I’m the catfish queen – trolls say my transformation should be illegal but I don’t care… it’s normal to have no teeth
YOU’VE likely seen her controversial catfish transformation videos where she dubs herself the “toothless queen”.
But Alicia Hebner’s story is more inspiring than her glum-to-glam before and after shots let on.
The 38-year-old has been toothless for eight years after slowly losing her nashers during her 20s.
Once avoidant of the mirror, she has since employed her dentures, make-up and hair extensions to gain the title as “queen catfish” and no longer cares that she’s toothless.
Mum-of-four Alicia has been told she should be “burnt at the stake” and that her beauty transformations should be made “illegal”.
Hateful comments do not put her off posting her beauty overhaul videos and she continues to raise awareness around tooth loss and dentures while showing how she “learned to love herself even when she was broken”.
Alicia first noticed issues with her teeth when she fell pregnant with her first child at 21-years-old.
Not many women are aware that high levels of the hormones progesterone and oestrogen during pregnancy can make your pearly whites erode.
By the time Alicia was 30-years-old and had her fourth child, her smile had totally rotted and she’d lost a number of teeth.
“I knew I was going to have to get dentures,” she recalled on a Truly documentary. “I got really into make-up as a way to take the focus off my mouth.
“It gave me a therapeutic way to process how I was feeling and express myself.
“I got really good at it without intending to and then it turned into a whole lot more.”
Alicia started sharing her “catfish queen” transformations on TikTok in lockdown – but they didn’t always attract positive attention.
Trolls have dubbed her the “definition of a catfish” and claimed it “should be illegal” to change your appearance so much.
Alicia starts each transformation video with no make-up in and without teeth, before putting in her extensions and dentures alongside a full face of glam eyeshadow, contouring and fake eyelashes.
Her candid clips have struck a chord with millions of women suffering with their self-esteem, and she currently has three million followers on TikTok alone.
“I started out doing this to help myself heal and to see how far I could get with my own self-acceptance,” Alicia said.
She initially felt nervous when posting videos on social media but now, since building a loyal fanbase, she loves watching her catfish transformations go viral.
What’s more, the reaction is mainly positive.
“People lose their teeth for so many reasons,” the TikTok sensation said. “I think any effort you make in yourself is something to be proud of.
“You can’t let people make you feel bad about it.
“I’m just trying to normalise that we are the same person with or without make-up, without plastic surgery, without our teeth.
“Your value does not increase or decrease by removing or adding body parts.”