This is a response to "I Did The Third Person Body Challenge And You Should Do It, Too"

What do you think of when you think of plastic surgery? Do you think of the classic celebrity with a botched boob job, a nose job gone wrong, a Brazilian Butt lift that in no way looks natural?

For the longest time I never once thought about plastic surgery. It was something almost taboo to me. The length's that people would go to get their dream body or face seemed scary to me. I was always taught to love yourself as you are and embrace the beautiful flaws I had. Despite the truth to this statement, I believe if there is something that makes you self-conscious, you should have the power to change it. For me this was my boobs.

Let me give you a little backstory here, I have always had a large chest. Dating back to the 5th grade, I was an early developer. I noticed none of the girls had a chest like mine and this made me feel insanely self-conscious. I will never forget the day that my crush was talking to me but the entire time I was talking to him, he was staring down at my chest. The feeling I got from this moment made me feel gross and exposed. I felt like I had lost my innocence and that people would now look at me as a sexual being. From then on, I wore a jacket to school everyday to cover up the fact that I was on the journey of puberty. It did get to the point I could not wear a jacket for the rest of my life, so I eventually came to terms with my body and started to buy clothing that complimented my figure but I was still self-conscious.

By high-school, I was a size double d in bras. My back hurt, my bra straps dug into my shoulders, I looked big in every outfit, bathing suit shopping was a nightmare, and I found it hard to workout due to the size of my boobs. Now you would think this was all pretty bad, which it was. But, nothing could compare to the feeling of people looking at me and associating me as "the girl with big boobs." I did what I could to hide them, suppressing them in tight sports bras and wearing loose clothing, but this only did so much to appease the conservative girl inside me.

I struggled all through high-school and college with the weight I carried. The weight of the nasty sexual harassment I received was the worst. Even someone I was seeing at the time said "yeah one of the first things I saw were how big your boobs were." This made me feel like people did not see me for me and I fell into a dark depression. When I was single, the sexual harassment got so bad that I just stopped caring about myself and treated my body like trash. I realized I had to go off social media, dating apps, and cut off certain people all because of the treatment I received from having big boobs.

Just when I had thought I had had enough, I met with a plastic surgeon to talk about a breast reduction. The idea seemed scary. There were many risks involved and I was nervous about the 6 month recovery. But, with the support of my family, friends and doctor, I made the decision to get a reduction.

I remember waking up in the hospital and feeling light. I felt like a new person. All the emotional and physical pain was cut off from me. I was not carrying around the pounds of my past any longer and it made me cry. Recovery was rough, I fainted the first time I had to see the bruising, scars, and puffiness. I could not exercise for several weeks and I needed help lifting heavy objects. Despite the long recovery, I was so happy to look in the mirror and see a chest that was proportionate to my body. I am still self-conscious, but not about my boobs. I feel like people see me, for me now. If you, or someone you know is debating plastic surgery because of the stigma around it, I challenge you to read into the benefits of it. At the end of the day, we only live one life and I want my one go around to be the best it can be. Since my surgery, my quality of life has improved drastically and that to me is priceless.