From "ugly" to a star of social networks: a Japanese blogger spent $170,000 on plastic surgery (8 photos + 1 video)

Hirase Airi, a 27-year-old Japanese blogger, has spent around 24 million yen ($170,000) on plastic surgery to completely change her appearance and her life. If you see her photos before she began her plastic surgery journey, you'd swear they're two different people.





The difference in appearance is like night and day, and the young woman admits that without the work she's done over the past few years, she wouldn't be where she is today.

In addition to having over two million fans across various social media platforms, she has appeared on television shows and also works as a ring girl at fight events. She is living the life she always dreamed of, all thanks to her drastic physical transformation. She has turned her experiences into content that has resonated with many people. She now advocates for cosmetic procedures, claiming that she is living proof that they can completely change a person’s life for the better.



Airi Hirase attributes her decision to emotional scars from childhood abuse, particularly from her mother, who constantly criticized her appearance, claiming that she looked like her father, the man who betrayed her mother and left her with large debts. She was also bullied by her peers, calling her ugly and a "scary man." Hirase said she developed such an inferiority complex that she was afraid of mirrors and even broke them.





She said she tried to commit suicide when she was in middle school, but was saved by a friend who sensed something was wrong. Hirase said she decided to "become beautiful" at age 15 and began working part-time helping people move and as a security guard at age 16.



She left her mother's house and rented an inexpensive one-room apartment. During her busiest periods, Hirase juggled two part-time jobs and managed to sleep only four hours a day.



Over eight years, she saved up about 10 million yen (US$70,000) and invested the money in major cosmetic surgery that transformed her into a completely different person. Hirase said she "did all this to live."



She has since built a sizable following on social media by posting before and after photos of her transformation. She says she has had at least 20 surgeries on her face and chest. A few months ago, Hirase posted a few videos of her dramatic transformation on YouTube, and people were shocked by the difference.



Hirase Airi believes that plastic surgery has turned her life around. She went from humble beginnings to appearing on hit shows like Love Hyena and amassing millions of online followers. While some people see plastic surgery as a trap, she swears by it as a lifesaver.

In an interview with Shueisha Online, Hirase talked about how she would feel if her future children looked like her before surgery. “I will never act like my mother. I will give my children lots of love and care,” she said.



One online commenter said, “Hirase is an extraordinary person. She can succeed in anything with her tenacity and self-control.” Another said she sympathised with her: "She was a victim of her irresponsible parents who passed on their genes to her and blamed her for it. I'm glad she found a way out."