Rebecca Butcher, 24, has Poland Syndrome, which means one breast is significantly smaller than the other – her right one is a D cup, while the left is an A cup.
After coming to terms with her asymmetrical chest, the young woman from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, wanted to raise awareness of the condition, but has unfortunately been bombarded by creepy messages from men fetishising her.
Poland Syndrome is a birth defect characterised by an underdeveloped chest muscle and sometimes short, webbed fingers on one side of the body.
The condition is more prevalent in men, with famous sufferers including Jeremy Beadle and Fernando Alonso.
Rebecca was cruelly teased at school growing up due to her at the time flat chest, with her classmates horribly telling her she would ‘never find love’ and that ‘no boy would ever want her’.
But while she learned to rise above cruel jibes, she was never able to find another woman to speak to about her struggles, and wanted to provide support to others.
Rebecca posted a video online speaking out about her experiences, and has gone on to become an ambassador for PIP UK due her awareness-raising.
Despite connecting with hundreds of other women also suffering from Poland Syndrome, though, some of the attention she receives is anything but helpful.
‘Ever since my videos and story went live I have men sending me messages sexualising my chest specifically,’ says Rebecca.
‘I get messages like “I want to be with you because of your chest”, “I like you because of your chest” or “I want to see those t*tties the way they are”.
‘They’ll say “your breasts are so sexy I want to drink milk from your breast”.’
The digital content creator has taken to blocking these creepy communications, both because she has a boyfriend and to avoid potential escalation, but says this inappropriate fetishisation should not be normalised.
Rebecca says: ‘It doesn’t bother me too much because it’s happened that many times now that I’ve just got used to it.
‘But, obviously, as women we shouldn’t have to get used to it. We shouldn’t have to say, “oh, that’s just normal”. It shouldn’t be normal for that to happen.
‘I’ve never sexualized my chest, so I try and be confident and feel good about myself. I’m not trying to be sexual and I’m not doing it with the intention of getting attention from men, or trying to seduce people with it.
‘I’m just trying to raise awareness of it. And obviously, men see boobs and think it’s a sexual thing.’
Others have used Rebecca’s advocacy for Poland Syndrome to judge those who choose to have reconstructive surgery, despite the fact she believes everyone should make their own choices on the issue.
‘Many people to use my story as an excuse to hate on women that have chosen surgery,’ she says.
‘They use my journey with Poland Syndrome as an example as to why women shouldn’t have surgery or think that I’m against surgery.
‘I was once asked by a journalist if I think that women who have breast surgeries are “crazy” but I don’t think that at all! I believe everyone should be able to choose what they do with their own bodies and if a woman wants surgery she should go for it.’
Rebecca has opted not to go under the knife herself, instead wearing breast forms and post-mastectomy bras if she wants to, after feeling pressured by medical professionals trying to ‘fix’ her via surgery.
She’s thankful she’s been able to spread her message of personal choice and acceptance, and has received massive support on social media that spurs her on to continue.
‘People message me to say they’ve just read the article and they think it’s a great thing what I’m doing,’ Rebecca says.
‘People who don’t have Poland Syndrome also message me and they say I learned something new today. So talking to people and sharing my story and has definitely helped and millions of people around the globe.’
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