Influencer and reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague has always been super candid about her experience of experimenting with fillers – and later, the U-turn that saw her have them dissolved in a bid to appear more 'natural'. Now, she's opened up during a new podcast chat about the exact moment she realised she'd gone too far with cosmetic tweakments and how her body image became distorted, partially due to Instagram.
"It was actually only [when] my sister [Zoe] said to me, she was like, 'We need to sort this out'. It took her to tell me," the fashion mogul recalled whilst discussing a previous club appearance on the Diary of a CEO episode.
"I was at a PA [personal appearance] in a club, and she texted me and said, 'I need to talk to you about the filler. It's too much now. It's enough. You need to stop'," Molly-Mae shared honestly, adding that she used to have unflattering comparisons made about her looks.
"People used to say [I looked like] Quagmire [from the cartoon Family Guy], or I looked like an Xbox controller," she confessed. "My face was that warped."
Molly-Mae also said she finds it worrying how normalised having fillers and cosmetic work done has become, especially from a young age, citing social media as part of the reason why she embarked on having her face altered at just 16 years old.
She then likened having filler to "going to the gym" in terms of how accepted it's become, and said that reflecting on it all now, she finds it "terrifying".
Everyone's clicking on...
It's not the first time the Love Island star has spoken out on the subject either, having previously made YouTube videos documenting her journey to reversing several procedures, including her cosmetic tooth bonding and lip fillers.
"I randomly actually ended up getting some filler dissolved in my face this morning," she shared in one vlog. "I feel like I'm still definitely going through the process of trying to make everything as natural as I possibly can, because I made that many mistakes when I was younger... I'm still genuinely trying to correct them now."
It's such an important issue that it's great to see Molly-Mae continuing to use her platform to speak out on the realities of cosmetic enhancements, along with unrealistic beauty ideals and expectations. Whether you decide to go for fillers or not (it's 100% a personal choice), perhaps let her story be a reminder to a) always do your research and b) that what we see on social media should never be allowed to have so much power over how we feel about ourselves.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
