Entertainment

Anna Faris Opened Up About Her Boob Job & She's The Feminist Hero We Don't Deserve

by Julia Guerra
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

The definition of feminism has evolved quite a bit over the years. It's less about pitting women against men, and all about every gender coming together and working toward equality for all, and in all contexts — including the changes you want to make to your body. If a woman has an interest in changing her body, that is her right to do so, which is why Anna Faris’ quotes about her boob job in her recent interview with Women's Health are so on-point. Making the decision to change your body is entirely up to you, and Faris is here to say, if getting a boob job makes you a genuinely happier person, it does not make you any less of a feminist.

Ideally, feminism should be about women coming together, fighting for gender equality in all forms, and supporting one another unconditionally. From what I can tell, we're doing pretty amazing things as far as gender equality goes, but it’s the idea of offering one another unconditional support — even for decisions you personally wouldn't make for your body — that some people still need to work on. In my opinion, feminism is such a beautiful, strong movement, but if women put restrictions on one another on what it means to be a true “feminist,” the cause is still flawed — and that's Faris' exact point here. She told Women’s Health,

I wish we were more supportive of each other. I think that people should be able to do whatever they want, whether it's getting braces, bleaching their hair, getting extensions, getting a boob job, getting vaginal surgery, or getting a nose job.

As far as the Mom actress is concerned, you can do whatever you want with your body and still be a feminist.

The whole point of feminism is to support your sisters, and for women to build each other up, not tear one another down. Yet, there seems to be a kind of gray area when it comes to women who choose to go under the knife. Does getting plastic surgery really make you any less of a feminist?

Even Faris, who told Women's Health she considers herself a “staunch feminist,” had reservations before deciding she wanted a boob job, as she told the outlet she was debating whether or not she would be “betraying [her] own gender” if she went through with the surgery. She said,

I always thought plastic surgery was caving in to "the man," you know? But it came down to a really simple thing: I wanted to fill out a bikini.

Of course, Faris is not, nor is anyone else, by any means, saying women should fill out their bikinis in order to feel comfortable in one. Getting a boob job was a choice the 41-year-old made for herself about a decade ago, according to Women's Health, in order to help her feel confident and happy in her own body. It's what worked for her, but it's not necessarily what will work for you, or anyone else.

What’s more, considering her successful career, Faris likely had the financial means to go through with the procedure in a safe, healthy way, and presumably knew for a long time that this was something she wanted for herself. Quite frankly, I don’t see anything wrong with that, and neither should anyone else. At the end of the day, your body is solely yours, and no one has the right to judge you for the decisions you make.

Unfortunately, though, there's still somewhat of an ongoing debate over whether or not getting any kind of plastic surgery is a feminist act.

I know myself, and plastic surgery is probably not in the cards for me. Sure, there are things about my body I would maybe like to change (I have a love-hate relationship with my nose), but I know procedures like that just aren’t right for me and my body. Having said that, though, that’s a personal choice I have made for my body; it’s my business, just like Faris’ decision to get a boob job is her decision. It does not directly affect you, or me, or anyone, except her.

Interestingly enough, though, there are a handful of women calling themselves feminists who still attack or judge other women for making surgical changes to their bodies. As far as I’m concerned, what anyone does to their body is their business, and theirs alone, but from what I understand, the issue that these self-proclaimed “true feminists” have with these changes, is that they view it as a way of becoming less authentic, and giving into society’s ideals of what the “perfect” woman should look like.

According to a May 2017 conversation between Harper’s Bazaar's Kathleen Hale and Dr. Simon Ourian, aka the plastic surgeon behind the many Kardashian transformations, teen plastic surgery has come under fire in the feminist realm, too. According to the outlet, more and more young women are getting boob jobs and lip fillers to look like the social media starlets they so admire, as opposed to changing their bodies for their own personal reasons of improving self-confidence.

So, really then, the issue that some feminists seem to have with women changing their bodies in the first place, is the idea that they are doing so to either a) be someone else or b) conform to society’s cookie-cutter ideal of a woman. Either way, no one should have a say in what a woman chooses to do with her own body because, the way I see it, if getting a boob job, nose job, lip fillers, etc. is going to make you genuinely happy, and you have the means to do it in a safe, healthy way, that sounds pretty authentic to me.

Take Faris’ advice and do whatever you want with your body, because, at the end of the day, you have to be the one to love the skin you’re in. Loving yourself, and making the changes you think will help you love yourself even more, does not make you anti-feminist.