tuck it, suck it or pluck it." Courteney Cox admitted to "looking really strange with injections and doing stuff to my face that I would never do now," and, in October, Sia revealed she got a face lift and then in December said she underwent liposuction. In a 2022 American Society of Plastic Surgeons article, Amy Schumer received praise for opening up about her liposuction after having surgery to treat endometriosis.
For Corcoran, plastic surgery indirectly saved her life. She shared on YouTuber Doctor Mike's podcast in 2023 that she discovered she had cancer following a plastic surgery consultation.
'I had built my business, sold it, and I worked so hard, such long hours, building that business that I looked it − my face looked it. So I decided to have a face lift," Corcoran said. "I was 46, went to the best surgeon in New York, checked everybody out, showed up at his office ready to make my appointment for the facelift, and he sent me to a cancer doctor."
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She added: "While I was at the cancer doctor, I realized, this is real surgery that I need. And I got my eye lift for free! I was so happy."
Experts agree plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures are nothing to be ashamed of and transparency from celebrities is critical to dismantling unhealthy beauty norms. Embracing such vulnerability reminds people, particularly young girls, they weren't supposed to be born with the fuller lips or chiseled jaws they see in media.
When celebrities conceal the work they've had done, they risk leading people to believe certain features are naturally obtainable.
"Many celebrities look good naturally, but many also have work done. And when they're not honest about it, I think they're being unethical because they're in the spotlight,' Dr. Daniel Barrett, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, previously told USA TODAY – unlike average people who can benefit from and take advantage of keeping their body alterations private.
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Deceiving the public about plastic surgery can cause problems
Concealing cosmetic procedures can have detrimental and long-lasting consequences on people's mental and physical health, experts added. The pressure to be perfect can also contribute to disordered eating.
"The psychological pressure to meet societal beauty standards can be difficult to manage, especially because it can leave you feeling like you're never good enough," Naomi Torres-Mackie, a clinical psychologist and head of research at the Mental Health Coalition, previously told USA TODAY.
Torres-Mackie called these beauty comparisons "a rigged race that's unwinnable,' adding it's still the norm to 'hide all imperfections at any cost' despite the push for body positivity. She also said admitting to cosmetic work "takes a certain level of vulnerability."
"It's a brave thing to do that could potentially help others," she added.
Instead of shaming others, or ourselves, for how we look, we should prioritize shifting the conversation around beauty and body image, Elizabeth Daniels, associate professor of developmental psychology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, previously told USA TODAY: "We should be encouraged to celebrate the differences and think about beauty more broadly. There is no one way to be beautiful."
Contributing: Katie Camero, Morgan Hines and Jenna Ryu