‘They literally break your ribs’: Aussie influencer’s extreme pursuit of the perfect body

Influencer Matilda Baxter has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars perfecting her appearance.

But her latest procedure takes cosmetic surgery to another level - having her ribs deliberately fractured for a smaller waist.

The 23-year-old OnlyFans creator travelled to Bali about two months ago for rib contouring, documenting the procedure and her recovery for her more than one million followers.

“They literally break your ribs,” Baxter told A Current Affair.

The extreme procedure and its popularity online have experts concerned about the unrealistic bodies being promoted to young women.

“I think it is of grave concern that this is being promoted on social media as a look for young women,” neuropsychologist Professor Susan Rossell said.

Baxter has undergone a breast augmentation and high-definition liposuction, and said she spends tens of thousands of dollars each year on her appearance.

Her latest procedure, also known as rib remodelling or the “Barbie waist” procedure, involves fracturing two or three floating ribs.

The ribs are then manipulated into a new position and held in place while they heal, with patients wearing a waist trainer that is continuously tightened over 12 weeks.

Baxter said a Bali-based “snatched waist” business approached her before she joined an influencer trip to Indonesia for the surgery.

“It’s absurd, it’s extreme, like look at me,” she said.

Plastic surgeon Dr Justin Perron, who said he is currently the only doctor trained to perform the procedure in Australia, claimed descriptions of the surgery as illegal or forbidden were incorrect.

The procedure can carry complications including collapsed lungs and nerve and bone damage.

“It does seem extreme, but in actual fact a lot of the procedures that we do are much more invasive,” he suggested.

Perron said Australian patients are screened for body dysmorphia and questioned about their motivations before undergoing the procedure.

For Rossell, who specialises in disordered eating, the concern extends beyond the surgery itself to how extreme cosmetic procedures are presented online.

“I cannot overemphasise the risks of social media for youth and people with eating disorders on body image,” she said.

“The idea that a young person might need to fix a body that there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just a glorified set of images that a certain group of people want to achieve.”

Baxter acknowledged she has some responsibility for what she shares with her audience, but said cosmetic surgery is ultimately an adult’s choice.

Despite spending heavily on procedures, Baxter admitted there are decisions she would reconsider.

“As much as I sit here, and I have had a lot of work done, if I could go back to the start, I wish I had waited,” she said.

Please note the medical information in this story is general in nature. Please always consult your GP or health professional for advice that is tailored to your specific health concerns.

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