On TikTok, Camille, 24, shared the hell she went through having had breast surgery. Between the non-respect of his wish and the sexist remarks of the surgeon, his testimony is chilling.
The statements by Camille, 24, have sparked outrage on Tik Tok since a video was posted on the social network. She decided to participate in a challenge that required "What's the most sexist thing a man has said to you?" The young woman took the opportunity to give a chilling testimony about the surgery she had five years ago. Then 19 years old, Camille decides to have a breast reduction. She wears a K cup and it is very hard to take everyday. There are the chest pains on her back, but also her body in general and the hypersexualization she goes through makes her go through hell. Hence the need to resort to surgery.
Sexism and disrespect for the patient's wishes
After convincing her parents, Camille leaves for Lebanon, where he / she lives, in order to undergo the surgery. Thus, she will not be alone during her convalescence. Through several Tik Tok videos, Camille explains that even before the surgery, the behavior of the medical profession was absolutely not appropriate. The assistant who greeted her, for example, tried to convince her not to reduce her chest size too much. "If we have the choice to operate bigger or smaller, which do you prefer? ", she asked. To which Camille replied: "Smaller." The assistant, however, insisted: "And if we can't do a D, between a double D or a C, what do you prefer?" But Camille affirms it, for her, it will be "a C."
After the operation and once the bandages are removed, Camille is amazed. The result is absolutely not what we hoped for. She is a long way from making a C cup, as she requested. Worse still, the surgeon does not fail to make sexist remarks to him. He touches her breast saying: "It's a good job. Look, it's just the right size to fit into the hand of an honest man." A few days later, the shock passed, Camille realizes the gravity of the situation: "I see what he told me is totally wrong, I am not the size I asked for, I have scars that are four centimeters wide." In fact, Camille is now a size F, a chest measurement much larger than she expected.
The guilt when you are a victim
Camille's video caused a lot of reaction on TikTok. There are more than 845,000 views and 1,245 outrageous comments … Many questions were sent to the young woman. How is she doing today? Did the breast surgery still reduce her back problems? Did she file a complaint against the surgeon in question? Camille explained and confided that, even if she can do more sport, she still has some pain and this F cup remains very restrictive for her on a daily basis.
See, it's exactly the right size to fit into the hand of an honest man
She also evokes the guilt that gnawed at her after this traumatic surgery. She recalls in particular that at the time, it was her parents who took charge of the intervention: "Nothing happened afterwards. I want to tell you that I sued him, but I didn't. It was my parents who, when I was 19, had paid for the operation. I couldn't see myself telling them that I was disappointed. It took me two or three years to tell myself that it really wasn't what I initially wanted. It might sound weird, but when you're a victim, you feel very guilty. So I told myself that it was me, that I had gained weight ", she explains before adding that the surgeon in question offered her a discount for a second operation. But the traumatized young woman refused to let him touch her again.
Repairing a failed surgery: an obstacle course
In addition to the long acceptance process she had to face, Camille also tells on TikTok the long journey that a second intervention requires. She is now trying to find surgeons who could return to work, but insists on the difficulties of this process. First, there is the need to find someone you can trust. Then, she explains that for a surgical professional, it is very complicated to take over the work of a colleague: "There I'm trying to find surgeons who could potentially return to work because there are other things that have been done wrong as well." In another video, she develops: "You have to know that when a surgeon has done a job, it is very difficult for another surgeon to resume work. It has been tied up in a certain way so it's also complicated to find someone who agrees to take over the work of others. " And all this is without taking into account the financial investment that it requires.
TikTok's outpouring of solidarity encouraged Camille to consider legal action. Unfortunately, five years after the fact, it is too late. After making inquiries with various Lebanese lawyers, Camille discovered that the statute of limitations for a lawsuit like this one in Lebanon is four years. Still, his courageous speech will undoubtedly encourage other victims to feel less alone and alert on misogyny as well as the lack of empathy of the medical profession. Camille also keeps a sense of humor: if the clinic has not respected her wish, arguing that a large chest measurement would satisfy men, the young woman reveals with biting irony … that she is a lesbian.