Kylie Jenner is no stranger to body-modification rumors. Who could forget that time when her lips were the focus of national spotlight. She told everyone they looked fuller thanks to the handiwork of some strategic lip liner, but as we all know how that story goes, she later revealed she'd made the decision to get lip injections.
And now, after Kylie posted some photos on Snapchat last night, the rumor mill is churning once again. This time with the attention on the 19-year-old's breasts. The Twitterverse immediately went into a frenzy, forcing Kylie—again, a 19-year-old woman—to answer a Q&A about why her boobs looked bigger. Long story short? She's on her period, you guys.
A look at one of her snaps in question:
And how she responded to fans:
Her history in omission about body alterations and her Kardashian-level of candor aside, I know the real personal struggle about having your boobs turn into what might as well be cantaloupes the week before my period. So, curious to see how others felt about #KylieDeflateGate and to discuss the unscientific legitimacy of her claim, I made my work wives here at Glamour talk to me about period boobs. Here's roughly* how our convo went down:
Me: I’m not going to lie, I actually saw this photo float across my feed last night and instantly thought, “Whoa, did Kylie get a boob job?” Which I feel pretty horrible about, because why was that my first thought?
Meredith: I mean, those would be some serious period boobs.
Cady: While obviously it's her choice [if she got a boob job] and if she says she didn't, then we should believe her...but she does have a history of not being totally truthful about cosmetic procedures. Remember when she said her fuller lips were the result of lip liner techniques before admitting she'd actually gotten fillers?
Me: Right. She’s like the girl who cried wolf on not getting body enhancements. But she was still pretty young then, and if she’s since become so honest and upfront about lip injections, there's really no reason for her to lie about a breast enhancement. Also, I have gotten some SERIOUS period boobs like this.
Julie: In defense of Kylie, I will say, my BF has a term for when my boobs get HUGE the week before and during my flow. "Period titties."
Meg: Dude, period titties are extremely real.
Anna: This has me in a spiral because I don’t think my boobs change during my period—but now I’m questioning if I’m just SO out of tune with my own body that I don’t even notice?
Me: Say what you will about the Kardashians, but they have a way of making you more self-aware.
Cady: I learned a lot about childbirth that I'd never actually known from the episode where Kourtney gives birth, TBH.
Meredith: My boobs have changed size and general attitude so many times and for so many different reasons, it's like they have their own agency.
Me: It’s strange that people are just now commenting that her period boobs look big. But also, I don't make it a habit to regularly chart the size of her breasts.
Julie: I could argue that I've noticed her boobs looking bigger in the past. I don't think it's just now.
Me: Word. You know how some people have period underwear? I have a "period bra" for the week before I start, when I'm PMS-ing like crazy. It's nearly a cup size bigger because my boobs get so swollen and heavy.
Cady: Same! All my clothes fit differently for about a week.
Me: It sucks. Basically if you see me in the same outfit on a 4-week rotation, that’s why. I usually end up wearing jeans and a boxy top to try and minimize them.
Anna: I know there’s the argument that the family signed up for all of this, but if so many people were talking about my boobs on the Internet that I had to issue a RESPONSE when I was 19, I think I would have been traumatized.
Cady: It's sometimes hard to remember that she's just 19. The sheer PRESSURE on her is insane. Definitely want to give her props for calling attention to the little-discussed reality of period boobs.
Kim: I also feel, like, in addition to knowing how periods work, women should know how bras work. If I don't wear a bra under a tight dress, I look totally flat-chested. Or I can wear a padded push-up and look like a D cup. This is common sense. Armed with these two pieces of knowledge, most women shouldn't be surprised when a woman's boob size looks dramatically different between two days. "Boob job" shouldn't be the first place women's minds go to.
Me: I'll kindly point out that she is braless in these photos. But honestly, I’m just impressed she can also go braless on period boobs. How are they not killing her?!
Meredith: There have been times when it was just easier to not wear a bra during period boob time. They're going to hurt no matter what; why restrict them when they want to be free?
Me: That’s a fair argument. And actually, a case for why she’s wearing tight shirts in her snaps too. I know someone at the office (not naming names) with over size D boobs who prefers to go braless. She told me clingy fabrics help keep her girls more comfortably held up. I personally think I'd just be too saggy to do that.
Kim: Also, boob jobs require recovery.
Me: Truth. And we know she boob contours.
Meg: And she’s a teenager. Puberty is widely known as a time when, you know, your, uh, boobs change.
Julie: I was underdeveloped at age 19 and really only got "curves" starting in my 20s. Everyone is different, yaknow?
Me: I grew boobs at 14 (horrible). Thank god Myspace wasn't like Snapchat.
Me: Anyway, I think this whole Kylie boob debacle can be summed in one GIF.
Cady: TRUTH ^
So there you have it. Period boobs: a very real thing.
*This conversation has been edited for clarity and tangents about no-incision boob jobs.