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For those who are not familiar with this woman, she is one of the reality tv "stars" from the MTV reality show The Hills. Montag is 23 years old and just recently underwent plastic surgery for a second time. This time around she underwent 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day.
"For the past three years, I've thought about what to have done," the reality star tells PEOPLE. "I'm beyond obsessed."
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The before picture is the natural version of Montag. In my opinion she was a very pretty girl however I suppose she did not feel the same as she went under the knife for a nose job and breast augmentation.
Since then Montag has stripped down for Maxim magazine, Playboy, Stuff magazine, and other exploitive "mens magazines."
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Just recently Montag decided to go in for more.
1) Mini brow lift
2) Botox in forehead and frown area
3) Nose job revision
4) Fat injections in cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips
5) Chin reduction
6) Neck liposuction
7) Ears pinned back
8) Breast augmentation revision
9) Liposuction on waist, hips and inenr and outer thighs
10) Buttock augmentation
In the above photos the difference is quite frightening to me. I find Montag's breasts to be far too large and they make her look quite unnatural and illproportioned. Her face is pretty in both photos however she now looks much older. In addition the photos seem to reveal two completely different people.
In People magazine Montag was interviewed.
People: Let's start with the obvious: Most people would think you already looked pretty good. Why make all these changes to your face and body?
Montag: I would say the biggest reason is to feel better, to feel perfect. I was made fun of when I was younger, and so I had insecurities, especially after I moved to L.A. People said I had a "Jay Leno chin." They'd circle it on blogs and say nasty things. It bothered me. And when I watched myself on "The Hills", my ears would be stucking out like Dumbo! I just wanted to feel more confident and look in the mirror and be like, "Whoa! That's me!" I was an ugly ducking before.
People: Did you really need 10 different procedures?
Montag: Think about the industry I'm trying to go into. My ultimate dream is to be a pop star. I'm competing against the Britney Spearses of the world - and when she was in her prime, it was her sex appeal that sold. Obviously, looks matter; it's a superficial industry.
People: Why not at least spread the surgeries out, so you could make more gradual changes?
Montag: That's kind of my personality: Everything at once. And I really just wanted to go under anesthesia once, instead of going under again and again. It felt safer for me. Plus I have a tight schedule: My album just came out, I'm launching a line of hair products, I'm about to start filming for "The Hills." I just didn't have any more time.
People: How much did the surgeries cost?
Montag: It was beyond expensive (National averages according to the AMerican Society of Plastic Surgeons indicate Montag's procedures would have cost upwards of $30,000) but well worth it. I'd been siaving for two years after my first surgery. I knew it would be an investment for my career.
People: There will be some fans who think Spencer suggested you do all this. Any truth to that?
Montag: He was very resistant about the whole surgery. For the past few years he's been like, "No, Heidi - you are so beautiful. This is out of control." But I'm my own person, and I knew in my heart what I wanted. It's my body at the end of the day.
People: Are you happy with your body now?
Montag: I love my body! I still feel a little fragile, but I've never felt more beautiful and sexier. I didn't know I could have this much confidence.
People: How do you feel about our breasts?
Montag: I'm already planning my next surgery - I'm determined to get bigger ones! Iknow it sounds crazy (she is now a DDD), but I just love boobs. They make me feel more womanly. Dr. _ is very safety conscious, and this was the most he could put in this time. But I can't wait to do it again. When I posed for Playboy (in Sept. 2009), I didn't fill out one of the bras and they had to Photoshop my boobs bigger, and it was so disheartening. I almost cried. I wantto pose for them again but this time have it be sexier. Although I still don't think I'll be nude.
People: Does it worry you that people will fixate on your breasts?
Montag: I hope so. They better! That's kind of the point. Sex appeal is really important and it's not saying that you're only sexy if you have big boobs. That's not true at all, and honestly the way I got Spencer, I had no surgery. It was my inner beauty that he loved.
People: Other than still wanting larger breasts are you happy you went through all this?
Montag: It was so worth it! I see an upgraded version of me. It's a new face and it's a new energy. It's a new person, and I feel like almost all of the things I didn't want to be and who I turned into kind of got chiseled away. So I'm very excited for the world to see the new me, and a real me.
People: Who is the real you?
Montag: I honestly was never the prettiest girl. I was more like the frumpy sidekick to Lauren (Lauren Conrad, her costar on The Hills). Everyone on that show was rich, and if you look at my wardrobe that first season, I was wearing Lauren's leftovers! So, now that I feel like a sexy, confident woman, that to me is a Cinderella story.
People: Your faith is very important to you. Did you struggle at all with changing what God gave you?
Montag: I prayed about it for a long time and said, "God, if it's wrong, then I won't do it." But I never got that feeling. My body is just a shell; God doesn't care. It's what inside that God cares about.
People: Okay, so take us to Nov. 20, waking up after your surgeries. What were you feeling?
Montag: I saw stars. Everything was spinning. I knew kind of what happened, but nothing was solid. The pain was everywhere - my head felt like it had a jackhammer on it. I couldn't talk because of my new jaw and chin. When I saw Spencer, I started crying hard, and I was like, "I feel like I wanna die right now. I'm in so much pain. I don't know what to do." I was in so much pain, Iasked for more Demerol. And that drastically slowed my breathing. They had to rush an oxygen mask over my face; another five minutes, who knows? It was that scary - I almost felt like I was gone.
People: How long did you stay in the hospital?
Montag: After surgery they took me in an ambulance to Serenity After Care, a recovery center in Santa Monica. I was there for give days, and then I got to go home. The first day being back was really hard. I asked Spencer to cover all the mirrors in the house because I ddidn't want to fixate on what I looked like then. And I felt bad tht he had to even look at me.I looked like I had been hit b a bus. I was a purple, swollen mush - I didn't look human! It was so scary. I could hardly move. Couldn't even walk. And my back was black and blue and purple. It was more traumatizing just seeing it then even feeling it really. When I had a nurse come over so I could bathe, the first time the water touched me, I freaked out. I just felt so fragile.
People: Did the recovery process test your relationship?
Montag: Asking my husband to take down my pants so that I can go to the bathroom? That's not something I ever wanted to have to do. I mean, you want your husband to look at you and feel sexy, not have him waiting on you hand and foot, feling like you don't want him to look at you. But it took our marriage to another level.
People: Do you finally feel beautiful?
Montag: Yes, I think I look way better and I'm way happier. Before, I wouldn't even wantto smile in photos since it would elongate my chin. My eyebrow lift just took my face to another level, and made it a little bit more European - exotic. And for the first time, I have sexy ears! I can wear updos, instead of hiding behind my hair.
People: Does that mean, aside from your breasts, you're finished with plastic surgery?
Montag: I'm just starting. As you get older, therea re so many different treatments - all the big celebrities get their spider veins removed. Let's just say there's a lot of maintanance. Nobody ages perfectly, so I plan to keep using suergery to make me as perfect as I can be. Because, for me, the surgery is always so rewarding.
To read the entire article you'll have to read the latest People magazine. I don't know how any of you feel but for myself this was a painful article to read. I feel as though this woman is not truly hearing herself.
Interview with Heidi Montag and Access Hollywood
From the outside looking in (in other words I do not know Heidi Montag personally so therefore I will not be so arrogant to assume that my opinions are indeed accurate) it seems that Montag is a very young 23 year old. But then again, although it may be easy to say that she is just naive and easily influenced by our society, it is important to not only understand that each individual must take responsibility for surcoming to patriarchal standards but also to acknowledge that these standards should not exist.
Montag actually stated that she wants to appear "perfect". Perfect?!? It amazes me that she feels comfortable using this word. It has me wondering just how many other women out there say this word repeatedly inside their heads. What a terrible existence. How dreadful must it be to feel the pressures of superficiality.
In her interview Montag admits that she is surcoming to superficiality. Rather than attempting to love herself she feels she must tweak every seemingly faulty detail. There are certain things that are worth rebelling against in this world and I think the goal of "perfection" is one of them.
Where I hear stories like that I think to the plastic surgeon who is giving the green light to these surgeries. Is the word "no" not in their lexicon? But of course not only is Montag's surgeon getting paid but his fame will rise as he is linked to this reality tv celeb. If you ask me the world of plastic surgery is a grimey business. I suppose assisting those who are in dire need of plastic surgery such as those who have suffered fires and car accidents do not provide enough reward.
Q&A with Montag's Surgeon from People magazine:
(I will not provide the surgeon's name as I do not wish to advertise his work)
People: Isn't it a lot of surgery for a 23 year old?
Surgeon: Heidi's request was for me to make her more beuatiful. Arching the brow isn't commonly done at her age, but it's a nice look. And it's not rare in L.A. for 23 year olds to get Botox.
People: The longer an operation the greater the risk. Why not divide up Heidi's surgeries?
Surgeon: My first concern is for the safety of the patient, so I would never push the envelope. Heidie's a young, healthy girl: she was cleared medically. It was we within the realm of safety.
Husband Spencer Pratt's reaction?
Pratt: It's scary. I don't think she could have bigger boobs at this point - she has a little body! But nobody understands how she feels except for her, so it's not my call.
This is not my relationship so I can only think about how I would react if a partner of mine wanted to alter his image so drastically through surgery. It would certainly want to be empathetic and sensitive to the feelings of someone who wanted to undergo surgery however I would suggest counseling of some sort. I would emphasize how the pressures he was feeling was most likely due to the views of a larger group (society) and not the innate desires for himself. I would also point out the fact that new modified version that surgery offers would not be the face and body I originally found myself attracted to. The process would change the entire relationship and in fact may end it.
In my opinion it is Heidi Montag's views that are unhealthy and in turn she did something unhealthy to her body. I understand that it can be incredibly difficult at times to celebrate who we are inside and how but what a wonderful feeling it can bring when we do. Rather then spend the time and energy that it takes to love herself, Montag decided to spend thousands of dollars and endure a grueling recovery in order to feel like she could hold her head high.
I have a level of empathy for this young woman's struggle to feel accepted by others and herself but I also feel sorry for her as she is embracing patriarchy with arms wide open. I don't know about any of you but I would not want the job of maintaining a surgeoned body and face. I would not want to live my life feeling that I must adhear to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
Heidi Montag could choose to fight against this and even speak out against the pressures that so many young women face. Instead young girls everywhere will now have to decide for themselves if this is the image they want to idolize or if they can feel satisfied with the bodies they were given. Parents educate your young ones and do it now! Let them know that they are loved, that they are unique, that they are beautiful and brilliant. Hollywood isn't going to change anytime soon. Patriarchy is not going away. Stand up.
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