After receiving non-stop derogatory attention about her breast size, Modern Family's Ariel Winter decided to do something about it.
In a new interview with Glamour.com, the 17-year-old star, who is 5 ft., 1 in., opened up about her overwhelming (and sudden) breast development at age 15, and the emotional and physical pain that led to her breast reduction surgery on June 4, when she went from a size 32F cup to a 34D.
Winter says of her breast development. “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 already hard enough being a teenage girl in this day and age, but think about how it must have felt being in the limelight, being talked about in in tabloids for your figure. “I was 15 years old with [size] F [breasts],” recounts Winter. “It’s like, ‘How do you navigate that?’” Winter was particularly bothered by how the media focused on her busty figure rather than her work.
Finding bras and clothes that were her size and made her comfortable became an ordeal she dreaded. The actress would go to a store and not be able to find a bathing suit that would fit her shape. "I really felt bad about myself. I didn't feel happy," she said of the incident. "I just kept saying, 'What am I going to wear? There's nothing for me to wear at the beach, at the pool.' "
The constant commentary on her body, from the media and random Internet bullies, was simply too much to bear. That became the turning point for her.
On June 4, Winter finally put the constant body struggle behind her by getting a breast reduction, after telling a few close friends and family members.
Throughout the course of her exclusive sit-down interview with Glamour, she mentions frequently that she “feels like a new person.” Winter knows the physical difference is what everyone will be talking about, but it’s the emotional change that’s most evident.
Ariel is now enjoying thing such as shopping and is excited about the new possibilities. "I'm just excited to try on all the dresses! Now I can wear all styles of dresses and all styles of things," Winter told Glamour.com about anticipating the Emmys in September, her first public appearance since the surgery. "I don't always have to pick the tightest, most formfitting dress I can find. I can pick something else and still feel good about myself."