Here's why Gen Z influencers Meissa Mason and Hannah Gallop opted for breast reduction surgery
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA: Saving themselves from the awkward stares and years of back pain, the women of Gen Z are undergoing breast reduction surgeries to be what they really feel. These women are willing to risk cuts, scars, and possible disfigurement to have smaller breasts.
Meissa Mason, 21, and Hannah Gallop, 20, are two of the Gen Z women who recently went under the knife. The pair revealed they got breast reductions in 2022 after years of wanting one. They got the surgery done in an attempt to comfort their body from years of pain and get rid of the unwanted attention from society.
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For the unversed, breast reduction also known as reduction mammaplasty is a type of cosmetic treatment that is carried out to lower the size of large breasts. This involves getting rid of excess skin, glandular tissue, and fat to make the breasts look smaller and more proportionate to the person’s overall figure.
“One funny thing I noticed after my surgery was when I would go out, fewer men would come and talk to me or tell me that I looked good [which] made me realize that majority of them were probably just looking at my breasts which is really disgusting and one reason why I got the surgery,” Hannah told news.com.au. Meissa documented the whole procedure on her social media to educate the women who are looking forward to getting the surgery done.
The Wollongong, Australia-based woman, who has 136.4K followers on TikTok and more than 25.9k followers on Instagram, has borderline F and G cup. She said her big breast were the reason behind her constant back and shoulder pain. To get rid of this pain, she wanted surgery since she was 17-year-old. “I also just thought they were way too big for my body,” Meissa told news.com.au. “It really made getting dressed and buying clothes inconvenient. I could never buy two pieces because the rest of my body was a size 10 and my chest was a size 16.”
After months of research and discussion with her family, Meissa settled on a surgeon and told him that she wants her breasts reduced to be a big B cup or a small C cup. “I’m 21, and it is very possible that within the next five years my breasts might grow a little bit more,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of people on Tiktok say that they were unhappy with their surgery afterward, because of suggestions their surgeon gave, like the one that asked if I wanted to be a bit bigger. I would say definitely do not listen to that. Listen to what you feel.” Meissa revealed the whole surgery cost her about $9,000, including the hospital stay and anesthetist.
Meissa said she can’t guess the exact reason why women are opting for the surgery but most the women are getting this surgery just to seek comfort. “What is considered the beauty standard for body types shifts in like 15 to 20 years anyway,” she said. "We’ve had the stick thin with implants, as well as BBL [Brazilian Butt Lift] eras. Then I think a lot more recently we’re seeing a trend in natural body positivity, loving yourself and what you are and less focused on a lot of that type of stuff. And breast reductions may come with it.”
Hannah, who shares a similar story to Meissa, said she was also an F cup and was in constant pain because of her said. After she decided to go to a D Cup, she was suggested to wait till she turns 18 as her chest may be growing. “I was a little bit nervous at first as it was my first major surgery … my biggest worry was the pain level and the scars as I can be quite a queasy person,” Hannah, a lash technician, said.
“A lot of my family and friends told me I was silly, that I was too young and I would regret the surgery when I’m older. I think in this current era, young women like myself who have larger breasts struggle as we ‘stand out,” Hannah said. "Typically my friends said to me ‘Girls pay to get their breasts enlarged, why would you waste what you have’.”
Dr Anoop Rastogi, president of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine, said the medical community has witnessed a sudden increase in the number of women opting for breast reduction in 2022. “There is a range of reasons why younger women are opting for the procedure, but I think the skill in which it is performed has gotten better and it’s become more affordable,” Dr Rastogi told news.com.au.
He added that all people wishing for the surgery should qualify for the requirements and should be mature enough to understand the impact of the surgery. “They have their eyes open to all of the factors that surround the potential for their results, both the good and bad, and that they are mature in their sense of self, that they can make a decision – or at least helped guide to making a sensible decision as to whether it’s right to do,” he said.
