Living with Gynecomastia – Samuel’s Story

Introduction

Development of Excess Breast Tissue

Not every male who has gynecomastia is in a rush to remove their breasts. I first started developing breasts at the age of 13, and I suppose because I was brought up by a single mother who was a raving feminist, nobody told me anything was wrong. I have what I call ‘screwy genetics’, which means that technically I am neither male or female. Thus I am producing more estrogen than testosterone. Something like that. It never bothered me much to find out. I really don’t have a problem with accepting my body, but rather I have a problem with the way some narrow-minded people react to it.

Gynecomastia is a naturally occurring medical condition, so people with it should not have to feel guilty, or put up with ill-treatment by society.

Reactions from Others

Initially, growing up as a teenager my breasts did bother me, and I took great pains to hide them. But now that I have grown to be an adult, I am beginning to get fed up of not having the same chances and opportunities that other people have just because of the way I look. If people are going to be narrow-minded enough to discriminate against me or insult me, I will have NO hesitation to take them to the state Equal Opportunity Commission.

So I have grown to accept and like my breasts. I feel they help make me unique. I suppose they also help me to think of how other people feel when it comes to how society discriminates against people. It seems if you are a minority, there’s someone out there trying to step on you. You have to stop being a victim, stand up for yourself, and not put up with unfair treatment.

It never ceases to amaze me that people react in such a negative way to what is essentially something I was born with. Do you hassle blind people because they are blind? Do you discriminate against people with an extra finger? (There are many races of people on Earth where most of the population have extra fingers.) Do you assault people because they don’t look the way you like?

Some of the worst reactions come from doctors. I am quite fed up with doctors who want to run a whole series of tests on me. Some of them really won’t take no for an answer. I have had to tell several doctors where to go because of this. I am not a Guinea Pig for their personal use.

Why I Chose Not to Get Gynecomastia Surgery

Many people immediately ask why I don’t have a breast reduction surgery to remove my breasts. This is an example of narrow-minded thinking. The first thing is that I like my breasts, why would I want them removed?

Besides that, there is the cost. If I had a few thousand dollars spare I think I’d take a holiday, I certainly deserve one.

Then there is the pain factor. Breast surgery is apparently quite painful and I hate pain.

Living with Gynemycastia

One of the first things people ask me is, do I wear a bra?

Well of course I wear a bra. Just as women wear a bra to ensure comfort and health of their breasts, so do I. And just as women do, I also choose bras for their looks as well as comfort. As seen in the images below, my breasts can do with some support.

It took me a while to work up the nerve to ask for a proper fitting, but was pleased that I did. The store lady was very helpful. I got a correct fitting and some good tips and suggestions. I also managed to get some really comfortable bras as result. Now I go into stores and have no worries about using the fitting rooms to try on a bra.

For those guys out there with the same problem I suggest you head for the changing rooms with a couple of men’s clothing items and the bras. The changing room attendant will probably think you are buying something for a wife or girlfriend. As long as you put the bras back on the hooks right afterward and take the male items off of their hangers no one will know the difference.

Because my breasts are so large they do show up through a t-shirt, so I occasionally do wear baggy clothing to cover them up, but only when visiting some of the dodgier parts of the city. Other times I don’t bother. I do get the occasional stare, but ignore it. In summer it gets up to 45 degrees Celsius so wearing a tight T-shirt or leotard under an outer T-shirt is just too hot. I used to do this, but I figured it was bad for my health. Why should I fry myself silly for other people’s benefit? So now I just wear a bra under a T-shirt.

I have had one person comment about it, saying it was ‘distracting’ in a work environment, but I pointed out that not wearing a bra would result in my nipples sticking right out the T-shirt, and that since he never made comments about that to the female employees, he was discriminating against me. I then politely pointed out that my condition was not something I had caused, and that living my life was difficult enough without an unwarranted hassle from him. I carefully explained some of the points I have outlined above, and he came to understand my situation.

Educating People About Enlarged Breasts

I am a great believer in educating people as to the fault of their point of view. I think that for the many men in our situation, education is the answer. Only by letting the general public know that their perception of ‘normal’ may in fact be abnormal, can we home to get out of having to live in hiding. We should not have to hold our lives back by people’s perceptions.

What is normal? What does a normal person look like?

I consider myself to be pretty normal. I admit I have some weird ideas of humor and take part in some strange extreme sports but I figure I look as normal as can be. Then again I think I have a wider perception of normal than most people. But wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all stopped to review our own perceptions of the world? Narrow-mindedness is an enemy of all minorities.

Pictures