He wants a reality-TV show about his ever-changing lifeand looks. He's planning a documentary about an upcoming procedure. He's also writing a book with two co-authors, a collaboration about his life of plastic surgery, body modification, sexual identity and more. And he's also looking to set the Guinness World Record for most cosmetic surgeries.
Welcome to the wild journey of Justin Jedlica, the Chicago resident known worldwide as the "Human Ken Doll." After all, when he spoke with Windy City Times recenly, he had already had 175 cosmetic procedures, including about 20 surgeriesand no doubt those totals are higher by now.
This is just what Jedlica does, what he likes, what he wants to do.
He schedules procedures for his view of perfection the way many make dinner reservations.
The 34-year-old Jedlica, a New York native, now lives in The Trump Tower with his husband, 48, although Jedlica chose not to discuss much about his partnerincluding his nameother than to say that he owns a company and is an avid boater who docks at Burnham Harbor. Jedlica, who said, "You can call [my husband] 'Mr. Big,'" added that the two had a civil union in Illinois, were married about a year ago in New York and have been together for about five years.
In other interviews, it has been said and/or speculated that Jedlica's wealthy husband is the financial source for most of his procedures.
Jedlica grew up in a house of six and was the oldest of four kids. They had a dirt driveway, free-standing coal-burning fireplace, and he used to shovel the coal into the fireplace twice a day. He didn't travel while growing up and said it was not a life of luxury.
"To me, plastic surgery exemplifies the life that I always thought I wanted. It was emblematic of wealth, luxury and [being] acentric," Jedlica said. "I had such adoration for celebrities as a kid, so it was a small way for me to have a slightly tangible [part] of this life I had always wanted.
"I long just figured I'd be like my mom and dad and get a regular 9-to-5 job."
At age 17, Jedlica was unhappy with his appearance, particularly his nose, and researched cosmetic procedures to change.
His parents opposed the cosmetic procedure, so he was forced to wait until he could legally make the choice for himselfand days after his 18th birthday, Jedlica had his first cosmetic procedure, to reconstruct his nose.
"I always enjoyed sculpting, painting and sketching. What I'm doing now is a form of sculpture," he said. "After first, it was like, 'Wow, I can have control over changes.' It was a way to create. And that power you have to control your life, over your looks, appearance and how other people see you, is what I want.
"Who decides what is right and what is wrong for others? Who decides what is beauty? What you think is beautiful may not be beautiful to me.
"My idea of what beauty is ever-changing; it is not stagnant."
Jedlica compared his ever-changing look to an ever-changing wardrobe. The in-style or in-look likely is not the same in 2013 and 2014. So Jedlica goes for constant change.
"Some people think that I'm sac-religious, that I'm doing something against God. Instead, I find it very empowering," he said.
Jedlica has sought change and/or improvements throughout his bodyfrom chest, bicep, tricep and shoulder implants to brow shaving and lifts, cheek augmentations, subpectoral implants, thigh implants, gluteoplasty, lip augmentations and calf implants.
Jedlica said the process of securing the Guinness World Record is a long, detailed, time-consuming process, especially since he will need verification from every past doctor.
"It will take some time, [but] it's on my list of things that I'd like to do," he said.
Jedlica shot into the worldwide spotlight when ABC-TV's 20/20 dubbed him "the Human Ken Doll." Jedlica certainly accepts the tag and has used it to help identify himself at times.
"If people think that I look like a Human Ken Doll, that's great. It's flattering, cute and catchy," he said. "I guess I sort of gained this career out of being this 'Human Ken Doll.'"
Ironically, Jedlica was in the Maltese Islands on vacation with his husband when the segment aired and the Human Ken Doll line was first used. He was immediately blitzed with media requests, from agents looking to represent him, and more.
His Facebook in-box was flooded. "It was overwhelming; I was not prepared. I had no clue that it would happen," he said.
Cindy Jackson, a U.S. resident, has spent $99,600 on 47 cosmetic procedures, including nine full-scale surgical operations since 1988. These have included three full facelifts, two nose operations, two eye lifts, liposuction, knees, waist, abdomen, thigh and jawline surgery, lip and cheek implants, chemical peels, chin bone reduction and semi-permanent make-up, according to Guinness World Records.
Jackson is the Guinness world record-holder for most cosmetic procedures.
Jedlica will submit for the new title.
"For me, [the cosmetic procedures] are just part of good grooming," he said.
"For me, a big part of what I wanted to do in my life was to be a 'house wife,' and I really wanted to have a nice lifestyle, and part of the reason I initially wanted to fix my nose and things like that was, sure, socially it would be a little bit of an inhibiting feature. So, putting out that persona of who I was, of who I wanted to be and the type of person I wanted to attract, [they] were going to be attracted to a certain type of person."
Jedlica said his procedures are now not based because he is unsatisfied or he-does-not-like-something. But rather, "wouldn't it be cool if I could do this?"
Plus, Jedlica boasts that he is a "pioneer" in the plastics industry.
To that, Jedlica now works as a consultant to the industry, or, as he put it, "a privatized beauty broker."
"I'm happy to be able to offer my advice and suggestions, whereas I didn't have those [options when I first started looking into procedures]," he said. "I just really have a passion for it."
Jedlica said he is regularly asked to pose for photos for complete strangers, many of whom even ask if he minds if they touch his chest or bicep implants. "Overall, the reaction [when people first meet me] is positive; they are intrigued by the body modification stuff," he said. "I rarely get the negative [comments] or haters in-person; those people tend to exist more online."
And Jedlica added, "I don't hate [my critics]. In fact, I actually love them for hating me because they are the reason that I'm famous."