Why Barbra Streisand Refused To Get Plastic Surgery To Boost Her Success

Barbra Streisand's distinctly curved nose is one of the most recognizable traits of the EGOT-winning performer (besides her powerhouse voice, of course). But when she was still a budding singer making a name for herself in the 1960s, that's precisely the signature feature some suggested the "Funny Girl" actor "fix" if she wanted to become famous.

In an excerpt of Streisand's memoir "My Name Is Barbra" shared by People, the singer revealed that many people told her to get a nose job and veneers if she wanted to make it in the industry. "I thought, 'Isn't my talent enough?' A nose job would hurt and be expensive. Besides, how could I trust anyone to do exactly what I wanted and no more?" 

Streisand's refusal to go through with the surgery is a testament to the strong-willed attitude she's maintained over her decades-long career. It also shows just how protective the singer was over her greatest attribute and claim to international fame: her voice.

Barbra Streisand explains in her memoir that a doctor told her she had a deviated septum, which occurs when one side of the nasal passage is significantly smaller than the other. She suspected this contributed to her distinct vocal timbre. Thus, a nasal surgery correcting this deviation would prove too risky — and painful, for that matter.

"That probably hurts," Streisand told Rachel Martin of NPR in 2022. "It might even change the sound of my voice. You know, my deviated septum makes me who I am. Why would I change it?" The singer added that even her name was called into question at the onset of her career. "When I first started to record...they wanted me to change my name to Barbra Sands. No — Joni Sands or something like that." (While she never went by a stage name, the singer did change the way she spells her name.)

The "People" singer went so far as to suggest a nose job would've ruined her entire career in a 1977 Playboy magazine interview, per Barbra-Archives.com. Moreover, Streisand added in her memoir that it was a personal preference. The singer said she enjoyed the look of curved, long noses like Italian actress Silvana Mangano. "Everyone seemed to think she was beautiful," Streisand wrote.

Barbra Streisand's decision not to get a nose job might've saved her voice, but it certainly didn't protect her from decades of intense criticism and uncomfortable fascination. In her memoir, she wrote about her 1964 Time cover story, which read: "This nose is a shrine. The face it divides is long and sad, and the look in repose is the essence of hound." Streisand admitted she was hurt by those comments and the countless others she would experience in her career.

Conversely, Streisand credits her nose for saving her from the sexual harassment usually running rampant in Hollywood. While speaking at a Los Angeles event in 2018, the singer said she had never experienced sexual misconduct. "I wasn't like those pretty girls with nice little noses. Maybe that's why," per HuffPost.

Streisand's memoir offers a closer look into the larger-than-life performer's vulnerabilities, revealing how the singer struggled with constant criticism over her appearance that often overshadowed the appreciation for her talent. But as she said in a 2003 Reader's Digest interview (via Barbara-Archives.com), "I'm not going to cry over it. I'm trying to be in the moment, and I'm enjoying my life." And if her impressive career is any indication, she has certainly found ways to enjoy her life — long, curved nose and all.