By opening up about her procedures, the Olympic champion erases the gossipy stigma around cosmetic work and centers women’s agency
When fans noticed something looked different about Simone Biles in her more recent pictures… well, they were right. Later, the GOAT Olympic athlete hasn’t confirmed the cosmetic procedures she’s had — she’s reframed the entire conversation around them.
In a new interview with People, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist spoke without filters about the three surgeries she’s undergone: a breast augmentation, a lower blepharoplasty to address what she jokingly calls the “Biles eye bags,” and an earlobe repair from an old injury.
But it wasn’t the list of procedures that stood out. It was the way she talked about them.
For decades, cultural conversations around cosmetic work — almost entirely when it comes to women — have been shaped by shame, secrecy, or the implication that wanting to change something about yourself means doing it for other people (almost entirely men). Biles rejects all of that.
She explains her choices plainly, without theatrics or beating herself up: These procedures helped her feel good, feel confident, and feel more herself. That’s it. And that’s enough. Period.
Biles also makes it clear she’s not participating in the myth that “natural” is the only morally superior way to move through the world. Instead, she makes the argument so many women know instinctively but rarely see reflected back to them publicly: That empowerment comes from choosing what makes you feel strong, whether that’s makeup, Botox, surgery, or none of the above. Again, for the people in the back: It’s about women’s choice.
Her transparency extends even to the stuff that didn’t go perfectly. She told People she tried Botox on her 27th birthday and hated the “floating eyebrow” it gave her — so she talked about that, too. It’s the opposite of the curated, hyper-filtered perfection social media feeds us daily. “Social media is not real,” she reminded. “That’s why I try to be as transparent as possible.”
And that’s why her message lands — because it’s really not about the procedures themselves. It’s about ownership, agency, and self-determination.
Cosmetic surgery isn’t inherently empowering (or disempowering) — but when it’s undertaken for your reasons, not someone else’s expectations, it absolutely can be. Biles’ honesty doesn’t normalize surgery; it normalizes women making choices for themselves, without apology and without explanation.
It’s a power move — not because of the procedures, but because of how she recenters women in their own narratives. And for a generation of girls watching the greatest gymnast of all time talk about her body on her own terms, that might be the most powerful part.
