A woman says she regrets her “publicity stunt” after spending almost £6,000 ($12,000 AUD) turning herself into a ‘cat’.
Jolene Dawson made headlines after splashing out on filler and ‘experimental’ thread procedures to flare her nostrils, all in order to look like a feline.
In a TikTok that went viral garnering 900,000 views, the 29-year-old admitted it was all a bid to get attention – and says she now regrets getting the work done after being left with painful side effects.
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“This was always intended to be a publicity stunt and I stuck with reversible options because I knew I wouldn’t want to look like a cat forever,” Jolene, a venture capitalist, told What’s The Jam.
“However, I could have never predicted my body’s reaction to these treatments and the way it has changed the composition of my lower face.”
Jolene says her body began to “reject” the filler, and the “experimental” barbed threading left lesions on her cheeks after she tried to remove the threads herself due to pain.
She believes that, in doing so, it has created internal damage and potentially scarring.
Jolene also has other “lesions” on her face, which she originally thought were pimples.
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After trying to pop them, she says filler came out rather than pus.
And despite her previous claims that she “relates to cats” and had “never felt more myself” following the procedures, Jolene has since admitted that it was all an act.
In the TikTok, Jolene, who lives in Gold Coast, Australia, said: “I recently spent $12,000 on cosmetic procedures to look like a cat, and now I’m losing my voice, I’m in agony and I regret it so much.
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“I’ll be honest with you – and I don’t want to admit this – but I was just doing this for attention.
“I never wanted to be a cat, I never identified as a cat.
“I knew better than to do this.
“Because I didn’t want it to be permanent, I’m very lucky that this is all that is happening – I didn’t use silicone or anything like that.
“I didn’t go under the knife – I may have at some point, if this was profitable enough for me.
“In the past, I’ve done things like this for attention and it’s been successful.
“But, I haven’t augmented my body to such an extreme, and I think that’s the mistake I’ve made.
“I thought I could push it a little further.”
Jolene says her plans have gone “completely downhill” following the issues she believes were caused by the procedures.
She is currently suffering with acid reflux, which she says is causing her to lose her voice.
Jolene said: “What I think has happened is that filler may have migrated into either my nasal cavity or my sinus cavity, and is now running down the back of my throat, causing acid reflux and loss of voice.
“I am really worried about this, but I think it should be OK.”
She is now hopeful to have all of the filler properly removed so her face can return to normal, and is also working in therapy on her “need for validation in the form of public attention”.
Jolene added: “I do really regret this.
“You reap what you sow.
“This is my fault, this is no one else’s fault.
“Nobody asked me to do this.
“I’m well aware of how dumb this was.
“I have been in a lot of pain because of it.
“I just want to advise against ever getting experimental procedures, and any procedure for the wrong reason.”
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