Ohio Boy Spent $72K to Become Britney Spears Lookalike Via Sex Change Operation

U.K. Daily Mail

He Was Kody, Now She's Kara Hayes

Remember the "Leave Britney alone!" guy? He's got nothing in Britney Spears fandom on 26-year-old Kara Hayes, an Ohio-born male who spent $72,000 on surgeries -- including a 14-hour gender reassignment procedure -- so he could look like his idol.

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Kara, who also got breast implants, reports the U.K. Daily Mail, says becoming Britney wasn't just about the looks. She also saw Spears as an example of a strong female.

"When you feel like you're a girl living in a boy's body and you try to change, you want that validation that you look like a girl," she says. "I viewed her as a very strong woman; everybody wanted to date her."

Unfortunately, Hayes also emulated some of Spears' episodes, too.

Read: Britney Spears Pays $25,000 A Month To Live On A Golf Course [PHOTOS]

At age 12, as Kody (seen in the photo insets at left), his classmates in his small town were shocked when he showed up at a school dance dressed like Spears in her red vinyl "Oops, I Did It Again" video.

By age 15, Kody was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and began taking female hormones, began to dress like a woman and changed his name to Kara, but the stress and pressures of dealing with his situation led to a phase of drug and alcohol experimentation.

And when Spears had her public meltdown in 2007, which included shaving her head, Hayes did the same thing.

"I felt like I was put under a microscope," Hayes says. "I felt like I couldn't have any form of scandalous situation because I was already a scandal in itself. It was almost like I went through puberty twice."

After a stint in Los Angeles, Hayes moved to New York City to attend the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. She graduated last year and is now pursuing a degree in public relations.

Read: Christina Aguilera Talks "Friendship" with Britney Spears

"I focused on Britney and Christina Aguilera for my inspiration," Hayes says. "They were the stars that were around when I was younger, they are who you looked up to. Nowadays people have Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

"I was just thinking, 'I want to be a girl now, who do I emulate?'"