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A Married at First Sight Australia star has revealed she is undergoing a controversial sculpting surgery to give her a ‘Barbie waist’.
Bec Zacharia said she is travelling to Bali for the procedure, which is highly restricted in her home country and in other nations.
Fans of the reality TV star reacted with shock to her revelation, which involves invasive rib contouring.
Critics argue the trend promotes unrealistic beauty standards and raises concerns about the risks of invasive cosmetic procedures being marketed on social media.
As of last year, experts warned in a medical review that there was not enough evidence of the ‘long-term safety’ of the procedure.
In a video posted on her socials, the contestant from season 13 of MAFS Australia she had decided to go ahead with rib contouring after thinking about it ‘long and hard’.
What are the dangers of rib contouring?
- Plastic surgeons have warned that rib contouring can cause pneumothorax, otherwise known as a collapsed lung. Dr Steven Teitelbaum, a Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon, told Allure: ‘The risk of it will probably never be eliminated.’
- In 2025, a medical review published in the National Library of Medicine concluded that there isn’t enough evidence for the long-term safety of the procedure, outlining: ‘Rib remodeling appears to offer a less invasive alternative to full-rib resection, with a reduced risk of complications. However, the current literature is insufficient to provide conclusive evidence regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of these procedures.’
- It’s been reported that in Brazil, the Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine has classed cosmetic rib remodelling as ‘experimental’. José Armando Faria Jr, the President of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery, said in a statement translated from Portuguese: ‘The CFM’s decision is law and must be respected. If new studies emerge tomorrow that show safety, then a new evaluation can be requested. But, for now, it is prohibited.’
According to the publication news.com.au, the procedure, nicknamed ‘Barbie waist’, is not approved in Australia.
According to a paper published in the National Library of Medicine, rib remodelling particularly targets ribs 11 and 12 to reduce waist circumference.
It has emerged as a trend among women to reshape their bodies to achieve a smaller waist that would otherwise be humanly unattainable.
The author of the paper, Alfredo E Hoyos, said that even rib remodelling procedures that are regarded as being less invasive can ‘result in severe postoperative pain requiring opioid treatment’.
In a previous video, Bec discussed some of the reasoning behind wanting to get the procedure alongside another former MAFS Australia contestant, Awhina Rutene.
There has been backlash online from people who don’t think these women should be promoting this kind of cosmetic surgery.
An account called Mafs Uncensored said on Instagram: ‘Young women are already being told they’re not thin enough, toned enough, curvy enough, pretty enough, or confident enough.
‘Every day they’re bombarded with messages suggesting there’s something else to fix, tweak or change about themselves. Do we really need to market yet another way to alter a healthy body?’
Another user, Lexy Thornberry, said: ‘Having gone through cancer at 24 and praying more than anything to get my health back I hate to see something like this that puts a perfectly healthy young woman at risk…’
Is it safe to travel abroad for medical treatment?
Travelling abroad from countries like Australia and the UK for medical treatments can pose significant risks.
A Travel Aware campaign from Gov.UK warns: ‘All medical treatments carry risks and when you go abroad you have additional potential complications such as differing clinical standards, the need to cover the cost associated with unanticipated complications or emergencies, and difficulties travelling home post-surgery during recovery.
‘It is important to consider all the care you may need after any operation or procedure, which can sometimes last for years.’
While Julie Rose wrote: ‘Young girls will be following and watching and this is not the kind of content they should be seeing.’
Under Bec’s most recent video where she confirmed she’d be getting it done imminently, others wished her well. Shakas said: ‘Sending you prayers for a safe procedure, you are beautiful either way.’
The reality TV contestant ended her video with the saying: ‘My body, my choice.’
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, risks include pneumothorax (when air leaks into the space between your lung and chest wall), nerve irritation and failure of the rib’s bone cortex healing.
One’s ribs surround and protect vital organs like your heart and lungs, and the procedure is performed close to the latter, as well as one’s kidneys, nerves and major blood vessels.