What you need to know
In the ever-evolving world of social media, content creators often walk a fine line between their own growth and the expectations of their followers.
After all, on a platform built on parasocial relationships where viewers forge connections with creators they’ve never met, even the most personal choices can provoke feelings of scrutiny.
Clara Dao, 27, gained a following in 2019 as a body positive creator, creating an online space where women with small or flat breasts can feel seen and celebrated.
Over the past six years, she has created hundreds of videos that have resonated around the world and built a loyal community of over 8 million followers across platforms.
But when she made the very personal decision to get breast implants earlier this year, her decision spurred a wave of backlash she never expected.
“After six years of doing the same thing, I personally wanted to do something different,” Dao exclusively tells PEOPLE. “I wanted to pivot to other types of content. Or I wanted to stop talking about my flat chest. It was very spontaneous.”
The Vietnamese-Canadian influencer says she’s never struggled with her flat chest. On the contrary, she confidently embraced it and built a career that uplifts women of similar body types.
But when he visited his parents in Vietnam earlier this year, their casual conversation took an unexpected turn.
While touring homes in her hometown, Dao joked to her parents (who had originally encouraged her to consider implants) that she would have the surgery if they bought her a house.
“They didn’t give me a house or anything like that. But then all of a sudden I started seriously considering the possibility of getting implants,” she says.
“I basically built my dream life and got everything I wanted, not just because of my flat chest, but because I proved that no matter what your body shape is, it doesn’t stop you from being the best version of yourself,” she says. “So I reached a point in my life where I wanted something new.”
Still, as a creator, Dao noticed a clear pattern. While other videos performed well, flat-chested content consistently outperformed all other posts. It became her hallmark, her most reliable driver of growth, and strengthened the brand she built even when she began to crave something new.
“I thought it was definitely going to spark a lot of discussion,” she says. “I was expecting it to be canceled too, because it would cause a lot of disruption.”
Ms Dao underwent breast implant surgery in March this year, a decision she says was both “terrifying” and “liberating”.
“I think the way I brought it out was very inspiring to people,” she says. “I specifically used the phrase ‘for fun’ as if the main reason I had the surgery was for fun, which it wasn’t.”
After announcing the surgery, Dao immediately noticed that her numbers had dropped. She estimates that YouTube has lost about 200,000 subscribers, TikTok has lost another 100,000 subscribers, and Instagram’s subscriber numbers are still fluctuating.
“There are definitely a lot of moments where I question my decision and whether I made the right choice. There were a lot of those when all the cancellations happened, especially right after surgery,” she says.
“I also went through a breakup with my boyfriend, so I kept thinking, ‘Oh my god, if I hadn’t had the surgery, would I still be with him? Would things still be normal?'”
Although Dao had already made the choice to have the surgery before telling her boyfriend, and he fully supported her decision, the ensuing wave of backlash damaged their shared online presence.
The scrutiny also affected the couple’s content, putting stress on both the brand and the relationship.
“After I had the surgery and announced it, people started turning against me and unfollowing me,” she says. “This has also affected our couple channel. The channel I shared with him, which I recently made private, used to have over 2 million followers.”
“I was very confident in him. I truly believed that he was the person I would end up with,” Dao says.
The difficulties Dao has faced in both her personal and professional life have made her stronger than ever. She describes the experience as “chaotic and painful at times, but ultimately transformative.”
This period in her life tested her resilience, but it proved her ability to keep moving forward regardless of obstacles.
“The truth is, I loved my body then, and I love my body even more now,” she says.
Despite the backlash, Dao said his business remained strong. She points out that, apart from one brand deal that fell through during negotiations during the “cancellation”, her opportunities have only increased and the controversy has not had a negative impact on her.
