Meet the undergrads getting boob jobs

Over Easter, I had an operation on my nose following a fall in September.

Although my nose after the fall didn’t bother me visually, there was a bump on it –  it felt too big, and I could see it all the time.  So I had a “nose job.”

But I’m not the only one turning to cosmetic surgery. This week Essex student Katerina owned up to shelling out £10,000 of her student loan on liposuction, before letting her boyfriend pay for a boob job. Five friends my age at university have gone under the knife – five more than my 27 year-old sister knows.

And it’s breast enhancements which seem to be leading the trend for plastic surgery at university.

Georgia is a petite club promoter at Newcastle Uni and even admits trying to gain weight to increase her bust size. But last year, Georgia took three months out of uni to recover from a boob job in Miami on her parents’ money. In her first year, the 20-year-old from Dubai went from a 28B to 28E in what she describes as “a common thing.”

Now, she’s often referred to as “boob job girl”, and has no regrets. She said: “Someone will meet my house-mate at a bar, she will list who she lives with and at one point the person she’s speaking to would double check if it’s ‘boob job girl’ or not. Of all things to become known for I’d rather that than ‘blowjob girl’ or ‘girl who shat herself in legends.'”

University is supposed to be an open-minded community where people are free to express themselves, but many of these girls have been slammed by other students for their decision to go under the knife.

Brogan, whose Dad loaned her the money to go from a 28B to a 28D when she was in her first year of uni, has put up with sly comments from fellow students.

“I have been directly criticised with people asking my why I felt the need to have the surgery. They’ve made harsh comments and said things like ‘you were fine before don’t ruin yourself etc. The odd time I get the occasional nasty comment or blunt unnecessary question like ‘are your boobs fake?'”

The bubbly size 8 redhead, who studies photography at Blackpool University, thinks other girls are sometimes jealous of her new figure. “I do feel that some comments aimed at me are often forms of jealousy so I try to not let them bother me.'”

But despite the backlash, the surgery has offered Brogan a much needed confidence boost.  She said: “I do not regret my surgery at all and would repeat it all again tomorrow ..I am really happy with the fact of doing it and have no regrets.”

As a member of the 1st XV Women’s Rugby team at Newcastle University, Rachel might not seem like your typical cosmetic surgery client. Last year, in her first year of uni, she had her breasts enlarged and hasn’t looked back since. She said: “It’s something that bothered me, and I’ve always had the attitude that if there’s something I can do about something that bothers me, why not do it?

“People are surprised when they find that I’ve done it because they say that they have the perception that only superficial people would have a boob job.

“It is obviously a very subjective issue but it’s something I wanted done and I don’t see a problem with it.”

Ali had surgery when she was a fresher and has been saving up since the age of 14. But she doesn’t want to be tarred with the same brush as topless models.

She said: “I got an enhancement, because I was not happy with my shape or size. It wasn’t because I had aspirations of being on the front cover of zoo magazine. It was purely for myself.”

For her there was no other option but to have surgery. She said: “There is no diet you can take, no make up you can use, nothing hides it and it’s a horrible feeling.”

She admits that her parents wanted her to wait until she was 21, but she felt mature enough to make her own mind up. “Technically I was an adult and can make my own decisions. Once my parents saw the ‘before’ pictures at my consultation, they could see why I would want to have something done!”

Now, she has noticed people paying her more attention: “I’ve had people point and stare. Girls everywhere wear make up, die their hair, go to the gym and do things to enhance their image. Why should surgery be viewed any differently?”

I fell on my face in September last year. Long story short, I dropped something, went to pick it up and someone brushed past me. The pavement and my face got a little too close for comfort. So, in April I went under the knife.

My consultation was easy – I went to the doctor, he had a quick look at it to make sure everything was working okay and booked me in. But when he told me that I would essentially be having “plastic surgery”, I panicked – not because I’m terrified of surgery, but because I worried what people would think.

Since the op, I have been asked a few times if I have “had a nose job”, which I technically haven’t in the strict cosmetic sense, but now I wonder why it matters. My friends’ and even strangers’ reactions are a testament to how acceptable surgery has become among the UK’s student population.

Going under the knife has always carried a stigma, but now more and more students at British universities are delving into the world of cosmetic surgery. A decision that is often labelled rash and ill thought out, is being championed by young intelligent students across the country. The girls we spoke to had no regrets, and it looks like the trend isn’t about to slow down.