Ariel Winter discusses why she got a breast reduction

During the summer, 16-year-old Ariel Winter of Modern Family fame underwent a procedure I'd go through in a heartbeat. Winter, a teenager, was already clocking in at a 32-F. She got reduced to to 34-D, a size much more feasible for her frame. She's only five foot tall.

Speaking of the reduction, she told People Magazine: “I think it will be the only [cosmetic surgery] I’ll have done, but I’m extremely happy with the decision I made. It’s important to talk about it because there are young girls suffering like I did, but there shouldn’t be a stigma about it. It was an instant weight lifted off my chest - both literally and figuratively. There’s a confidence you find when you finally feel right in your body."

The actress had previously said that her breast size had impacted on her life as she felt it was 'ostracizing and excruciatingly painful'. By 'ostracising' she means it was more than just not being able to wear certain clothes. Speaking via Glamour Magazine, the then 15-year-old said: "'I remember being in my sister’s wedding and being so flat and thinking, ‘I just wish I would grow boobs!’ and then overnight I did. But then they kept growing and growing and growing and it didn’t seem like they were going to stop.' It’s hard enough being a teenager in life, but being on one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed sitcoms drew heightened interest. 'I was 15 years old with [size] F [breasts]... It’s like, ‘How do you navigate that?'"

Speaking as someone who's also 5 foot nothing, with a 32" back, I was navigating DDs from the age of 14. That was grand. Clothes were an issue sometimes, but they were manageable - apart from a niggle that started in my back about 8 years go. Then I had a child - and ballooned to a 32H during pregnancy and reduced to a 32FF after pregnancy. I am now 5 months pregnant with second child (this week, we're discussing capsule wardrobes, maternity stylee) and they're already in the G cup. As for what size they'll swell too Day 3 post birth, I shudder to think, but we're talking Lolo Ferrari proportions. I live in constant pain in my mid back (particularly the last 8 years), and when I sit, their weight crushes my ribs into my stomach. Underwire bras are the only ones that hoist them up, but they're particularly uncomfortable.

In short, Ariel, I salute you. Life's too short to be hauling around the weight of two Labradors on your chest and it does impact on your back later in life. Just be prepared for a possible reappearance of your size Fs if/when you have children. Until then, enjoy the freedom!

Would you ever consider a breast reduction?