Kehlani recently decided to remove their breast implants, and now the Blue Water Road singer has explained what led them to make that decision.
In a new interview with Byrdie magazine, Kehlani—who came out as lesbian earlier this year—opened up about their journey with gender identity and body image. Around four years ago, Kehlani noted, they felt pressured to get implants after people online made disparaging, body-shaming comments.
“I got breast implants about four years ago because I was very much struggling with what beauty meant to me,” they said. “I remember this video of me performing went viral. People were like ‘she’s horribly built.’ So I went and got breast implants.”
After the implants, Kehlani endured persistent fatigue, joint pain, and new allergies. After seeing a doctor, they were told they might have breast implant illness, an autoimmune condition that can impact individuals who received silicone breast implants.
“I was already feeling dysphoric about my breast implants because I’m such a ‘tomboy.’ Like, how do I even put these in outfits?” they recalled. “I actually feel way more beautiful than I ever felt because I feel healthy. … I really don’t take my natural body for granted anymore. I got things done that went away because my body type was not meant to be changed in the way I thought I could change it.”
Kehlani said they felt bullied into getting the implants but is at peace now. “I let the world bully me into feeling like I needed this. It’s been such a journey to figure out how I feel about the way that I look,” they added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kehlani reiterated that their pronouns are she/they. “I don’t mind when people say ‘she’ at all, but something feels really affirming when people say ‘they,’” Kehlani said. “It feels like…you really see me.”
The singer is set to release their Blue Water Road album early next year.
On Thursday, the video for Yung Bleu and Kehlani’s “Beautiful Lies” was released, which you can watch below:
