Growing up in the public eye is never easy, and that's something that "Modern Family" star Ariel Winter knows all too well. In an interview with Glamour, Winter revealed that she recently had breast reduction surgery to correct years of back pain -- but she also suffered psychologically, too, thanks to a barrage of nasty comments about her overly-voluptuous appearance.

The 17-year-old actress opened up to the magazine about her decision to reduce her size 32F breasts to 34D, explaining that a growth spurt at age 15 resulted in a sudden, attention-grabbing change in her physique. Per Glamour:

"It really did happen overnight," Winter says of her breast development. "I remember being in my sister's wedding and being so flat and thinking, 'I just wish I would grow boobs!' and then overnight I did. But then they kept growing and growing and growing and it didn't seem like they were going to stop." It's hard enough being a teenager in life, but being on one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed sitcoms drew heightened interest. "I was 15 years old with [size] F [breasts]," recounts Winter. "It's like, 'How do you navigate that?'"

Winter said that she would often battle excruciating physical pain thanks to the strain on her neck, back, and spine. Long hours standing on the "Modern Family" set were particularly rough, she told Glamour, but hurtful remarks from the internet commentariat were just as cutting.

"That's pretty much all I was known for and that upset me," Winter said of her former physique. "It made me feel really uncomfortable because as women in the industry, we are totally over-sexualized and treated like objects. Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet always had to do with 'Ariel Winter's Crazy Cleavage!' Or 'Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs At An Event!' That's all people would recognize me by, not, 'Oh, she does great work on "Modern Family."'"

In the end, Winter said, she got the surgery "for myself," adding, "I can't even really put it into words about how amazing it feels to really feel right." Now, more than two months after her June 4 procedure, the actress says she "feels like a new person," and is looking forward to picking out a dress for next month's Emmys ceremony.

"I'm excited to finally actually feel confident [on the red carpet] and not just appear confident," Winter told Glamour.

For more from the actress, check out the entire interview here.

Photo credit: John Salangsang/Invision/AP