Jamie Lee Curtis slams plastic surgery industry as 'genocide of women'

USA Today

7 days ago

Jamie Lee Curtis is stirring controversy with her latest comments on plastic surgery.
The "Freakier Friday" actress, 66, a longtime critic of cosmetic surgery, doubled down on her distaste in a new interview, likening it to genocide.
"I've been very vocal about the genocide of a generation of women by the cosmeceutical industrial complex, who've disfigured themselves," Curtis told The Guardian in an interview published July 26.
Genocide, a term of oft-debated definition, refers to the intentional destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, national, racial or religious group, according to the United Nations.
Of the various acts that can result in a genocide, including the intent to prevent birth in a group, or mass killing, plastic surgery does not find a natural home.
We're in the 'undetectable era' of plastic surgery. It's a beauty revolution.
But the "Knives Out" actress doubled down about her use of the word, saying she employed it precisely because of the reaction it might provoke.
"I've used that word for a long time, and I use it specifically because it's a strong word," said Curtis, who wore a pair of comically large plastic lips for the interview's photo shoot, as part of a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the lip injection trend that has grown in popularity in recent years.
"I believe that we have wiped out a generation or two of natural human (appearance)," she continued. "The concept that you can alter the way you look through chemicals, surgical procedures, fillers – there's a disfigurement of generations of predominantly women who are altering their appearances."
Celebrities often deny, keep quiet about their plastic surgery. Why that's problematic.
Curtis herself previously disclosed that she regretted opting for an unspecified cosmetic procedure in her mid-20s after a cinematographer criticized her under-eye bags. Her "Freakier Friday" co-star, Lindsay Lohan, has shrugged off incessant rumors of plastic surgery in recent years.
The problem Curtis sees, she told the outlet, was the industry dogma that at a certain age, you need to conform to a standard of eternal youth or risk being ousted from the screen.
"It is aided and abetted by AI," she said, "because now the filter face is what people want. I'm not filtered right now. The minute I lay a filter on and you see the before and after, it's hard not to go: 'Oh, well that looks better.'
"But what's better? Better is fake," she continued. "And there are too many examples – I will not name them – but very recently we have had a big onslaught through media, many of those people."
Curtis walks a fine line with her commentary on plastic surgery, a subject matter long at the center of a "feminist or not" debate. While some argue that it is an inherently empowered thing to decide to change your body on your own terms, others malign it as a response to unrealistic beauty standards, created and upheld by men.
The "Everything Everywhere All At Once" actress has more ire for the cosmetic industry than the women who opt in, she said.
"I'm not proselytizing to them. I would never say a word," she said of others in Hollywood who have chosen to nip and tuck. "I would never say to someone: 'What have you done?' All I know is that it is a neverending cycle. That, I know. Once you start, you can't stop. But it's not my job to give my opinion; it's none of my business."