You’ve seen the photos. They’ve been staples of supermarket tabloids and snarky internet listicles for decades. A face that looks sculpted by a different set of aesthetic rules than the ones the rest of us follow. People call her "Catwoman." They call her a "Bride of Wildenstein." But Jocelyn Wildenstein isn’t just a meme or a cautionary tale of a surgeon’s scalpel gone rogue. She’s a living person who, quite frankly, doesn't really care what you think about her cheekbones.
The catwoman plastic surgery narrative is usually framed as a tragedy of vanity. But if you look at the timeline of her life, the billion-dollar divorce, and her own rare interviews, the story gets a lot weirder—and a lot more human.
Who is Jocelyn Wildenstein, anyway?
Before the headlines, she was Jocelyn Périsset, a Swiss socialite with a penchant for high-stakes living. She wasn't just some girl looking for a rich husband; she was an accomplished pilot and a deep-sea diver. She moved in circles that most of us only see in movies. In the late 70s, she married Alec Wildenstein, a man whose family was—and is—essentially the royalty of the art-dealing world. We are talking about "old money" that makes "new money" look like pocket change.
They had a life of African safaris and New York penthouses. But as the marriage fractured in the 90s, the physical transformation became the focal point of a very public, very messy divorce.
The feline transformation: Why did she do it?
The legend goes like this: Alec Wildenstein loved big cats. Lynx, cheetahs, lions—the family had them on their Ol Jogi ranch in Kenya. The rumor mill, fueled by the 1990s New York Post-style reporting, claimed Jocelyn started the catwoman plastic surgery journey to look more like a lynx to keep her husband’s wandering eye at home.
It sounds like a gothic novel plot.
However, Jocelyn has contested this over the years. In a 2018 interview with Paper Magazine, she and her then-fiancé Lloyd Klein argued that her look is actually quite natural to her Swiss heritage. She pointed to high cheekbones and long hair that she’s had since she was a young woman.
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"If I show you pictures of my grandmother," she said, "what you see is these eyes—cat eyes—and high cheekbones."
Is that the whole truth? Probably not. Most experts, like New York-based plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Westreich, have noted that the sheer volume in her face and the specific "canthopexy" (the tilting of the eyes) suggest a very intentional, very aggressive surgical path.
The cost of a "Cat" face
Estimates for her procedures usually hover around $4 million. That’s a lot of anesthesia.
The work likely includes:
- Multiple brow lifts to pull the forehead tight.
- Mid-face implants to create those aggressive, high cheekbones.
- Canthopexy, which is the procedure that creates the almond-shaped, feline eye slant.
- Significant fat grafting and filler use.
- Multiple lip augmentations.
The result is something the medical community often calls "overfilled syndrome." When you keep adding volume to skin that is losing its elasticity, the face starts to lose its human proportions. It becomes a mask.
The Divorce that shocked New York
The catwoman plastic surgery wasn't the only thing people were talking about in 1999. The Wildenstein divorce was a bloodbath. Alec was caught in bed with a 19-year-old Russian model at their New York townhouse. Jocelyn reportedly walked in, Alec pulled a gun, and the police were called.
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It was a circus.
When the dust settled, Jocelyn was awarded a $2.5 billion settlement plus $100 million each year for 13 years. But there was a catch. The judge, tired of the spectacle, reportedly dictated that she could not use any of her alimony payments for further cosmetic surgery.
That didn't stop her.
The psychology of extreme cosmetic work
Why does someone keep going?
Psychologists often point toward Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a condition where a person becomes obsessed with perceived flaws in their appearance. In the high-society world of 90s Manhattan, where aging was treated like a moral failure, the pressure was immense.
But there’s another layer here. Power.
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Jocelyn didn't want to look like the girl next door. She wanted to look like a Wildenstein. She wanted to look like the apex predators she surrounded herself with. In a way, the catwoman plastic surgery became a suit of armor. If everyone is looking at you, you might as well give them something they can't look away from.
What she looks like today
In recent years, Jocelyn has resurfaced on Instagram. She’s in her 80s now. While she’s been accused of heavy Photoshopping on her social media, she remains unbothered. She lives a life that is still remarkably glamorous, despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018.
Yes, the woman who got $2.5 billion eventually ran into cash flow problems. It turns out that maintaining a global lifestyle with zero income—and a penchant for massive art collections—is a quick way to drain a vault.
The lesson for the rest of us
The story of the catwoman plastic surgery serves as a permanent marker in the history of cosmetic medicine. It represents the "more is more" era that eventually led to the more subtle "tweakment" culture we have today.
Most modern surgeons use Jocelyn as a "what not to do" case study. They talk about "facial harmony" and "rejuvenation" rather than "transformation."
If you're looking at her photos and feeling a sense of judgment, it's worth remembering that she was a woman trying to navigate a world of extreme wealth, infidelity, and public scrutiny. She chose to lean into the feline aesthetic. She chose to become a character.
Actionable Insights for Considering Cosmetic Work
If you are looking at the catwoman plastic surgery as a warning and considering your own procedures, here is how to navigate the modern landscape safely:
- Prioritize Bone Structure Over Fillers: Over-reliance on soft tissue fillers (like Jocelyn's cheek area) often leads to a "pillow face" look. Look for surgeons who focus on underlying structure.
- The "One-Year" Rule: Never get more than one major facial procedure in a calendar year. Your face needs time to settle and for you to emotionally adjust to your new reflection.
- Check for BDD: If you find yourself hyper-fixated on a 1mm "flaw" that others can't see, talk to a therapist before a surgeon. A good surgeon will actually turn you away if they suspect your goals are unreachable.
- Look for "Before and Afters" that look like you: Find a doctor whose portfolio shows results that are subtle. If every patient looks like a different person after surgery, run the other way.
- Understand Revision Risks: Every time you go under the knife to "fix" a previous surgery, the risk of scar tissue and nerve damage triples. The first surgery is always your best chance at a natural result.
Jocelyn Wildenstein remains an icon of a specific kind of New York eccentricity. She isn't a victim; she's a woman who took control of her image in the most extreme way possible. Whether you find it beautiful or bizarre, you can't deny that she's unforgettable. In a world of filtered, identical influencers, there is only one Catwoman.