RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage has always emphasised throughout her long and impressive career that she isn’t anti-plastic surgery, she’s pro-transparency.
She said it in 2022 in an interview with The Independent, adding that well-informed patients should be free to undergo all the cosmetic surgeries they like. She said it in 2021 in an Instagram post sharing her documentary EXplant, which details her story with breast augmentation surgery.
She said it once again in conversation with PinkNews earlier this week, saying that her priority is to ensure people know “what they’re putting in their body and why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
Michelle Visage is no stranger to openly discussing her history with cosmetic surgery. She famously underwent surgery to remove her breast implants in 2019 after they began causing health issues.
Beyond the dangers to her immune system, however, the 56-year-old says it was a moment of self-reflection for her and a chance to understand what she wanted from her own body.
“When I first got my breast implants, I was 21 years old, and I 100 per cent got them for all the wrong reasons,” she says. “I told myself for years it was all about me. I’m not doing it for anybody else, I’m doing it for me.
“It’s true that it was my body, but I was doing it for approval, you know, in a sexual light. I wanted to be appealing to boys, to girls, to whoever. I just wanted people to look at me and think that I was sexy, and I never felt sexy without [large] breasts.”
Years of invalidation, societal pressure, and mockery, Visage says, led to her undergoing breast augmentation surgery to give herself a double-D-sized chest – a surgery she says that was more for “physical” reasons than “emotional.”
“I had one boyfriend who would play the bongos on my chest and thought it was funny, and you have to laugh along with it, but you’re invalidated,” she says. “I [eventually] realised it’s not just physical, but it’s mental, it’s emotional. I realised it had way less to do with what I look like and all to do with how I felt about myself.”
‘I want people to do what validates them’
Regret or dissatisfaction with plastic surgery is all too common. A 2024 study published in the National Library of Medicine (NIH) found that 9.1 per cent of patients show dissatisfaction or regret after undergoing breast augmentation.
To help explore society’s relationship with plastic surgery, Michelle has teamed up with Hayu to host Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind.
The reality TV show sees nine celebrities and influencers, all of whom have had plastic surgery, meet with plastic surgeon Dr Terry Dubrow and psychotherapist Dr Spirit to uncover the reasons they went under the knife and learn whether surgery is what they wanted, or what society pressured them to have.
Michelle says she was drawn to the series because of its approach to discussing plastic surgery, saying it isn’t just about regret or botched procedures, but about self-reflection.
“It was a big draw for me, because, again, I’m not anti-plastic surgery. I want people to do what validates them, but body dysmorphia and body dysphoria; these are very big things,” she says. “And so it was a big draw for me to validate everybody who was part of the program.
“It’s called Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind, but it’s not botched. Botched is surgery gone wrong, bad surgery; this is not that. In fact, the surgery looks great on everybody in the house, but it’s about, you know, why did you do the surgery in the first place?”
The honesty and openness of the show’s participants came as a welcome surprise to Michelle, who says she “absolutely applauds all of them” for taking such a vulnerable step.
“Every single one of them was transformed by this experience. They’re all still very close; they’re bonded for life because of what they’ve gone through, and I’m so proud of this show because it isn’t just fix your surgery and get out. It’s about, you know, how are you going to embrace where you are right now?
“You know, like, for me, there was a lot of therapy involved in [my breast reduction surgery] because I was known for these giant boobs, and if you watch my documentary, my daughter Lola says, ‘Well, there goes your career.’ And it’s absolutely one of those things where you’re thinking, ‘Will people still want to watch me on TV?’”
‘These people that are judging you have never walked a step, let alone a mile, in your shoes’
Those pressures are especially prevalent for LGBTQ+ people. A 2021 NIH study found that queer men are far more likely to face body dissatisfaction issues and have cosmetic surgery as a result.
A prime example of this, Michelle Visage says, is dating apps, noting that countless profiles demand people have certain body types to get a match.
“You see, you know, bios on dating apps saying no ass, don’t bother, no girth, don’t swipe. All these things you automatically are told you’re not good enough,” she says. “It’s everywhere. It’s people telling you you’re not worthy.
“And, by the way, I’m very much present and here for when people call out [homophobic] comments and then show their profile pics, because that’s the truth. These people that are judging you have never walked a step, let alone a mile, in your shoes.
“My dream for society, especially for queer people, is that [people know] they’re beautiful without going under the knife. If you want to, fine, that’s on you, but you don’t have to. That’s the message I would like people to hear.”
Michelle is clear, however, that her comments don’t extend to trans people, saying it’s an entirely different situation that she can’t and wouldn’t want to speak on.
“I can’t speak for trans people, I just want to put that on the record,” she says. “There’s so many more layers to that than me just saying don’t get implants. There’s so much more to it. I have not walked this life on Earth as a trans person, so I can’t speak for trans people. It’s a different situation in my opinion.”
Above all else, Michelle’s main goal is to give people the tools to make their own choices, whether that’s getting breast implants or avoiding the surgery table; she simply wants the public to be informed.
“I heard about all these things Dr Spirit and Dr Dubrow are constantly fixing, and they’re trying to get to the bottom of why we feel the need to do it. And, you know, if I was still 21 I’d still get my boobs because that’s what I wanted, but I’m 56 years old now and I’ve come to this realisation that I’m going to leave my body alone.
“I’ve learned to love my flat chest, I’ve learned and I’ve grown as a person, as a judge,” she continues. “Does that mean that I won’t get a facelift someday? No. If I want it, I’m going to get it. I just think people need to know why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind is available to watch on Peacock in the US and on Hayu in the UK & Ireland.