Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Woman Dubbed 'Shark' By Cruel Bullies As A Teen Explains How Nose Job Changed Her Life

Woman Dubbed 'Shark' By Cruel Bullies As A Teen Explains How Nose Job Changed Her Life
Madison feels 'a million dollars' after her £5.5k nose job (PA Real Life/Collect)

A beautiful young woman claims a £5,500 (~$7,095) nose job has made her feel like “a million dollars" after cruel comments comparing her to triangle-faced Disney character Phineas Flynn and a shark tainted her childhood.

Falling foul of hurtful name-calling throughout secondary school, recruitment officer Madison Cain, 20, first asked her parents, Julie and David, both 53, if she could have a new nose when she was just 16.


Concerned, they asked her to wait for a while but, aged 18, seeing her continued distress, they agreed to fund the operation – which she had in September 2019 and says changed her life.

Madison has been taunted about her nose since starting secondary school (PA Real Life/Collect)

Madison, of Failsworth, Greater Manchester, England, said: 

“At secondary school, other children would point and laugh saying that I looked like Phineas Flynn, from the Disney animation 'Phineas and Ferb', whose whole head is one big triangle."
“You know what kids are like, they can be so cruel. Soon the nickname caught on and I was being called it non-stop."
“If it wasn't that, people would whisper and shout, 'Big nose,' at me. It was so upsetting."

Madison covering her face before surgery (PA Real Life/Collect)

She continued: 

“But now, after the operation, I feel like a completely different person. It's the best thing I've ever done."

Madison only developed a complex about her nose after leaving primary school.

Recalling a particularly cruel comment, when she was 13, she said: 

“One day, a boy said in front of everyone, 'When you do backstroke at the pool does everybody run out screaming shark, because of your nose?'"

They day Madison had her new nose unveiled (PA Real Life/Collect)

She continued: 

“It was like that throughout my teens. The cruel comments never stopped."

Suffering with low moods and social withdrawal because of the jibes, Madison's self-confidence hit rock bottom.

She said: 

“It had a massive impact on my mental health."
“I was constantly worried about the size of my nose and the fact that it was bigger than everyone else's."
“I had a great bunch of friends from primary school who were a proper support network for me."
“But I was terrified of meeting new people, as I worried that they'd laugh at my nose."

Madison was compared to a shark by cruel children (PA Real Life/Collect)

And when her friends started going out on dates, she was far too self-conscious to talk to boys.

“It was awful," she explained. “Everyone always talks about how their school years are the best of their life, but for me they were some of the worst."

“I didn't go on a date with anyone because of my nose."

One day after her op (PA Real Life/Collect)

She continued: 

“Everyone I hung around with knew me by the cruel nicknames I'd been given and the thought of dating was far too intimidating."

Luckily, when she began studying for a diploma in travel and tourism at a local college in 2017, her peers were more grown up and the taunts stopped.

But the damage was done and, until she changed her nose, she felt sure she would never find true happiness.

The day of Madison's nose unveiling (PA Real Life/Collect)

And, despite asking her to wait when she asked if she could have surgery at 16, when Madison reached 18 in September 2018, her BT engineer dad and NHS budget manager mom agreed to pay for her nose job.

So, in April 2019, she had an assessment at cosmetic surgery clinic Transform Hospital Group Pines Hospital in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester.

“The main thing I remember from the appointment is my sense of relief at someone honestly understanding why I wanted to change my nose," she said.

She continued: 

“For years people had brushed it off as something that wasn't that bad, but finally someone was seeing it from my point of view."
“I told them I wasn't happy with the size of my bridge and they said they could fix it. That's about all I can remember, as I was so excited."

With the end of her studies in sight, Madison had two week-long vacations booked over the summer to celebrate with friends – in Kavos, Greece, and Magaluf, Mallorca – so booked in to have the procedure when she returned in September.

Madison and dad David (PA Real Life/Collect)

“I could have done it before going away, but it was going to be a boozy summer and I didn't want to damage my new nose!" she laughed.

A bag of nerves the night before the procedure on September 30, she became convinced she would not like the result.

But, discharged on the evening of the hour-long procedure, she then waited 10 days before having her bandages removed and seeing the results.

Mom Julie and Madison (PA Real Life/Collect)

“I couldn't sleep for the first two nights after surgery," she explained. “It wasn't because of pain – I just wasn't used to the splint, but I could already tell that it was a completely different shape."

“My dad took me to have the bandages taken off. When the nurse removed them, I broke down in tears."

“My dad thought I was upset, but I was overcome with joy. I looked like a completely different person. It was perfect."

Mom Julie and Madison (PA Real Life/Collect)

Keen to show off her new nose, Madison uploaded a before and after picture to Instagram – describing herself as “blessed" – and received over 600 comments of support.

To celebrate, that night she went to a John Newman gig at Manchester's O2 Apollo.

“I just felt different – even that very first night with the bruising and stitches still there," she said.

Dad David and Madison (PA Real Life/Collect)

She continued: 

“Before, when people looked at me, I was convinced it was because of my nose."
“Now, I just didn't care. It was the perfect way to celebrate."

Soon men began noticing Madison's newfound confidence, too.

She said: 

“I think it was more as I'd stopped hiding in the corner when I went out with the girls than because I'd had a new nose."
“I started being spoken to by boys and it felt great."
“I really do feel like a new woman and have finally had the confidence to accept offers to go out on a date."

Madison feels 'a million dollars' after her £5.5k nose job (PA Real Life/Collect)

While she is yet to fall in love, Madison is now making the most of dating.

“I'm really enjoying making up for lost time and seeing what it is like out there," she said.

“I've been on a few dates and was seeing one particular person for a few months, although it didn't quite work out."

A before and after photo of Madison's nose (PA Real Life/Collect)

She concluded: 

“To anybody else out there who has been thinking about have cosmetic surgery after years of insecurity, I can only say do it!"
“It's the best thing I've ever done. It might have cost £5,500, but the benefits are worth a million."

To find out more about Transform Hospital Group, click here.

More from News

Sarah Jessica Parker
Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Sarah Jessica Parker Claps Back At Conservative Critics Who Want Her To 'Shut Up' About Politics And 'Act'

Nothing seems to get conservatives' goats quite like celebrities having political opinions—well, liberal and leftist celebrities, anyway.

They seem to love it when weird right-wing celebs like Kevin Sorbo get on the internet and say bizarre, usually counterfactual nonsense, or when JK Rowling does her darnedest to make her legacy not about Harry Potter but about her weird obsession with trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ann Coulter
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Ann Coulter Faces Fierce Backlash After Saying 'We Didn't Kill Enough Indians' In Deleted Post

Far-right provocateur Ann Coulter is facing fierce criticism after she made a genocidal remark in a now-deleted post on X in response to University of Minnesota professor and Navajo Nation member Melanie Yazzie's speech about colonization.

Yazzie, in a speech at last year's annual Socialism Conference, said "decolonization is the only thing that is going to save us as a species" during a panel hosted by Red Nation, a Native American nonprofit that advocates for Palestinian and Native American rights. She also said that the United States is the "greatest predator empire that has ever existed" and said it should be dismantled.

Keep ReadingShow less
James Gunn
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

James Gunn Bluntly Fires Back At 'Jerks' Who Criticize Superman's Pro-Immigrant Themes

Superman director James Gunn issued a response to the "jerks" who criticize the political themes inherent to the superhero's story, expressing his hope that seeing the movie will "make people a little nicer."

Speaking with The Times of London, Gunn stressed that the story of Superman is more relevant than ever considering the ongoing political turmoil in the United States largely centered around the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Keep ReadingShow less

Things People Do In Relationships That Seem Sweet But Are Actually Toxic

Content Warning: Controlling and Toxic Relationship Behaviors

We've all either been involved in or witnessed a relationship where we saw something that we thought was cute or sweet at first, but we eventually found the behavior to be troubling or "too much."

Keep ReadingShow less
A piggy bank surrounded by loose change.
coin bank

'Poor Person Habits' People Won't Give Up No Matter How Rich They Get

When money is tight, we look for every possible way to avoid spending it.

As much as we might find ourselves missing out on some of the nicer things life has to offer, we find ourselves contented by the fact that we will always have enough money in our bank accounts to pay our bills on time.

Keep ReadingShow less