Nollywood actress Uche Ogbodo has opened up about why she underwent body enhancement (BBL) surgery, explaining that the decision was motivated by her struggles with body image after childbirth.
In an interview with Punch, the mother of three revealed that becoming a parent changed how she felt about her body.
She said, “Well, about being naturally endowed, I don’t know how you mean because I didn’t have an hourglass shape. Growing up, I was very busty, but that’s not all beauty entails nowadays. Starting to have babies didn’t help matters for me. I didn’t like what I looked like when I looked back at myself after my third baby. So I felt like I owed it to myself to be happy and confident.
“I had to have work done on myself for me, not for any other person, but for my mental health — to feel good, okay, and enough. I am enough competition for myself.”
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Unlike some colleagues who keep quiet after cosmetic procedures, Ogbodo said she preferred to be transparent.
*“In this country, I always find it a bit awkward that people are not honest and transparent most times, especially celebrities. You’re a role model, and then you lie to people who look up to you or who love you genuinely. Why are you a shining star when you cannot be a torchbearer for other people?
“I am somebody who likes to encourage women and help them build themselves up, using my life experiences to preach hope for women who don’t believe enough in themselves.
“So many people just go and disappear, and they come out with a banging body. They look like that’s how they were born. That’s not how you were born. You worked on your body. So why are you now hiding the fact that you worked on yourself?”*
She also pointed out that going through three cesarean sections had affected her body.
“Nobody is moulded in perfection, especially not mothers who have gone through cesarean sections. I did mine three times; it’s not easy to maintain that kind of body. So, I won’t just disappear and come back with a flat tummy and a very nice ass. That’s not what I believe in.”
According to her, her husband was supportive of the procedure because he understood her struggles.
On the risks involved, Ogbodo said, “There’s danger in everything. There’s danger in having malaria. But I knew there was nothing to be afraid of because I was in the right hands.”