While you may not recognize her name at first glance, if you grew up as a Disney kid, you know Christy Carlson Romano. From being the voice of the iconic Kim Possible to her roles in generation-shaping Disney originals like Cadet Kelly and Even Stevens, Christy Carlson Romano is an icon of the early 2000s.
As we all know too well, being a child star is not easy, and comes with a lot of criticism from an early age which, as Carlson Romano revealed in a recent interview with PEOPLE, led to—in her case—body image issues and a decision to get breast implants which she’s “never regretted.”
Carlson Romano’s Breast Surgery and Body-Image Journey
While Carlson Romano just celebrated turning 40, she remembers her teen years on Disney and the consequences it had on her self image like they were yesterday. “I remember being in the news recently because I mentioned that my mom was sort of talking to me about whether or not I should get [breast] implants,” Carlson Romano told PEOPLE, “and I actually had a really positive experience throughout that process because I had somebody to talk to.”
The actress went on to explain that with her mother’s guidance, she made the decision to get breast implants at 18. “And one thing I will say is that I do think that my mom walked me through every step of it, and I never felt scared about that decision,” she affirms. “In fact, I’ve never regretted getting them done. Never once.”
Carlson Romano has opened up about the body-image issues that shaped her decision to get plastic surgery in the past, explaining on her podcast Vulnerable that she “had actually had body image issues after Cadet Kelly—big time. I had that very tight, rigid uniform on for Jennifer Stone. And I remember seeing—and a lot of times it comes up in memes—where I’m standing face-to-face with [Hilary Duff] and I’m completely flat-chested.” Romano went on to tell PEOPLE that, after expressing her discontent with her body to her mother, her self-proclaimed “stage mom” let her know that plastic surgery was an option, and guided her through the confidence-restoring journey that followed.
