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Olivia Munn Details Her Personal Style Journey After ‘Back-to-Back Battles’ with Postpartum Anxiety and Breast Cancer
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Olivia Munn opened up to ‘USA Today’about navigating her personal style after living with postpartum anxiety and undergoing multiple surgeries following her breast cancer diagnosis.
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Olivia Munn reflected on her personal style journey amid her struggles with postpartum and her subsequent breast cancer diagnosis in a new interview with USA Today
The actress and mom of two detailed how her health condition heavily influenced how she felt about her image
Munn then shared what helped her feel empowered to evolve her perspective
Olivia Munn dug deep to find herself again after a series of health diagnoses.
In a new interview with USA Today published on Aug. 27, the actress and mom, 46, reflected on what it was like to rediscover her sense of self, especially through her style, after giving birth followed by multiple surgeries, including a double mastectomy and eventual reconstruction, amid her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis.
Munn, who recently partnered with fashion brand Anne Klein, said she first struggled with “postpartum anxiety” that felt “very isolating.”
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“I was hoping and expecting to bounce back to what I looked like nine months before, and that didn’t happen,” she told the outlet.
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The Your Neighbors & Friends star — who welcomed son Malcolm in 2021 with husband John Mulaney, then daughter Méi via gestational surrogate in 2024 — experienced weight gain and having “large breasts” from breastfeeding, “and I feel like that was the thing that I had the hardest time figuring out. All of my clothes didn’t fit anymore,” she explained. Yet, instead of overhauling her closet completely, Munn became “more intentional” with her fashion choices and shifted her focus to comfortable clothing.
But when she felt like she’d finally come “out of that fog and that psychosis” after battling anxiety for a year, her breast cancer diagnosis took her on “this whole other journey in battle.”
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“And when I got to a place, like after my four surgeries at that point, I just had this moment where I told myself, ‘I am tired of not dressing the way that I want to dress. I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, but I’m tired of not of not feeling like myself every day,’” she said.
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Munn continued: “And I just made the decision after going through years of back-to-back battles that I’m just not going to spend the rest of my life feeling like I don’t have the outfit to wear. And that was a big motivator for me to be like, ‘I’m going to figure this out. I’m going to be happy.”
In 2024, Munn sat down with PEOPLE and opened up about learning to adapt to her new body, particularly during one red carpet scenario. That year, she and Mulaney attended the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty, and her diagnosis had not yet been shared with the world. Still, she had “divots and dents” on one side of her body where her lymph nodes were, and wearing certain dresses on the red carpet made her “a little stressed out at times.”
She also said that she grew her hair out and used “tattoo-type makeup” to help conceal her scars. “But then I remind myself that those are battle wounds,” Munn added, “and I can show them what I want and I can hide them when I want.”
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