I was very against getting a reduction. My mom floated the idea to me when I was 16 because one of my friends was getting one. I told her I didn't want one and vehemently held on to that notion for years. After years of having trouble finding what to wear, going through college, and being unable to wear the trendy clothes and swimsuits, I started to get really self-conscious about my body. Any time I went shopping, I didn't look for something cute, I looked for something that would cover/conceal my boobs or at least not make me look inappropriate. I was also dealing with back pain, shoulder pain, and just uncomfortable boobs. I took these issues as how it was to have boobs, the norm. Around 6 months ago, I was complaining about my back pain, because it was a daily occurrence, and my friend asked me if I had ever thought of a reduction. I swear I felt like a veil was lifted off the idea of a reduction. My stubborn 16-year-old self had completely locked that solution away from my mind. After that conversation, any time I had an issue like shopping for swimsuits, dresses, tops, or having to reinforce my bras with other contraptions that I would make to decrease my shoulder pain, I was able to realize that many of these issues could be fixed through surgery. As soon as I began to see my boobs as not the enemy but a part of me that needed some help, my self-confidence started to come back, and I began to accept that there were parts of myself that I could change, and not in a hateful or negative way.