women

IT’S an invasive, extremely high-risk procedure that could leave patients with a lung puncture, nerve damage and chronic pain.

But despite the eye-watering risks, more women than ever are opting for ‘Barbie rib’ surgery – that’s having one or more ribs taken out – to achieve a tiny waist.

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In the 1950s, stars of the silver screen such as Marilyn Monroe wowed with their tiny hourglass figures.

But in 2025, women are going one step further by opting for the latest surgery trend.

When Kim Kardashian graced the Met Gala’s red carpet last March wearing a tightly cinched silver corset, it sparked rumours that the A-lister may have gone under the knife.

While getting ready for the event, she told Vogue: “I’ll feel so snatched I won’t even be able to communicate to you how snatched I feel.”

She fiercely denied rumours of rib removal, later saying: “I don’t even know if that’s possible.”

Well, the shocking surgery IS possible, with many women now going under the knife to achieve the same look as their favourite red carpet celebs.

The surgery, performed under general anaesthesia, involves the surgeon detaching the rib bone and removing it or partially removing to give the appearance of a slimmer waistline.

The ribs can also be repositioned, and a rib brace is then worn to compress the midsection.

It’s an incredibly dangerous procedure that could cause the lungs to collapse or damage other internal organs, with few experienced surgeons willing to carry out the op.

Hazim Sadideen, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Cadogan Clinic, told The Sun: “There’s been a lot of noise around the ‘Barbie rib’ procedure, and I think it’s important to separate fact from fiction.

“First off, rib modification and rib removal are very different things.

“True rib removal, where one or more of the floating ribs are completely taken out, is an invasive and high-risk procedure. I would never recommend it purely for cosmetic reasons.

“The risks include lung puncture, nerve damage and chronic pain. There are long-term asymmetry risks too.”

Other celebs have also been rumoured to have had the surgery, including Cher and singer Prince, while other A-listers have donned corsets and tight dresses on the red carpet to achieve a cinched look – a body ideal that has seeped onto social media.

Under the knife

Despite the controversy, Essex Mum Kerry Miles, 41, still planned to spend £15,000 on the procedure after using a corset to shrink her waist to just 21 inches.

Belgian performer Jada Sparks spent over £14,000 having ribs removed. The former nurse said: “I’ve done it for the cosmetic reason, but also the thrill of it to be honest.

“I went down about 2.5 inches from the start until now.

“I think I have reached my ultimate result now. In the beginning, it felt weird, but your body is an odd thing, it can adapt really quick.

“So, I like the feeling right now of having something ‘missing’.”

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Emily James, an influencer from Kansas City, Missouri, spent £13,000 having six of her ribs removed last year – and claims it is no different to a Brazilian Butt Lift.

Emily told The Sun she’d researched her procedure thoroughly and defended her decision. 

She says: “I absolutely think that it’s important to make informed, well-thought-out decisions before you get plastic surgery.

“People should not just be going into random like garages, getting oil pumped into their bodies for like a BBL or getting veneered by some girl that you found on Instagram.

“It’s important to make well-informed decisions, and if you’re going into it with the mindset knowing the risks and the benefits, then you absolutely should do what you want to do.

“But just keep in mind that it is plastic surgery, and there are dangers involved, and there are risks and complications that can arise from getting these kinds of surgeries.”

‘Barbie waist’

The iconic Barbie doll has impossible proportions – which in real life would be 39″ bust, 18″ waist and 33″ hips.

Her terrifyingly tiny waist measurement would in reality be smaller than that of the average three-year-old.

A Google search of “Barbie rib procedure” yields over 135,000 results.

But while Mr Sadideen believes filtered images don’t reveal the truth about invasive procedures, Emily, who had post-surgery complications with a catheter, was able to get the surgery without any psychological evaluation or counselling.

“There was nothing like that,” she says. “But it was a really hard process to find someone that I felt comfortable going to.

“There were lots that were certified to do the surgery, but I didn’t feel they were qualified. I wanted someone who really understood me.” 

Emily flew almost 800 miles for the surgery in Cleveland, Ohio.

But with the trend taking off on social media and celebrities in the US, Germany and UK reportedly having it done, increasing numbers of women are attending clinics asking for their ribs to be removed.

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While Towie’s Abigail Clarke is also rumoured to have had the procedure, Emily says the invasive and risky surgery, which she’s still recovering from, was more painful than she imagined.

“I got there about 6.30 in the morning and honestly, I was really scared,” she says. “I knew my rib removal was going to be painful because I’d done a lot of research.

“I had my boobs done at the same time, but coming out of surgery, I was super swollen, and I couldn’t sit up or lay down by myself.

“I had to have someone help me stand up, lay down, pretty much do everything.

“It was a really intense surgery, and I had a lot of numbness and pain for a long time.”

‘Emotional toll’

While Emily has documented her journey online, Mr Sadideen says social media could be to blame for the increase in requests for these types of invasive procedures.

“What really worries me is how social media glamorises extreme body transformations without showing the full story – the recovery, the risks, or the emotional toll,” he says.

“The rise of these trends is often driven by filtered images and unattainable ideals, which can feed into body dysmorphia and lead people to believe something drastic is the only solution.”

While Emily had no psychological evaluation at all prior to the procedure which altered her skeleton, he believes the mental capacity of a patient should factor into every surgical evaluation.

Just because something is technically possible doesn’t mean it’s the right choice

Mr Hazim Sadideen

“Any patient considering a procedure like this should undergo a thorough psychological assessment to ensure they’re making this choice for the right reasons, not due to pressure or distorted self-image,” he says.

“As surgeons, we have a duty to protect our patients.

“Just because something is technically possible doesn’t mean it’s the right choice.”

Despite having the support of her loved ones, Emily is aware that she entered into the procedure without any long-term idea of how her rib removal might affect her body in the future.

“I knew going into surgery, the ribs I was having removed do serve some protection of my kidneys and my liver,” she says.

“I don’t think that I regret any of my surgeries, but who knows when I’m 60 if I’ll have complications from my rib removal.

“I’ve noticed already there has been one weird complication that whenever I get sick or cough, my muscles separate. So yeah, there might be complications later down the road.”

Mr Sadideen says there is a less invasive option that can be considered without needing to go to the dangerous extremes Emily has.

“There is a more conservative alternative sometimes referred to as rib reshaping or rib modification,” he says.

“In very carefully selected cases, surgeons may use a controlled mini-fracture technique to slightly bend a rib inward.

“It’s a method already used in nose reshaping – known as rhinoplasty – and orthopaedic surgery.

“But it must be done with the utmost precision, using detailed scans, ultrasound guidance during surgery, and specific tools to reduce risk and avoid complications.

“Even so, the data is still emerging, and we don’t yet have a full picture of long-term safety or outcomes.”

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While Emily – who plans to make a crown out of the ribs she’s had removed – has received a barrage of online hate for her surgery choices, she says it doesn’t bother her.

“I’ve had a lot of people say that I worship the devil, or that I’m like, controlled by Satan because I am making a crown out of my rib bones, which is really silly,” she says.

While there are plenty of celebrities who are rumoured to have had the procedure done – from Cher to Prince to Kim Kardashian and Demi Moore, Mr Sadideen says society’s obsession with filters could be resulting in the dangerous trend growing in popularity.

“Extreme procedures like rib removal should be a last resort, not a trend,” he says.

“And we should all be asking: are we doing this to feel better, or just to look better on a screen?”

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WASHINGTON — Markets rejoiced this week over news that the Trump administration, after six weeks of maximalist rhetoric, had struck a preliminary deal with China to lower tariff rates between the two countries. Tech stocks led the rally, with investors hopeful that President Trump had finally retreated from plans for a protracted trade war with a vital trading partner.

But the celebration may be premature, industry insiders, foreign diplomats and market experts said, telling The Times that Silicon Valley will face strong headwinds in the months ahead — the makings of a perfect storm of uncertainty that could still tip the U.S. economy into recession.

Investigation at Commerce

Wall Street reacted with similar exuberance last month on word that tech products, such as smartphones and computers, would be exempt from Trump’s 145% tariffs on China — a figure that was reduced in the deal struck on Monday to 30%, marking a significant reduction, but still far higher than tariffs have ever been on Chinese imports.

And yet the April 12 White House announcement outlining exemptions was widely misunderstood as a walk-back. In fact, those tech products, including the iPhone, are exempted from existing tariff rates only temporarily, because the Commerce Department is conducting an ongoing review of whether to impose separate import duties on the sector over specific national security concerns.

The investigation, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, is progressing, with the Commerce Department recently ending its acceptance of public comments. The department, led by Secretary Howard Lutnick, could issue findings anytime in the coming months, alongside a tariff rate of unknown size that may severely affect Silicon Valley companies.

The review is causing uncertainty in its own right. But Lutnick has indicated that action is forthcoming. He has repeatedly advocated for the iPhone to be manufactured in the United States — a process that would require a large, skilled workforce in high-tech manufacturing produced by the very universities being targeted by the Trump administration, and would substantially increase the price of computing products for American households.

Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary who has earned greater confidence than Lutnick from the business community, is the one leading trade negotiations with China, where many of those products are made. That has Silicon Valley executives questioning which one of them is in charge, and whom they should be speaking with, according to one tech executive, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

“The core issue for Silicon Valley lies in the uncertainty and potential cost disruption these bring to critical technology components, especially semiconductors,” said Subhajyoti Bandyopadhyay, a professor of information systems and operations management at the University of Florida.

“While ostensibly about national security, the application of these investigations can introduce significant volatility into supply chain planning and investment decisions. Companies might hesitate to commit to certain sourcing strategies if there’s a persistent threat,” he added. “All of which is to say that there will be quite a bit of turbulence ahead for strategic planners of Silicon Valley firms.”

Looming battle with Europe

Announcing the reduction in trade tensions with China on Monday, Trump turned his attention to the European Union, another major trading partner, and levied a threat.

“The European Union is in many ways nastier than China,” the president said. “They’ll come down a lot. You watch. We have all the cards. They treat us very unfairly.”

But the Europeans believe they have some cards, as well.

Trump’s focus on trade with Europe has been on tangible goods, such as agricultural products, manufactured items, pharmaceuticals and cars — a grouping of products that on their own would show a significant U.S. trade deficit with the continent. But European officials use different math. They want to account for European use of U.S. digital services to level the playing field.

One European official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said that the taxation of digital services — such as online advertising, social media platforms and streaming services — is expected to be a “significant” component of the upcoming negotiations.

“Silicon Valley should be very concerned,” said Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. “The U.S. really stands to lose if there are certain tariffs that are brought to services, and I think people in the U.S. understand that, and would try to prevent it from happening.”

Targeting the U.S. digital sector offers Europe potent leverage in negotiations with the Trump administration, not only because it represents such a large portion of the American economy, but also because it applies acute pressure on Trump’s political allies in Silicon Valley — a tactic that could ultimately persuade him to cave.

“Trump blinked on the China tariffs at least in part because China aggressively retaliated,” Strain said. “That will be interesting to watch if other trading partners modify their strategy: learning that punching the bully in the nose is the right thing to do.”

Rates remain high on China

One of Trump’s first calls on Monday morning after announcing his temporary truce with China was to Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook. “He’s going to be building a lot of plants in the United States for Apple,” Trump said. “We look forward to that.”

Apple can’t build them fast enough. Although it committed $500 billion in investments over the next four years in U.S. production, including new plants and a manufacturing academy, uncertainty in the interim will force the company to make hard decisions on its product lines.

Despite some protection from the exemptions in place as the Commerce investigation proceeds, the California tech giant still faces hurdles from the tariffs that remain high across supply chains — not just in China, where rates remain at 30%, but also elsewhere in Asia, including India and Vietnam, which face 10% import duties. In the most recent earnings call, before the China deal was announced, Cook estimated that Apple could incur a $900-million hit from tariffs.

“For companies like Apple, and indeed much of Silicon Valley, this overall environment isn’t just about weathering a storm; it’s about fundamentally rethinking global operations,” Bandyopadhyay said. “We’re already witnessing the strategic pivots.”

To offset the costs of tariffs, Apple could increase the prices of iPhones in the fall. But the company also has to walk a fine line both politically and financially. The Trump administration has been critical of companies such as Amazon that have considered showing consumers the impact of tariffs.

“This is all sort of a game of poker, and also remember, Tim Cook is 10% politician, 90% CEO,” said Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities analyst who covers the technology sector.

Ives said the upcoming iPhone 17 could cost $100 more than the current model, but his firm estimates that could reduce demand by 5%, delaying consumers’ purchases of new devices. Other analysts said it is tough to say if prices will increase, with the smartphone maker keeping prices relatively stable in recent years.

The debate over Apple’s fate has proved to be a sensitive point in U.S. negotiations with Beijing. Last month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry recirculated a video from a visit Cook made to China in 2017, in which he explained why Silicon Valley companies find themselves so reliant on the Chinese supply chain.

“The popular conception is that companies come to China because of low labor costs. I am not sure what part of China they go to, but the truth is China stopped being a low-labor-cost country many years ago,” Cook said at the time. “The reason is because of the skill, the quantity of skill in one location, and the type of skill it is.”

“The products we do require really advanced tooling and the precision that you have to have in tooling and working with materials that we do are state-of-the-art,” he added. “If you look at the U.S., you could have a meeting of tooling engineers and I’m not sure we could fill a room. In China, you could fill multiple football fields.”

Times staff writer Queenie Wong in San Francisco contributed to this report.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: California to ask federal judge for sweeping pause to Trump’s tariffs
The deep dive: Trade truce with China is hailed, but it may not be enough to stop shortages
The L.A. Times Special: Newsom claims Trump’s tariffs will reduce California revenues by $16 billion

More to come,
Michael Wilner
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Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian has bought a stake in Women’s Super League champions Chelsea.

Ohanian, who is the husband of American tennis star Serena Williams, will have a seat on the club’s board after purchasing a 8-10% share, believed to be worth around £20m.

In a post to X, external, Ohanian said: “I’ve bet big on women’s sports before, and I’m doing it again.

“I’m proud to announce that I’m joining Chelsea as an investor and board member. I’m honored for the chance to help this iconic club become every American’s favorite WSL team and much, much more.”

He also posted images of Chelsea kits with the names of his children, Olympia and Adira, on the backs.

The 42-year-old has invested in women’s football previously, as the largest shareholder in American club side Angel City FC until it was sold in 2024 for £192.3 million – the highest price for a women’s sports team until this deal.

Depardieu is put on the sex offenders list and receives a suspended sentence for groping the women on a film set.

A French court has handed down an 18-month suspended sentence to actor Gerard Depardieu after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

The Paris court announced on Tuesday morning that Depardieu, the 76-year-old who did not attend court for the verdict, would be placed on the sex offenders list.

In one of the country’s highest-profile Me Too cases, Depardieu, a prominent figure of French cinema who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The trial relates to charges of sexual assault during the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) directed by Jean Becker.

One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a 54-year-old set decorator, told the court that Depardieu had groped her as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments.

“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she said, adding: “I was terrified, he was laughing.”

The second witness, a 34-year-old assistant director who was unnamed, said Depardieu initially assaulted her when she accompanied him from his dressing room to the set.

“It was nighttime … he put his hand on my buttocks,” she said, adding that the actor assaulted her on two other occasions.

Judge Thierry Donard said the actor’s explanation of the events had been unconvincing.

“I’m vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, I’ll accept that,” Depardieu told the court, but added: “I don’t touch.”

“I adore women and femininity,” he also said, describing the Me Too movement as a “reign of terror”.

Depardieu also argued before the court that he did not consider placing a hand on a person’s bottom to be sexual assault and that some women were too easily shocked.

Amelie K’s lawyer described Tuesday’s ruling as a “beautiful decision” that gave recognition to Depardieu’s victims.

After the sentencing, Depardieu’s lawyer said they would appeal the court decision.

In recent years, the French actor has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations, with about 20 women coming forward with accusations, but this case was the first to go to court.

The Me Too movement came to prominence in 2017 for people to share their experiences of sexual abuse and sexual harassment by influential figures.

California voters have sharply differing views over two of the state’s most prominent Democrats, according to a new poll.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to decide by the end of the summer whether she runs for California governor in 2026, has near universal name recognition among California voters, and 50% view her favorably, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times.

In contrast, California voters, notably residents of the city of Los Angeles, are more likely to view Mayor Karen Bass unfavorably. In the aftermath of the devastating fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades earlier this year and criticism of the city’s response, Bass’ approval ratings are dire among Angelenos, who are overwhelmingly Democratic. Voters’ unhappiness with the mayor could create difficulties for her reelection campaign next year if the mood persists.

“When you’re underwater and almost universally known — 82% of voters can offer an opinion of Bass in Los Angeles city — one of the hardest things to overcome is an accumulated negative image,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the IGS poll. “Once you develop an unfavorable image, it’s hard to overcome. It almost requires another major event she can take credit for or look good in handling.”

The Democrats are longtime allies — Harris swore Bass in when she was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 2022 after defeating real estate developer Rick Caruso by nearly 10 points.

Both women were among the elected officials vetted to be Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election. Harris ultimately prevailed, was elected vice president and then became the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 after Biden decided not to run for reelection.

But California voters have strikingly different thoughts about the veteran elected officials.

Perceptions of Bass, a longtime member of Congress and the state Legislature, have faltered in the aftermath of the fires — a notable reversal among Californians who were optimistic about her prospects shortly before she won the mayoral election in 2022.

In October of that year, 50% of likely voters in Los Angeles had a positive opinion of Bass, while 35% had a negative view, according to a UC Berkeley/Times poll conducted at the time.

Now, half of the city’s voters surveyed perceive her negatively, while 32% have a favorable impression, according to the new poll. In Los Angeles, with the exception of Black voters and senior citizens, Bass is viewed more unfavorably than positively among voters of every other age group, and men and women. Statewide, 42% of voters do not have a favorable view of Bass, who is facing a recall effort that is unlikely to make the ballot. Only 1 in 5 (19%) give her high marks.

Harris, despite losing the presidential election to Donald Trump in 2024, is faring better than Bass among California voters as she weighs a gubernatorial bid next year to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot run for the seat again because of term limits.

Roughly 96% of California voters know enough about Harris to have an opinion about her, according to the poll. That’s a stratospheric level of name identification in an enormous state where lesser-known candidates must spend tens of millions of dollars in hopes of raising their profile.

Voters’ views of Harris, a former U.S. senator, state attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, are split, with 50% having a positive image of the Bay Area native, compared with 46% holding a negative impression, according to the poll. She drew stronger support from voters who tend to cast ballots more frequently in statewide elections — women, younger and older voters, and residents of the Bay Area and Los Angeles County.

Voters’ views of Harris varied dramatically over the past 15 years. She barely won the state attorney general’s race in 2010 and was unknown by a large segment of voters, DiCamillo said. By the time Harris ran for the U.S. Senate in 2016, she was viewed favorably by the state’s voters, though many did not know enough about her to offer an opinion.

“As she settled into her job as U.S. senator, people started to pay more attention to her. Obviously, she was getting a lot of attention when she was grilling Supreme Court nominees,” DiCamillo said, with voters becoming far more familiar with Harris and having positive views of her.

Those impressions sank during her unsuccessful run for president in 2020, improved in the early days of the Biden administration, and then dipped again when she was vice president and assigned intractable issues such as the flow of immigrants fleeing Central America, he said. Her image has improved slightly since then, but is strong among Democrats, frequent voters, women and residents of the Bay Area and Los Angeles County, subgroups that would be critical sources of support if she decides to run for governor.

Harris has kept a relatively low profile since her November loss in the presidential race, but delivered her most full-throated remarks about Trump in late April. Blasting his policies as a betrayal of the nation’s founding principles, the former vice president warned of a looming constitutional crisis.

But fellow Democrats have criticized Harris for not planning on making a decision about whether to run for governor until the end of the summer. Her delayed plans have put the race in limbo and made some deep-pocketed political donors hesitant to write checks.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Harris supporter in prior elections, is among the Democrats running for governor who have publicly expressed frustration about her delay in announcing her intentions.

Harris’ team has a “level of arrogance” about their lackadaisical approach to leading a state with the fourth-largest economy in the world, he said in an interview in Sacramento on Tuesday, six days before the poll was published.

“California is not a steppingstone,” Villaraigosa said, shortly after speaking at a Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California conference. “Stop playing footsie. Either run for governor or not.”

The Berkeley IGS poll surveyed 6,201 California registered voters online in English and Spanish from April 21 to 28, including 611 voters living in the city of Los Angeles. The results are estimated to have a margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction in the overall sample, and larger numbers for subgroups. Details of the poll results on Harris and Bass will be made public on Tuesday.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Despite political promises, Californians are stressed about their finances
The TK: The Partisan Mind Virus
The L.A. Times Special: Trump is wrong. My dad was a trucker, and he didn’t need much English to do his job

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