Hollywood starlet Denise Richards has been in the public eye for more than a decade and has made numerous top-10 most beautiful lists during her career. Now 40 years old and the mother of three young daughters, she says she feels hypocritical when she tries to promote the need for a healthy body image.
Richards has had multiple breast enhancement surgeries since she was 19 years old. She told Us Weekly that she was in such a rush to get the procedure she failed to research the surgeon properly. After the procedure, she learned the surgeon put larger implants than she asked for.
“I just thought because they’re a plastic surgeon, they must be good. You have to be your advocate for your own body and ask 100 questions,” she told the magazine.
As her daughters age, the oldest now 8 years old, Richards says she regrets the decision to get breast implants, although it is not because of pain or displeasure with the outcome. She said it was lack of confidence in her own body image that led her to the decision. Now she hopes to promote healthy body image to her daughters through diet and exercise.
Still, she must explain to them that in her business, body image is often not a personal experience.
“I often times feel like a hypocrite with my daughters when trying to teach them to have a healthy view on beauty and body image. I’m in a business where looks and weight do matter,” she wrote on iVillage.
Ultimately, Richards says the decision to get elective cosmetic surgery is a personal decision that should be based on “whatever makes a person feel good about themselves”.