Megan Fox set the record straight on her cosmetic surgeries. More stars should do the same

Megan Fox is setting the record straight about what cosmetic surgeries she's had and which she hasn't − and experts say she's setting a good example by doing so.

The "Jennifer's Body" star, 37, took time during her Wednesday appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast to clarify her cosmetic procedures over the years, saying that, by doing so, she hopes to liberate others.

"I'm just going to go through all the things that I've done, because I feel like there's this stigma, and I'm not going to win," Fox said, noting her body frequently draws criticism from other women online. "However, I'm hoping it sets some people free."

Experts previously told USA TODAY that transparency around celebrities' cosmetic procedures is crucial. By speaking out and being honest about the changes they've made to their bodies, celebrities can help curb unrealistic beauty expectations and give fans a more healthy view of body image.

What cosmetic surgeries has Megan Fox had?

Fox started by listing the procedures she hasn't done but which she's frequently accused of having. These include facelifts, lateral brow lifts and threads. Fox said she hasn't had these procedures not out of moral conviction, but out of personal preference and practicality.

"I have researched them, that's not because of some moral thing," she said. "I just don't really believe they work, and I'm also afraid that they would interfere when I do need to have a facelift." She also noted that her fear of anesthesia also helps keep her number of cosmetic procedures in check.

She also said she's never had buccal fat removal, liposuction or body contouring; and, though she's "flattered" if people think otherwise, she's also never had a Brazilian butt lift.

As for what she has had done, Fox said she got her breasts done when she was 21 or 22 and then had them redone after breastfeeding her kids. She shares three children with her ex-husband, actor Brian Austin Green. She also said she had her nose done in her early 20s.

"I've literally been accused of having six, seven, eight rhinoplasty surgeries, which is impossible — your nose would get necrosis and fall off," she said.

She also had one procedure she's not willing to share publicly: "There's one thing I had done that I'm gatekeeping."

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Why celebrities should be transparent about cosmetic procedures

More celebrities are coming clean about their cosmetic procedures, which experts say can benefit fans who often look to A-listers 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 were more likely to struggle with their mental health.

Other big names who have opened up include Kaley Cuoco, who was lauded for openly discussing her cosmetic surgeries, and Dolly Parton, who famously said "if something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I'll tuck it, suck it or pluck it." Plus, 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 she had surgery to treat endometriosis. 

Experts agree plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures are nothing to be ashamed of, and that transparency among celebrities is critical to dismantling unhealthy beauty norms. Embracing such vulnerability reminds people, particularly young girls, that they weren’t supposed to be born with the fuller lips or chiseled jaw lines they see in media.

When celebrities conceal they had work done, they risk deceiving people into thinking certain aesthetic features are obtainable naturally.

"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, said – unlike average people who can benefit from and take advantage of keeping their body alterations private.

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“They… have a moral obligation to be transparent about anything they've had done that helps them achieve a certain look," Barrett said.

The consequences of this deception on mental and physical health can be detrimental and long lasting, 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, said.

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 what we look like, 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, said: "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