Argus title : Our girls deserve to be safe in the city
A few weeks ago the Argus published a story about a 16 year old Brighton teenager who is trying to raise £6,500 for breast reduction. She reported being abused, bullied and assaulted because of the size of her breasts.
The article shocked me. It seemed wrong that, having said how tired she is of people “always gawping at my breasts” she should have to publicise her figure in her local newspaper in order to raise the money for an operation to reduce their size – an operation which, if needed on health grounds, should be available on the NHS.
It seemed exploitative to look too closely at the photograph. However, I read the article with care. I wondered to what extent this young girl, because of insults and bullying, might have felt forced into surgery. Continue reading