Ariel Winter on Her Breast Reduction Surgery
Modern Family young actress Ariel Winter, 17, has been through a lot of changes since she landed the role of Alex Dunphy on the ABC hit series in 2009. But one particular change was bringing her a lot of unwanted attention, and this summer, she made the difficult decision to do something about it. In a recent interview with Glamour, the 5'1" Ariel revealed that she'd undergone a breast reduction surgery on June 4, going from a cup size of 32F to 34D.
11-year-old Ariel at a movie premiere in 2009, the year Modern Family premiered
It started when Ariel was just 15, and a sudden growth spurt left her uncomfortable: "It really did happen overnight. I remember being in my sister's wedding [Ariel's sister Shanelle Workman, twenty years her senior, married her husband in 2007] 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. I was 15 with [size] F [breasts]. It's like, How do you navigate that?"
Age 12 at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards
How, indeed. It would be tough situation for any teenager, but Ariel had to deal with it while starring on one of the most popular shows on TV, and while walking red carpets: "We live in a day and age where everything you do is ridiculed. The Internet bullies are awful. I could post a photo where I feel good, and 500 people will comment about how fat I am and that I am disgusting. On [red carpets] I just said to myself, 'You have to do your best to look confident and stand up tall, and make yourself look as good as you can in these photos,' because everyone is going to see them. I definitely seemed confident. I'm an actress, that's what we do. But on the inside, I wasn't feeling so happy."
Age 13 at the 2011 Young Hollywood Awards
Ariel was also bothered by how much the press focused on her body: "It's pretty much all I was known for, and that upset me. It made me feel really uncomfortable, because as women in the industry, we are totally oversexualized and treated like objects. Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet had to do with 'Ariel Winter's Crazy Cleavage!' or 'Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs at an Event!' That’s all people would recognize me by, not, 'Oh, she does great work on Modern Family.'"
Ariel, age 14, at an event in 2012, the year she was removed from her mother's custody.
Ariel claimed that her mother was physically and mentally abusive and forced her to dress too provocatively.
Ariel said that a recent shopping trip with her family finally prompted her to have a breast reduction: "I went to a swimsuit store with my cousin a few months ago and couldn't find a bathing suit that fit me. I really felt bad about myself. I didn't feel happy. I just kept saying, 'What am I going to wear? There's nothing for me to wear at the beach, at the pool.' I can't go to a party with my friends and wear the same thing as them. I have to be completely covered up, otherwise I'll look a certain way that I'm not intending to look."
At the 2013 SAG Awards, one day before her 15th birthday
The reaction to her decision has been very supportive, especially from Modern Family costars Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, two of the first people she told: "I told Julie Bowen because I had talked to her before about my desire to have the surgery. She was really supportive and understanding. I just saw Sofia the other day, and she was like, 'Oh my God! I love them! They're great!' I was like, 'This is hilarious.' It's funny, it's like the guys don't want to say anything, so they don't. Which is good, I mean [laughs], but it's funny now for them to notice and see the reactions. Everyone is really happy for me and has been super supportive. They understand I've been struggling with this for so many years."
Age 16 at the 2014 SAG Awards
Most media outlets commented on Ariel's breasts after this event.
On her decision to go public about the surgery: "I didn't want to not tell anybody and then have another million stories, 'What happened to Ariel? She looks so different.' And I also think there's some good that can come from my story. It's something that I did to better my life and better my health, and I think that can benefit a lot of young girls. I have felt happier with myself than I ever have. I am living a dream that a lot of girls my age would love to be living, and I'm aware of that. I'm really grateful that I'm able to do that and have a voice that I’m able to speak to teenagers. I don't want to do anything to mess that up."
Now age 17 at a Modern Family season finale screening on May 15
This was Ariel's last public appearance before her surgery three weeks later.
Ariel's first public appearance since her surgery will be at the Emmys in September: "It will be my first appearance, but I don't know. I'm just excited to try on all the dresses! Now I can wear all styles of dresses and all styles of things! 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. I couldn't do that before. I'm excited to finally actually feel confident and not just appear confident."
11-year-old Ariel at a movie premiere in 2009, the year Modern Family premiered
It started when Ariel was just 15, and a sudden growth spurt left her uncomfortable: "It really did happen overnight. I remember being in my sister's wedding [Ariel's sister Shanelle Workman, twenty years her senior, married her husband in 2007] 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. I was 15 with [size] F [breasts]. It's like, How do you navigate that?"
Age 12 at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards
How, indeed. It would be tough situation for any teenager, but Ariel had to deal with it while starring on one of the most popular shows on TV, and while walking red carpets: "We live in a day and age where everything you do is ridiculed. The Internet bullies are awful. I could post a photo where I feel good, and 500 people will comment about how fat I am and that I am disgusting. On [red carpets] I just said to myself, 'You have to do your best to look confident and stand up tall, and make yourself look as good as you can in these photos,' because everyone is going to see them. I definitely seemed confident. I'm an actress, that's what we do. But on the inside, I wasn't feeling so happy."
Age 13 at the 2011 Young Hollywood Awards
Ariel was also bothered by how much the press focused on her body: "It's pretty much all I was known for, and that upset me. It made me feel really uncomfortable, because as women in the industry, we are totally oversexualized and treated like objects. Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet had to do with 'Ariel Winter's Crazy Cleavage!' or 'Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs at an Event!' That’s all people would recognize me by, not, 'Oh, she does great work on Modern Family.'"
Ariel, age 14, at an event in 2012, the year she was removed from her mother's custody.
Ariel claimed that her mother was physically and mentally abusive and forced her to dress too provocatively.
Ariel said that a recent shopping trip with her family finally prompted her to have a breast reduction: "I went to a swimsuit store with my cousin a few months ago and couldn't find a bathing suit that fit me. I really felt bad about myself. I didn't feel happy. I just kept saying, 'What am I going to wear? There's nothing for me to wear at the beach, at the pool.' I can't go to a party with my friends and wear the same thing as them. I have to be completely covered up, otherwise I'll look a certain way that I'm not intending to look."
At the 2013 SAG Awards, one day before her 15th birthday
The reaction to her decision has been very supportive, especially from Modern Family costars Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, two of the first people she told: "I told Julie Bowen because I had talked to her before about my desire to have the surgery. She was really supportive and understanding. I just saw Sofia the other day, and she was like, 'Oh my God! I love them! They're great!' I was like, 'This is hilarious.' It's funny, it's like the guys don't want to say anything, so they don't. Which is good, I mean [laughs], but it's funny now for them to notice and see the reactions. Everyone is really happy for me and has been super supportive. They understand I've been struggling with this for so many years."
Age 16 at the 2014 SAG Awards
Most media outlets commented on Ariel's breasts after this event.
On her decision to go public about the surgery: "I didn't want to not tell anybody and then have another million stories, 'What happened to Ariel? She looks so different.' And I also think there's some good that can come from my story. It's something that I did to better my life and better my health, and I think that can benefit a lot of young girls. I have felt happier with myself than I ever have. I am living a dream that a lot of girls my age would love to be living, and I'm aware of that. I'm really grateful that I'm able to do that and have a voice that I’m able to speak to teenagers. I don't want to do anything to mess that up."
Now age 17 at a Modern Family season finale screening on May 15
This was Ariel's last public appearance before her surgery three weeks later.
Ariel's first public appearance since her surgery will be at the Emmys in September: "It will be my first appearance, but I don't know. I'm just excited to try on all the dresses! Now I can wear all styles of dresses and all styles of things! 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. I couldn't do that before. I'm excited to finally actually feel confident and not just appear confident."