MAFS bride Stella Mickunaite reveals why she said no to influencer trip to have 'Barbie waist' surgery in Bali - and tried to talk Bec Zacharia out of it

She found fame on Married At First Sight for saying exactly what was on her mind and now bride Stella Mickunaite has lifted the lid on the darker side of post-reality TV fame.

The MAFS fan favourite, 32, recently revealed she turned down a lavish cosmetic surgery offer in Bali - after discovering the serious medical risks involved.

The beauty technician said she was approached by an overseas cosmetic clinic following her stint on the hit Nine dating show, offering her a free rib contouring procedure worth around $15,000 in exchange for promoting the surgery.

While the offer initially piqued her interest, Stella, who found love with groom Filip Gregov during the experiment, said it didn't take long for alarm bells to ring.

'The curiosity definitely got me initially,' Stella told Woman's Day.

But after reviewing the fine print attached to the luxury getaway and cosmetic procedure, she quickly realised the glamorous offer came with significant strings attached.

'Like everything in life, nothing is free,' she said.

Stella's concerns only grew after researching the controversial operation, which involves permanently reshaping the rib cage to create a smaller waist.

She discovered only around 3,000 people worldwide had undergone the procedure and became increasingly uneasy about the risks, particularly compared to cosmetic surgeries performed under Australia's strict Therapeutic Goods Administration regulations.

'It's a male-created business implanting the thought in my brain that I need to change my skeletal positioning to appease their eye,' she said.

The reality star said a conversation with her fiancé Filip Gregov ultimately cemented her decision to walk away, after he told her it was unnecessary, and reminded her that it was not a procedure she had even considered undergoing before. 

Stella believes procedures marketed to women by highlighting flaws they may never have considered can be harmful. 

'The market is going for people that are easily influenced, and I'm like, ah, this is feeling icky. This is feeling not okay,' she said.

'My spidey senses were saying no. It's another male [business] benefiting from women feeling insecure.'

While Stella rejected the offer, her MAFS co-star Bec Zacharia ultimately travelled to Bali and underwent the controversial rib contouring surgery after initially expressing doubts.

Stella revealed the pair stopped discussing the procedure once it became clear she wasn't interested.

Before the surgery, however, Stella said she made one final attempt to reassure her friend.

'I remember just saying to her, "Please understand, you don't need this. You're beautiful as you are",' she recalled.

Bec appeared torn over the decision, but finally underwent the controversial 'Barbie waist' surgery in Bali this week, after changing her mind multiple times over the past two weeks. 

The fellow Married At First Sight bride shared a video on Instagram on Tuesday where she documented the process after initially backing out.

She then explained that she was heading into the hospital that same day.  

'I'm out of surgery. It all went really well. This is what I look like – I'm not hiding anything from you guys,' she said after the operation. 

The controversial influencers' trip to Bali promoting 'Barbie waist' surgery raised questions about whether the whole thing was just a giant PR stunt after MAFS bride Awhina Rutene, who was also part of the group, failed to make it to the operating table. 

The sponsored campaign, which included flying a group of reality stars and content creators to the Indonesian island to promote the procedure, generated weeks of headlines after Bec, one of the two MAFS stars on the trip, documented every emotional twist and turn of her decision to go under the knife. 

The body-contouring procedure, which is not currently available in Australia, reshapes the lower floating ribs to create the appearance of a dramatically smaller waist without removing the bones.

It has become increasingly popular among influencers travelling to Bali, but has also attracted fierce criticism from medical professionals and social media users concerned about unrealistic beauty standards.

Stella, who has previously spoken openly about getting breast implants following significant weight loss, stressed that cosmetic surgery should only ever be considered after careful thought.

'I highly recommend to firstly do the inner work,' she said.