A new body-positive movement is afoot on social media which is inspiring women to cancel planned breast surgeries, or make plans for them at all.
The women behind #SaggyBoobsMatter, award-winning blogger Chidera Eggerue from London, has been speaking out about society’s obsession with ‘perfect’ breasts, while encouraging women to feel safer about the bodies they were born in.
Recently appearing on ITV’s This Morning, the 23-year-old explained that, “as much as I believe women deserve absolute agency over their bodies and if they want to get a breast augmentation that is completely up to them, I do feel, however, that a lot of the time it’s a short cut to accepting yourself.”
Her influence has received an “overwhelmingly warm, amazing response” Eggerue said, explaining that teenagers have been inspired to cancel consultations with plastic surgeons, while breastfeeding mothers have said the hashtag “has allowed them to feel more beautiful during the process of breastfeeding their child,” she revealed.
While breast augmentation remains the top surgical procedure for women in the UK, the number of breast enlargements using implants is actually down by 17.6 % since 2011, according to statistics released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. Breast reduction surgeries are also down from 3,747 surgical procedures last year compared with 4,218 recorded in 2010.
While non-surgical cosmetic procedures are becoming increasingly popular – and people might be experimenting with them by way of breast ‘enhancements’, this drop could also signal not only a return to the natural look but a collective attitude shift towards a celebration and acceptance of individuality.
