Why Ariel Winter Got a Breast Reduction: 'This Is How I Was Supposed to Be'

For years, Ariel Winter says she struggled with having large breasts. The pain was both physical and emotional for the young actress. "Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet always had to do with 'Ariel Winter’s Crazy Cleavage!' Or 'Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs At An Event!'" she says. "That’s all people would recognize me by, not, 'Oh, she does great work on Modern Family.'"

But as the 17-year-old tells Glamour, she's feeling much better about herself after taking the summer to have her breasts reduced from a 32F to a 34D.

"The feeling of not having so much there was such a relief! Once the surgery was completed, I can’t even explain the feeling," Winter notes. "[A week later], I was buying clothes and crying as I put them on, I was so happy. You just feel so relieved and excited. You feel like a new person. You feel like, This is how I was supposed to be."

Winter, who had her surgery on June 4, says her onscreen mom Julie Bowen was the only Modern Family castmember she talked to prior to the procedure.

"I had talked to [Bowen] before about my desire to have the surgery," she shares. "She was really supportive and understanding."

Not only were her F cups giving her back problems and facilitating catty online chatter, but Winter says they'd also been a hindrance to her career.

"Once I developed, I couldn’t really play 12 or 13 or 14 anymore," Winter confesses. "They’d want to send me out for 18 or 19, but the problem with 18 or 19 is that I’m not 18 yet. So why would they hire me when they could hire someone that was 18 or 19? That was a problem I ran into."

With the Emmys coming up in September, Winter says she's excited about all the new possibilities when it comes to her red carpet style.

"It will be my first [public] appearance," she says. "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 form-fitting 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."