Heidi Montag made her reality television debut back in 2006 with the premiere of The Hills, which was right around the time that celebrity gossip blogs really picked up steam. With that came the comments section, which was often full of criticism.
In a column for Cosmopolitan recapping the most recent episode of The Hills: New Beginnings, Montag’s husband, Spencer Pratt, revealed that it was that criticism that led Montag to undergo numerous plastic surgery procedures.
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“Heidi thought people would stop criticizing her if she got surgery. Everything she did came from people criticizing her in the comments on Us Weekly and People magazine,” Pratt revealed. “She brought printouts of what the trolls and haters said to the doctor and said, ‘Can we do something about this?’ Everyone’s insecure but it’s different when you’re young and on TV and everyone’s talking about you. And it’s upsetting that you can go to a doctor and say ‘Here’s what I hate about myself,’ and he’ll say ‘I can fix that. For free.’”
During the episode, Montag opened up about her plastic surgery journey, something Pratt was beside her for every step of the way. Montag first got a nose job and breast augmentation in 2007 before undergoing 10 procedures in one day, revealing the results in 2010 at age 23.
“I was there for every second, so I know all about that journey,” Pratt shared. “Let me just tell any ladies and gentlemen and gender nonconforming folks out there — just everyone: The phrase ‘minor surgical procedure’ does not exist. That’s the hard lesson we learned. There’s no such thing as one minor surgical procedure. And there’s certainly no such thing as 10 minor surgical procedures.”
Montag admitted in the recap that she was “way too young” to make the decision to undergo her procedures.
“I was way too young to make such a life-changing decision and was under so much pressure because it was the beginning of comment sections and negativity and hate on the internet,” she said. “I was just really self-involved at the time — like so many young people — but I was also on TV where every perceived flaw is amplified. I think I looked in the mirror a little too much. I wish I had waited and not made a decision so young because I have long-term health complications.”
The mom of one explained that for those who might be feeling the same way she once did, it’s important to find someone to talk to.
“Beauty is way more than skin deep,” she said. “I never thought that I would have any kind of confidence issues, because I was a very confident young woman growing up. But it can happen to anyone. And if you’re having those kinds of thoughts and issues, it’s important to seek advice from those you love and professionals who want to help. Figure out why you feel that way and what’s behind it.”
“Obviously, it’s your body and I’m not against plastic surgery, but everyone always shows you the before and after pics,” the reality star concluded. “They don’t show you how devastating the recovery is. I don’t regret a lot of my enhancement, but plastic surgery isn’t something that should be glorified. Take it seriously.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Allen Berezovsky
