Many teenagers today can’t imagine growing up without social media, while many adults can’t imagine a childhood with it. Mayim Bialik recently revealed that if she had had apps like Instagram and Snapchat growing up, she might have considered cosmetic surgery.
Bialik Reveals ‘I Probably Would Have Asked For Plastic Surgery’
While talking with actor Justin Long on his podcast, Life is Short, the pair discussed Bialik’s career as a teen star in the ’90s on Blossom. The actress talked about the insecurities she had as a young person in the spotlight, and how having social media would have made it worse.
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“I’m so glad there wasn’t social media, because I already knew all the things I wasn’t invited to, so imagine looking at pictures of it,” Bialik said of her time in high school. She went on to say that she wanted to “disappear” and “felt very unworthy of attention or praise.”
“I probably would have asked for plastic surgery,” the actress admitted. “A lot of girls would get a nose job at 16 in a lot of circles. I definitely wished I had a different face, which I think is also, a lot of kids go through that, boys and girls. I do think, if social media had existed, I don’t know if that pressure would not have gotten to me in a way where I would have said, ‘I can do it different. Look at this one who did it different. Look at that one.’”
Bialik: ‘I Had A Lot Of Rough Experiences In Junior High’
Imagining what she would have been like had she used social media as a teen, Bialik said, “I think I would have gotten into more, I don’t want to say materialistic things, but a lot more body consciousness. I mean, it was hard being flat-chested until I was 17, 16, but, like, the depths to which I would have been miserable about it, I think would have been a lot. It was a big deal to be teased for that.”
Even though she was a TV star, Bialik said she was unpopular in high school. “Boys didn’t like me in the first place because I was strange and I didn’t have breasts,” she explained. “Girls were not really a fan of me either because I was pulling attention. I had a lot of rough girl experiences in junior high of like, well, ‘We don’t want people to think we’re hanging out with you because you’re famous so we’re just not gonna hang out with you.’”
How She Overcame Her Insecurities
Bialik graduated high school and took a break from acting to attend UCLA, where she earned an undergraduate and doctorate degree in neuroscience. She then went on to star in The Big Bang Theory and is now the co-host of Jeopardy!
“I think that’s one of the really beautiful things about adulthood,” Bialik explained. “I don’t have a fantastic dating history but I’m grateful that I’ve had partners that have really really found me beautiful. And absolutely you have to ‘find yourself beautiful’ and you need to ‘love yourself’ but I also don’t think there’s anything wrong, especially from a feminist, to say that when someone who sees you emotionally and intellectually also sees beauty in you, it’s very powerful.” Fans loved hearing Bialik’s candid comments about the effect social media would have had on her, and how she overcame her teenage insecurities.