By: A.B. Higgins
I never thought I would be an author, much less write about something so personal and intimate. But I was always an avid reader and deeply enjoyed learning more about other people and their experiences. Memoirs and historical fiction are my favorite genres as they allow me to live multiple lives that transcend time and space.
My friends tease me about my insatiable need to know more – I am so curious about everyone’s past experiences, motivations, how they got to where they are, and what the journey was like. And with eight billion other people on the planet, I know I’m not the only one with this deep curiosity.
My choice to get breast implants was deeply personal and important to me, but I felt confident that I knew what to expect. I thought it would be easy, similar to wearing an extremely padded bra that was permanently on me. Looking back, that was obviously naïve.
Not only was the physical recovery different than what I expected, I foolishly did not expect any of the mental adjustments that I made in how I saw myself. At the ripe age of twenty-five, I essentially went through a second puberty.
How the memoir started
And then the idea formed in my head: what if I keep a record of the surprises that came along? This way, I could share them with anyone who was also interested in breast augmentation. This memoir really began as a quick scribbling of notes, followed by more detailed voice memos that I recorded to track experiences that I felt were important. Soon, I had a journal and was working with editors and ghost writers to clean it up (I am by no means a true writer).
I figured if I was always looking to learn about others experiences, there had to be people who also wanted to learn about my experience. The Impact of Implants is my straightforward and honest telling of my experience leading up to and following the first year after my breast augmentation surgery. It is not sensational nor is it a slam piece that denounces plastic surgery.
On the contrary, I am thrilled with my decision and loved the journey that I underwent. But it is also not meant to try and sway anyone in the decisions they should make. It is my journey, my thoughts, my concerns and insecurities and joys and adventures.
My hope with sharing it with the world is that I can offer a little most insight for someone who, like me, loves learning more about the world. For anyone considering breast augmentation, I would like my memoir to be a sneak peek of what’s to come. And for anyone who cannot possibly understand why anyone would get plastic surgery, perhaps my memoir can shed some light on the reasons behind my decision.
My journey
Without giving too much away, my journey began with a small chest and a desire to make it bigger. This was something I wanted since puberty, when I realized that I would never have the full chest I dreamed of. Money, of course, was an issue, but so was fear.
Big decisions like this are scary and should not be taken lightly. Around the age of twenty-four, however, I was ready and I had the cash to make my dream come true. The year following my surgery I dealt with physical changes, discomfort, shopping misadventures, outfits I never thought I would be able to pull off, and a sense of finally looking the way I had always hoped.
The internal adjustment, going from no boobs to a full chest, does not happen overnight. In fact, looking in the mirror and truly seeing myself was a long journey, one rife with the insecurities that I had for the ten years prior.
With that being said, my journey was one of joy and my experiences with my new chest were delightful. While my memoir is personal and honest, it is also light and easy. I wanted to share both the exciting and mundane moments to paint an accurate picture of my first year with the body I always wanted.
Short excerpt from The Impact of Implants
“I wanted big breasts for as long as I could remember. The round luscious kind that pop out whenever women wear V-necks. The type that could barely fit into one’s hands. When I was young, my idea of feminine beauty was curvaceous. To me, the image of the perfect woman was short with large, plump, shapely breasts, a well-defined hourglass figure, thick legs with a big round butt, and even chubby ankles. I wanted to be her.
But as I hit puberty, life made it clear that curvaceous was sadly not my lot. I grew up to be tall, with a slender physique and twigs for legs. There were no curves whatsoever at my waist, and I had no boobs to speak of. I was disappointed about that last fact, devastated even. Not that anything was wrong with the way I looked; I just didn’t feel happy that way. I wanted more.”
About A.B. Higgins
Having an about the author bio seems dishonest as I am not an author; I am simply someone who is trying to share her story. In fact, my memoir has been edited and enhanced by some wonderful ghostwriters and editors that helped me turn my ramblings into something coherent.
But I always like learning about the person who wrote the memoir. So I wanted to include a little background on who I am. I am your typical American – I love my friends and family, enjoy my job, and I try to live my life to the fullest. I’m not fancy and I try to have as many experiences as possible. I love travelling, concerts, wine nights with my friends, and burgers.
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