I had the face of an angel, my boobs were large enough to feed a nation, but my buttocks? They were as flat as slippers. I've been used in skincare ads and awarded Face of My Department twice, but during the red carpet events that followed, I could feel piercing eyes on my back. That was where their compliments usually ended, right above my waist.
"Ima!"
I turned to Debby. "Yes?"
"It's 8:45 a.m. We’ll be late for lectures if you keep admiring yourself in the mirror," Debby said with a frown, handing me my school bag.
"Oh, I’m sorry, Debby," I apologized, rolling my eyes in a way that made her smile. I took the bag from her and slung it over my shoulders as we began the short walk to class.
Debby was my coursemate, my roommate, and my best friend, the best thing that had happened to me in Unilag. Unlike other girls, she never bothered about how she looked.
As we walked, I stared at her buttocks as they danced inside the loosely fitted gown she wore. This was the main reason I loved walking a step behind her:, to catch a glimpse of what I didn’t have, while imagining mine growing to at least a quarter of that size.
While Professor Ben explained bio stats in front of the lecture hall, my eyes were fixed on my phone, scrolling through videos of actresses, influencers, and fashion models with killer shapes.
"Ima," Debby nudged me. "You're not paying attention. And I hope you know those aren’t even real."
"I know," I sighed, closing the page and dropping my phone on the desk.
"I heard Shasha just did BBL. You really have to see it, Ima. The girl is hot," Oma, my coursemate, said, showing us Shasha’s WhatsApp status.
"I'm thinking of doing it too," I whispered to Debby with a pout.
"It’s expensive. Very expensive. Where will you get the money from?" she asked.
I had never thought of doing plastic surgery. I found it irritating and considered celebs who did it fake. But that was before I discovered that most of the girls in my school had done it. What I once thought were real assets turned out to be BBLs, and from their faces, it was obvious the enhancement had added confidence.
I opened my phone again after school and searched through actresses' profiles to find their BBL surgeons. It didn’t take long to get two top doctors' Instagram handles. I chatted with them immediately and agreed on a price. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too much. If I lied to my aunts and uncles, I was sure I could come up with more than half of the money.
In few weeks the surgery date was fixed, and I took a sick leave from school.
“Are you sure you really want to do this?” Debby texted. I was already at the clinic, getting ready.
“Yes,” I replied.
Dr. John gave me sizes of buttocks to choose from. I went for a heart-shaped one, not too big, but big enough to attract the necessary attention.
I was very anxious about my new look. My thoughts drifted to my fifteenth birthday, the day John told me bluntly that my backside was like a deflated balloon. He was my first love, and the last one too. I haven’t had anyone since then.
A few months from now, I’ll be nineteen with a killer backside. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face, and on everyone else who had body-shamed me.
BBL wasn’t just about attraction or confidence. It showed class, something meant for the big girls.
As for my aunt, she would probably be shocked. But she will recover from it.
I was on the surgery table waiting for the anesthesia injection when my phone rang. I was curious who the caller was, and since Dr. John had just left the room, I immediately stretched my hand and picked up my phone from the little cabinet a few meters from the bed.
"Ima," Debby's voice sounded from the other end. It was like she was in a hurry to speak.
"Debby, what’s up? I’m not free to talk now," I said, though I felt strangely relieved from the anxiety that had been eating me up on the bed.
"Ima, I don't think you should go through with the BBL. Check your WhatsApp, I’ve sent you some videos," she said.
I immediately opened my WhatsApp and viewed about ten videos and several texts from Debby. One of the texts read:
"Celebs are reversing their BBLs. From what I gathered, they’re now working out in the gym to grow their butts."
I was still wondering what that had to do with me when I opened one of the videos. It showed Pepe, one of my favorite influencers and celebrities, in gym wear at the gym. Her once big rounded buttocks was now flat, obviously she's removed her BBL. This got me worried and thinking, was I already late to the game?
I hated being moved by peer pressure, but that’s exactly what this was starting to feel like.
I was still confused when Debby called again. I hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"Have you thought about it?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going.
"Do you still want to do it?" she asked. "Look, you’re my best friend and I will always support you. If you want to go ahead with the surgery, I’ll take care of you till you recover. But if you want to call it off, I promise I’ll join you at the gym until we get the result you want."
Her words brought tears to my eyes. I had never been this visible to someone.
I was ten when I lost my parents. My uncle took me in, and his children became my siblings. They were fully endowed, unlike me. And that didn’t go unnoticed. They always made fun of it whenever we played.
It got worse in secondary school when classmates drew me and exaggerated my boobs and buttocks. They didn’t mean any harm, but it hurt deeply.
"Hey," Debby said. I had forgotten I was still on a video call.
"How can this flat butt increase with just exercise?" I asked, pouting in a way that made her smile.
"You know you’re the most beautiful girl on campus. Your butt isn’t flat, anyway, no one’s is. With a few exercises, your glutes will grow, and you’ll love it," she said.
I was still staring at her when Dr. John came in. I ended the video call and turned to concentrate.
"I’m sorry. I needed to sort out some things," he said. He began arranging a few things, and two nurses came in to assist him.
"Are you ready?" he asked, tapping the syringe that held my anesthesia.
I cleared my throat. My head was spinning with thoughts and imagined scenarios after the surgery. Would I like the new look? Would it give me the confidence I needed? What if something went wrong?
"No," I replied, though still a bit unsure.
"Alright, I’ll give you five minutes…" he said.
"No. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to do it anymore," I said, standing up from the bed.
He stared at me with a smile I couldn’t quite understand. Was he happy for me, or amused by my indecisiveness?
He told me the money was non-refundable, and I told him that was fine. I immediately dialed Debby’s number to let her know I’d changed my mind.
"What?!" she screamed, grinning from ear to ear.
"You heard me. No BBL. And I’m not going to the gym just to grow my butt either," I said as I walked down the clinic stairs.
"Awwwn!" She said and chew on her finger nails.
"Ssshh! Don’t give me that look," I added with a smirk.
"Yeah, I’ll still exercise. But not to fix myself, just to feel good in my own skin. I’m done chasing trends". I said as I hail down a taxi and lowered myself inside.
"Unilag" I told the taxi driver.
Image generated with AI.
