Week 5 in our break! Time for me to share with you all Alex’s incredible comic on their breast reduction. I ran into Alex’s work through Twitter a while ago and was instantly a smitten kitten.
As of writing this (a month prior to the comic going up), Alex is open for commissions – I’d strongly encourage you to check it out, while you drop them a hello or two =)
Today’s comic leans pretty hard into the autobiography and doesn’t go into the specifics of the different surgeries available, the ups n downs, nor the recovery. If this is something your keen to look into, start to talking with doctors and do lots of research. Today’s comic isn’t going to be your guide. It’s just Alex’s story. Hopefully, we’ll pick up more comics on this subject in the future.
Next week should be our last guest comic before we come back! This ones awesome too, it’s all about Role-play =D
↓ Comic Transcript
Alex P. Perkins' art is stylized and cartoon-y, using a bright color palette of pinks and oranges. They draw themself with long, straight orange hair, a soft pink skin tone, and an average sized build.
Page 1.
Narration: In the sixth grade, my best friend said to me:
"I don't get why boys aren't all over you!" Colleen, age 13, says to Alex in the hallway of their school. Colleen's long brown hair is styled elegantly, her eyes are lined with expertly applied mascara, and she wears a ruffled choker while her bra strap is exposed by her off-the-shoulder shirt. Alex, in contrast, wears a very baggy t-shirt and their long orange hair is just kind of 'there', not exactly scraggly but definitely not styled. Colleen continues, "You have basically -everything- a guy wants."
Caption: fig. 1 "peaches"
The diagram shows two upside down emoji peaches, pressed together like a bosom. Many arrows and one human hand point at them.
Narration: She pointed to my boobs, for clarity.
Narration: I was as socially awkward as anyone else, but there was still a lot to like about me.
Alex, 13 years old, stands by the row of lockers in their school hallway. They look thoughtful and ill-at-ease as they cross their arms over their chest. Their long, baggy shirt comes past their butt and their flared jeans are decorated with flowers at the cuffs.
Narration (each word is rendered with an artistic flourish to emphasis the meaning): I was creative, kind, fun!
Narration: But from the moment I grew breasts, nothing else mattered.
Two big round balls are supported inside a polka-dotted brassier, which is labeled, "fig.2 "big melons"" Scribbles of distress surround them.
Narration: Girls started rumors. Boys were crude and cruel.
Page 2
Narration: And then, in the tenth grade, my mom said to me:
On an early cell phone which is oriented horizontally with a full keyboard attached, the mom's text reads, "We can schedule you a consultation for a breast reduction this year."
Only Alex's thumb is visible on the keyboard, and their reaction of "!!!"
Narration: I had waited YEARS for this moment!
Alex clasps their hands to their heart, looking ecstatic. They wear a stripped long-sleeved shirt.
Narration: All I wanted was to be smaller, for people to see ME - before they noticed the size of my chest.
Alex stands in the exact same spot but now wears a dotted hospital gown with their arms down at their sides and looking shell-shocked.
Narration: The consultation itself was less glamorous.
Narration: After a routine physical, we ran through some questions.
A doctor looks in profile down at the clipboard forms he is filling out. He has a stethoscope draped over his neck and sports an old-timey doctor light headband on his forehead.
"Have your breasts finished growing?" The doctor asks.
"yes." Replies Alex.
"Is this negatively impacting your social life?" Continues the doctor.
"Yes!" Agrees Alex.
"Does it restrict your ability to exercise? The doctor says, without looking up.
"YES!!" Alex responds heartily.
Narration: We waited for our insurance to approve, and set a date.
Page 3
Narration: The day of the surgery, my anesthesiologist was a nice woman with a smile full of braces.
Narration: I was SO nervous.
Alex's hand and forearm is shown resting on the hospital bedsheets with a medical tube taped down and inserted on the back of their hand.
Narration: And then, she said to me:
A woman with a surgical cap covering her hair and her medical mask pulled down to her chin says, "I find that the people who undergo this procedure are ALWAYS the most grateful with the results."
Alex looks small and somewhat shellshocked at this news.
Narration: It felt like an ounce of positivity that I was unused to. Not everyone felt the same way about the procedure as she did.
Alex sits upright in their hospital bed, the tube attached to their hand, with a caption pointing at them declaring, "Me, 16. Very tired." They are surrounded by snippets of jumbled dialogue from speakers we can't see who are asking things along the lines of, "What if people notice? What will you say? How will you explain your scars to your partners? Are you sure about this? What if you worked on your posture? Can't you juts get a better bra? Want to trade boobs, haha, just kidding! Isn't this like getting rid of a gift? Seems like a waste."
Page 4
Narration: After the surgery, I was ELATED. I couldn't stop catching myself in the mirror and smiling at how much LIGHTER I felt!*
*Specifically, four pounds.
Alex admires their reflection in an upright mirror as they try on a halter top with high-waisted pants. Floating dotted lines denoting the original distance their breasts used to extend past their body.
Narration: I ordered a medium tshirt for the first time!
An orange t-shirt is illustrated with excitement squiggles around it.
Narration: My back pain didn't vanish; but it became easier to manage.
An illustration of Alex's torso with the spine visible is accentuated with pain squiggles and lightning bolts.
Narration: I found out I LIKED running!
Alex's hairy leg and foot is shown in a running shoe, doing just that. Excitement squiggles surround it.
Narration: And I could take a shower without looking down and feeling that sinking stone of DREAD.
Alex takes a blissful shower, singing while they wash their hair with their eyes closed in total contentment.
Page 5
Narration: In the years since, I've found a community and a sense of solidarity with friends who've had breast reductions or top surgery.
Present-day Alex sits in their room. They have an undercut with the top half of their hair pulled back in a ponytail. They are bundled up in a blanket as they sit in their computer chair with a tablet in their lap, though they are looking at their open laptop on their desk. A fluffy dog sleeps at the base of the chair. The room has the air of a college dorm with pop culture posters and Christmas tree lights on the wall and various academic and artistic accoutrement over the desk. Their phone and a handheld video game device sit on the desk, along with a coffee mug, while a stuffed bear toy is propped upright on the ground.
Narration: While the process is different for each of us as individuals, there's a comfort that comes with sharing similar scars and surgery stories! My breast reduction was the first step (of many) towards loving my body for what it is: Mine. I don't regret it for one second.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on December 10, 2024
Page 1.
Narration: In the sixth grade, my best friend said to me:
"I don't get why boys aren't all over you!" Colleen, age 13, says to Alex in the hallway of their school. Colleen's long brown hair is styled elegantly, her eyes are lined with expertly applied mascara, and she wears a ruffled choker while her bra strap is exposed by her off-the-shoulder shirt. Alex, in contrast, wears a very baggy t-shirt and their long orange hair is just kind of 'there', not exactly scraggly but definitely not styled. Colleen continues, "You have basically -everything- a guy wants."
Caption: fig. 1 "peaches"
The diagram shows two upside down emoji peaches, pressed together like a bosom. Many arrows and one human hand point at them.
Narration: She pointed to my boobs, for clarity.
Narration: I was as socially awkward as anyone else, but there was still a lot to like about me.
Alex, 13 years old, stands by the row of lockers in their school hallway. They look thoughtful and ill-at-ease as they cross their arms over their chest. Their long, baggy shirt comes past their butt and their flared jeans are decorated with flowers at the cuffs.
Narration (each word is rendered with an artistic flourish to emphasis the meaning): I was creative, kind, fun!
Narration: But from the moment I grew breasts, nothing else mattered.
Two big round balls are supported inside a polka-dotted brassier, which is labeled, "fig.2 "big melons"" Scribbles of distress surround them.
Narration: Girls started rumors. Boys were crude and cruel.
Page 2
Narration: And then, in the tenth grade, my mom said to me:
On an early cell phone which is oriented horizontally with a full keyboard attached, the mom's text reads, "We can schedule you a consultation for a breast reduction this year."
Only Alex's thumb is visible on the keyboard, and their reaction of "!!!"
Narration: I had waited YEARS for this moment!
Alex clasps their hands to their heart, looking ecstatic. They wear a stripped long-sleeved shirt.
Narration: All I wanted was to be smaller, for people to see ME - before they noticed the size of my chest.
Alex stands in the exact same spot but now wears a dotted hospital gown with their arms down at their sides and looking shell-shocked.
Narration: The consultation itself was less glamorous.
Narration: After a routine physical, we ran through some questions.
A doctor looks in profile down at the clipboard forms he is filling out. He has a stethoscope draped over his neck and sports an old-timey doctor light headband on his forehead.
"Have your breasts finished growing?" The doctor asks.
"yes." Replies Alex.
"Is this negatively impacting your social life?" Continues the doctor.
"Yes!" Agrees Alex.
"Does it restrict your ability to exercise? The doctor says, without looking up.
"YES!!" Alex responds heartily.
Narration: We waited for our insurance to approve, and set a date.
Page 3
Narration: The day of the surgery, my anesthesiologist was a nice woman with a smile full of braces.
Narration: I was SO nervous.
Alex's hand and forearm is shown resting on the hospital bedsheets with a medical tube taped down and inserted on the back of their hand.
Narration: And then, she said to me:
A woman with a surgical cap covering her hair and her medical mask pulled down to her chin says, "I find that the people who undergo this procedure are ALWAYS the most grateful with the results."
Alex looks small and somewhat shellshocked at this news.
Narration: It felt like an ounce of positivity that I was unused to. Not everyone felt the same way about the procedure as she did.
Alex sits upright in their hospital bed, the tube attached to their hand, with a caption pointing at them declaring, "Me, 16. Very tired." They are surrounded by snippets of jumbled dialogue from speakers we can't see who are asking things along the lines of, "What if people notice? What will you say? How will you explain your scars to your partners? Are you sure about this? What if you worked on your posture? Can't you juts get a better bra? Want to trade boobs, haha, just kidding! Isn't this like getting rid of a gift? Seems like a waste."
Page 4
Narration: After the surgery, I was ELATED. I couldn't stop catching myself in the mirror and smiling at how much LIGHTER I felt!*
*Specifically, four pounds.
Alex admires their reflection in an upright mirror as they try on a halter top with high-waisted pants. Floating dotted lines denoting the original distance their breasts used to extend past their body.
Narration: I ordered a medium tshirt for the first time!
An orange t-shirt is illustrated with excitement squiggles around it.
Narration: My back pain didn't vanish; but it became easier to manage.
An illustration of Alex's torso with the spine visible is accentuated with pain squiggles and lightning bolts.
Narration: I found out I LIKED running!
Alex's hairy leg and foot is shown in a running shoe, doing just that. Excitement squiggles surround it.
Narration: And I could take a shower without looking down and feeling that sinking stone of DREAD.
Alex takes a blissful shower, singing while they wash their hair with their eyes closed in total contentment.
Page 5
Narration: In the years since, I've found a community and a sense of solidarity with friends who've had breast reductions or top surgery.
Present-day Alex sits in their room. They have an undercut with the top half of their hair pulled back in a ponytail. They are bundled up in a blanket as they sit in their computer chair with a tablet in their lap, though they are looking at their open laptop on their desk. A fluffy dog sleeps at the base of the chair. The room has the air of a college dorm with pop culture posters and Christmas tree lights on the wall and various academic and artistic accoutrement over the desk. Their phone and a handheld video game device sit on the desk, along with a coffee mug, while a stuffed bear toy is propped upright on the ground.
Narration: While the process is different for each of us as individuals, there's a comfort that comes with sharing similar scars and surgery stories! My breast reduction was the first step (of many) towards loving my body for what it is: Mine. I don't regret it for one second.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on December 10, 2024