The only thing I really know about Catt Sadler is that she walked away from her job as an E! News anchor because they wouldn’t pay her the same amount as her male co-star Jason Kennedy. They had the same job, but she was paid much less. She called out the network publicly, and it took guts to do that. Now she has a podcast with Dear Media, It Sure Is a Beautiful Day, where she interviews other celebrities and experts. It seems like transparency is Catt’s brand, because she’s sharing that she had three cosmetic surgeries: a facelift, a neck lift, and an eye lift. She posted to Instagram a video showing the process from beginning to end, including the bruising and swelling post surgery. Catt is also sharing why she had these surgeries done, which she says was to step into her own power.
Cosmetic surgery as a step into your own power: “What if we all told the truth? What if we allowed others to do what they feel is best for themselves?” Sadler captioned her video, which was distributed to followers through the text-based subscription service Scriber. Calling the three-week experience, a “life-altering” and “extraordinarily intense ride,” Sadler stated that the multiple procedures weren’t due to any insecurities about the way she looks.
“This wasn’t a ‘fix’ because of self-loathing but rather a step into my own power,” shared the podcaster, who frequently discusses issues for middle-aged women on her show, It Sure Is a Beautiful Day. “Love of self!”
She did it for herself: “It’s not like I did it because I can’t get a job,” she explained. “It’s not that I did it because I want my boyfriend to think I look 35. None of that was a consideration. It was more about looking in the mirror and feeling good. How I feel.” She went on to say that one of the “best parts about getting older is giving zero f—what people think of you”, particularly on social media where other public figures don’t disclose the cosmetic work they’ve had done to their faces and bodies.
She wanted an alternative to painful injectables: Sadler had gotten injectables before but wasn’t thrilled with the pain of getting fillers done. She didn’t initially go into her plastic surgeon’s office determined to get a facelift, and was even surprised that her physician recommended the procedure to remedy her “jowly sagginess” causing “pooling right around the lower half of my face and neck.”
Ultimately, she decided to follow through with the three procedures, and be entirely transparent with her followers about it.
First of all, kudos for Catt for being transparent. It’s painfully obvious to me that much much younger celebs have had facelifts recently and still insist that they had the same face as when they were sixteen. I’m kind of in two minds about it being a “step into power” though. I know that may seem counterintuitive since I often write about cosmetic treatments and procedures, and I’ve had lip injections and Botox. But I’m also conflicted about it. I guess I think two things can be true at once: it’s true that getting cosmetic enhancements can be empowering, and that cosmetic surgeries/enhancements usually help women conform to a male-gaze standard of beauty. The tension that comes with attempting to hold those two thoughts at once took me down a rabbit hole as I was reading Catt’s story.
I like the way I look more when I have a small amount of lip filler. And I know that men like the way I look, too. I’d get my injections even if men did not notice; but I’d also still be working towards achieving the same male-gaze ideal (young, feminine, etc etc), no matter my motivations. If these beauty standards did not exist, or if I lived in a world without men, would I still want to look like Pamela Anderson did on her first Playboy cover? Would I still spend money for someone to inject hyaluronic acid into my lips? Probably not. Sometimes I think that I think too hard about all of this stuff. But I have a lot of compassion for women in the public eye. We tear women down for aging, and then we tear them down for doing something about it. Ultimately what happens to Catt’s face is her choice. If getting these surgeries feels right for her, I support it, regardless of my complicated feelings about beauty standards. It’s cool that she’s being so open about the healing process, which is no joke. I also think she looks good–she still looks like herself.
I mean when you live in a society in which women are judged by their looks and that can determine how much money you make, plastic surgery to look better seems like a rational decision to me.
Is 48 now the right age to consider a face lift? Should I consider one? Now I’m confused…
I don’t like the stepping into power and excuse. You’re vain and want to look younger period. If that’s how she wants to look fine but be real about it.
If she truly didn’t give a f*** about external opinions wouldn’t she not get a facelift? I’m always so torn on plastic surgery.
I am 51 and noticed my jowls starting to sag just after I turned 50 – which is driving me nuts – so I am considering getting one in the next few years. I guess it really depends on how quickly one ages to consider plastic surgery, if you’re into that kind of thing.
original_kellybean – same here! I just turned 52 and I have started a “not my mother’s neck” fund to save up.
Before you do that, try microcurrent facials! I’m younger than you, but starting to get a bit saggy and I feel like they’ve made a huge difference. I’ve never gone into an office and gotten a “real” one, but I got a home device while it was on sale and I love it. It feels really nice and calming, and it just perks everything up nicely.
I’m 48, 49 in November. I feel sad for anyone who thinks they need a facelift, at 48.
Our faces are the story of our lives, and I love that my face has many laugh lines, and a serious line in the middle of my eyebrows, because I have a teenager who is a teenager.
I don’t see the benefits – recovery will take a whiiiiiiile since with age we bounce back not as fast as we used to, plus it will very likely make aging less pretty a decade or two down the line, so it’s making things better for a while but making them way worse in the long run. I haven’t been sold on it yet.
I feel conflicted as well about it. I’m also of the mind that celebs don’t owe us info on their bodies. We wouldn’t ask strangers about what they’ve had done and celebs are essentially strangers we see all the time. I think the dichotomy comes into play when celebs openly lie about having work done. I don’t think she had to volunteer this info but I also give her kudos for not lying about it if asked. I personally would probably just say “none of your business”. lol
Idk if I would get a facelift at 48 but it’s her choice. I stopped doing Botox for financial reasons. But if I had the money, I would probably get a facelift but in my 50s. I think most facelifts come out nicely. I live near a wealthy area and have seen wealthy customers who told me they had a face lift and they did look better after it
I do a lot of skin care to stay looking young and I could see myself eventually surgery someday. For sure I will probably do micro needling and other small tweeks as long as possible. I feel young and I want to look the way I feel when I look in the mirror. Maybe my thinking will evolve as I age. I don’t know. No judgement from me on surgery though.
I’m not sure that stepping into your own power should come at the risk of death, esp when doing so involves cosmetic procedures.
Probably stepping into our own power as females involves shedding the male gaze altogether. I think we’re probably lying to ourselves when we say that getting breast implants is empowering, for example. It’s only empowering within a system that attaches value to big/round/perfect breasts. It’s certainly not empowering when those implants kill you (any surgery involves risks) or make you sick. So I think there’s quite a few caveats to those claims of empowerment.
It’s a bit like saying “I’m going platinum blonde and don’t care about your judgments.” I’m not sure that society has ever judged going platinum blonde so much as rewarded and celebrated it—and there’s a whooole lot of race/sex-specific values attached to doing so. Seems to me like altering ourselves to fit these narrow norms is just…playing along, not “giving no f****.”
Agree with you 100%
Same. It’s a power grab but not the way she thinks. She wants the power of external beauty by way of staying youthful in appearance.
Well said. I empathize and understand wanting to change parts of your aging body, because we live in a society where women’s appearance is understood as their primary value (as is men’s ability to make money). Doing the work to turn off your inner critic and love yourself regardless of your shape, wrinkles or jowls I would argue is true empowerment because your confidence is no longer dependent on how you compare to others who are younger and prettier than you.
Her career is based on her looks so she’s doing what she has to and wants to. I hate to be that person, but if half of these women ate and gained 10lbs their skin wouldn’t sag as much.
All I know is at 58, you best believe I would absolutely get all 3 of the same procedures if I had the money to spare. I only haven’t done it already because I cannot justify going into debt for it. Botox is going to have to do.
Me too!
I think she looks a little like Carla Gugino now, but overall it’s good work. She doesn’t look overly stretched or fake.
I love her honesty. How refreshing! And I can totally relate. When I’ve had Botox it made me feel refreshed like I’d slept well. Celebrities that deny getting work done just make us regular women feel bad about ourselves. (Talkin to you Salma H!)
I look forward to the day that doing what makes a person happy– like cosmetic whatever– does not spark judgement against her character. Unless you’re one of the Housewives who all look alike. Those ppl need therapy!
It’s not too young. It really depends on your face and your desired results. I had a neck lift w a mini facelift at 44. I was also surprised at the suggestion but the Dr was honest that I wasn’t going to get the results I wanted w injectables. It was also a lower risk procedure because it was an in office no general anesthesia procedure. Still a big, scary and expensive process but I love the results and I appreciate that he was honest about my results.
You did it without general anesthesia? Can you tell me more about it? What was your recovery like?
I was awake but given some kind of relaxer so I was semi sedated but not out. The process that they did to numb me was kind of terrible and hurt in the beginning and I could everything throughout the process which was unnerving. I only went through w it because I could do it without general so it was more affordable and I felt like there was less risk. Or at least as much as I was willing to take.
I went in at 830 on an a Friday and then left at about 230. I had a drain my husband took out the next day while the doc was on the phone w him and I worked from home the rest of the week. My surgeon was so good though I had zero bruising on my face and was on zoom by Tuesday for meetings.
My Drs office is essentially next door to a hospital should anything had gone wrong. Thank god nothing did! I love the results and I’m glad I didn’t wait. Even though healing and feeling took longer than I thought initially.
I can see how that would be really weird to be a wake and know what they were doing the whole time. Was the recovery painful?
I think it was what you would expect. It definitely hurt and was uncomfortable. I think I only took pain meds the first 4 days and then it was just tylenol. Things I didn’t think about was sleeping on my back for weeks and not washing my hair until a post op 2 weeks later. But all that being said I am really happy with the results and it was totally worth it. The process was worse than the recovery, at least for me.
Her face , her decision — this was an interesting take to read considering the countless articles daily where we rip certain women to shreds for their jowls, wrinkles , hair etc . Now I too have a conundrum to ponder .
I don’t see plastic surgery as a power move, not one bit. Her controlling the narrative through her honesty is, though. It’s a savvy, attention-getting move for someone who doesn’t mind, or maybe even enjoys, the scrutiny. But I think it’s a shame our culture is like this, where people feel such pressure to push back the clock on their appearance. If I had the money, I’d be scheduled for the same procedures she had. A real power move would be to not give a damn, but I’m not there, not by a long shot.
Good for her for being honest about it! I don’t know how many women truly WANT plastic surgery, as opposed to being forced to do it as a reality of the unrealistic demands for women to always be sexually attractive, at any age. But to me, being open about what women in the industry have to do to stay employed is a positive move, even as I decry the need to do it. I give her so much more credit than those who lie about it.
No plastic surgery for me, I will only have a general anaesthetic as and when I need it for my health. My jowls mean I now bear a striking resemblance to Winston Churchill but frankly I don’t care. But each to their own.
48?? Weird! I’m 47 and haven’t even begun to age yet. Not the slightest hint of wrinkle or sag anywhere. I love being black!
Same 😉
Flex
She looks like a beautiful person who has had work done. And that’s what it tends to be.