"I Faced School Bullying Like Sydney Sweeney Over My 36EE Bust—Men Labeled Me a Bimbo, But Women's Comments Cut Even Deeper"

LAURA Kerr was 13 when she locked herself in a school toilet, sobbing as boys chanted a humiliating nickname outside the cubicle door.
What they were shouting still follows her today.

“Being laughed at because I was not flat-chested was heartbreaking,” explains Laura, who lives in Ayrshire, , and runs a hypnotherapy and counselling .

Laura Kerr says her 36EE chest is accused of being fake and men often assume she’s brainless due to boob biasCredit: Matt Marcus Laura, pictured at 26, says women often make the most evil and snide comments about her boobsCredit: Supplied

“I remember sobbing in the loo after boys called me stupid names like ‘Melons’ or ‘Big Boobs’.

“It instantly made other girls jealous, too. I’d feel isolated and alone.

“And I’d hide my developing chest under baggy school jumpers and dress down to avoid attention.”

Laura, 42, has battled what she terms ‘boob bias’ for most of her life.

She is regularly bashed for her and is either branded a “brainless bimbo” or accused of faking her natural assets.

“I’ve had comments from people who think it’s OK to say that no woman gets to have brains and real boobs, or even, ‘So what surgeon made those beauties?’” she says.

Sadly, these comments are something she has had to get used to.

Last month, actress – who’s become as famous for her as for her film roles – complained how her acting skills.

The Housemaid star, believed to be a 34DD, says she is sick of people obsessing over her breasts and blasted accusations that they have been artificially boosted.

“I’ve never gotten any work done anywhere,” said the 28-year-old, adding that she was “ostracised” by other girls for having bigger boobs when younger.

“Just like Sydney, I’ve been bullied for having big breasts all my life,” says Laura, who has a 14-year-old daughter.

“People look at me and assume my breasts cannot possibly be real. Other women make the most snide comments and can be especially vile.

“They immediately assume my breasts are fake and if they are not, I must be a brainless bimbo.

“They also assume I’ll steal their boyfriends or husbands.

“They gossip, target me and don’t believe I can be 42 with big boobs without having gone under the knife.”

Just like Sydney [Sweeney], I’ve been bullied for having big breasts all my life.

remains 36DD, maintaining our position as one of the bustiest nations in .

But while 44 per cent of UK women say they desire larger breasts, 31 per cent crave a smaller size, according to the Breast Size Satisfaction Survey.

This is believed to stem from women wanting to escape the ‘boob bias’ – the assumption that bigger breasts mean lower intelligence.

A PubMed breast size and stereotyping study revealed women with larger boobs aren’t considered as clever or reliable as those with smaller breasts, who are rated as more competent, modest and intelligent.

Welcoming a daughter, now 14, in June 2011, finally helped Laura to love her breasts, pictured while pregnantCredit: Supplied Over the years, the belief that women cannot be curvy and clever has taken its toll on Laura’s self-esteemCredit: Supplied

Single Laura says she has rather than her character.

“I am proud of my all-natural 36EE breasts,” she says.

“I love them and loathe them at the same time. They’ve held me back, they’ve seen me judged and they’ve impacted my career.”

They even make it harder to form friendships, as many women jump to the conclusion that she is a brainless man-stealer.

“The first thing people ask is whether they’re fake,” says Laura. “And when I say no, they look at me like I’m lying. That disbelief is where the damage starts.

“But my boobs are my own, and I refuse to be labelled in such a negative way.”

Men aren’t much better.

‘ASSUME I’M SHALLOW’

According to Laura, who graduated from Strathclyde University with a Community Education and Management degree in 2005, some recognise her abilities – but others simply cannot see beyond her breasts.

She says: “Some are amazing and value me for my business acumen, but others think big-breasted women want to be hit on and are not serious contenders in the workforce.

“Like Sydney, they assume I’m shallow, unintelligent, or that I’ve relied on my looks instead of my ability.

“Similarly, actresses like , a 32D, Christina Hendricks and , both a size 32F, constantly have to defend their natural curves.

“I wish people would be more concerned with their brains, not their boobs.”

The first thing people ask is whether they’re fake. And when I say no, they look at me like I’m lying. That disbelief is where the damage starts.

Over the years, the belief that women cannot be curvy and clever has taken its toll on Laura’s self-esteem.

She says: “I have had to work three times as hard at my job to get praise, and twice as hard to make real friends. Yet I have found myself bullied or labelled.

Sydney Sweeney – who’s become as famous for her ample chest as for her film roles – complained how her boobs have overshadowed her acting skillsCredit: SYRN Laura admits her constant battle not to be boob-bullied took a terrible tollCredit: Supplied

“When people see women like Sydney or me, they assume we’ve bought our boobs and don’t believe us when we say we haven’t.

“That’s when the judging starts. It’s fine to buy bigger boobs, but if you’re born with them, people think you’re stupid.”

For Laura, who says she would never have a breast reduction, boob-based began when she was just a child.

She started developing breasts at 12 and at 14 was a size 34C.

By the time she was 18, she was wearing a 36E cup and was regularly mistaken for being in her twenties.

“Female friends started seeing me as a threat even in high school,” she says.

“Boys would tease me and older men would leer, assuming I was older.”
When Laura started university, the accusations that her boobs were fake continued.

“I learnt to laugh it off, replying that they were ‘nature’s gift’. But deep down I was hurting,” she says.

When she started work as a local government manager at 21, she claims colleagues wouldn’t take her seriously.

“I heard people comment that I could not possibly be intelligent with a body like mine,” she says.

“Others would say I was as fake as my boobs. I hated it.

“My degree did not matter. Working 12-hour days while they worked eight did not change their views.

“My body always arrived before my brain in their minds.”

Laura admits her constant battle not to be boob-bullied took a terrible toll.

“I became depressed,” she says.

“I stopped pushing back, stopped speaking up and started doubting myself because it felt like nothing I achieved would ever cancel out how I looked.”

Laura says reactions from other women sometimes hurt even moreCredit: Matt Marcus I have had to work three times as hard at my job to get praise, and twice as hard to make real friends, says LauraCredit: Matt Marcus

The boob bias wasn’t always verbal and occasionally took a frightening turn.

“Random men would grab my boobs without my consent,” she says.

“I’d jump back and tell them to stop, but people behaved as though it was something I should expect. They believe having big boobs automatically makes you fair game.”

WOMEN HURT MORE

Laura says reactions from other women sometimes hurt even more.

“There was jealousy, judgement and this sense that I was being accused of something,” she says.

“I wasn’t invited to parties and would be left off wedding invitation lists because people thought I’d demand attention because of my boob size.

“I’m often surrounded by women talking about wanting boob jobs, yet those same women are quick to judge others who naturally have the bodies they want.”

Now, Laura helps others dealing with the shame she once carried.

“I see women who believe changing their bodies will finally make them acceptable,” she says.

“And I see women who already have the body society claims to want, but are punished for it anyway.”

Welcoming a daughter, now 14, in June 2011, finally helped Laura to love her breasts.

She says: “They fed my child, they’re part of my story and I refuse to apologise for them.”