This Is How Old Hollywood Did Nose Jobs
Nowadays almost everybody in Hollywood gets nose jobs, but back in 1962 when Marilyn Monroe allegedly got one, things were a little different.
Like, you had to fake a fall instead of just swearing to the tabloids you had a deviated septum to fix.
Here’s how Marilyn Monroe and probably many other stars achieved their enviable profiles back before plastic surgery was as common as hair extensions.
First, you had to get a plastic surgeon agree to see you because of a completely different problem with your face.
When Marilyn Monroe had her first meeting with her plastic surgeon, she listed her chief complaint as a “chin deformity.”
In 1950, Marilyn got a “cartilage implant” in her chin to address the same problem, but as implants are known to do, it slowly dissolved over time.
Then, you had to “accidentally” have a fall which resulted in a nose injury.
In 1962, Marilyn Monroe experienced “swelling and tenderness” in her nose after accidentally falling down, and immediately rushed to her plastic surgeon for an emergency consultation.
Next, you had to get an x-ray using a fake name.
On June 7, 1962, Marilyn went to the hospital to get x-rays taken of her injury under the alias Joan Newman, which as Allure points out, was actually a go-to name for women who didn’t want any official record of getting work done to be able to be traced back to them.
Then, when those x-rays came back saying you’re absolutely fine, you had to send out the charts for a second opinion.
The first set of doctors who analyzed Marilyn’s x-rays couldn’t find anything broken in her nose, so her x-rays had to be sent to a second set of doctors who agreed to admit they saw “a minute fracture of the tip of the nasal bone.”
Lastly, you had to take your secret with you to the grave
Unfortunately, this one wasn’t very hard for Marilyn. Less than two months after she went in for x-rays, Marilyn overdosed from barbiturates.
While not all old Hollywood nose job stories ended in such a dark fashion, I think we can all agree that getting a nose job today is way less of a hassle.
[H/T Allure]
