I spent $75,000 on plastic surgery just to feel accepted by the LGBTQ community. It was worth every cent.

• Chad Teixeira, the CEO of Daddy the Agency, was often bullied online for the way he looked.
• He decided to spend $75,000 on liposuction, a tummy tuck, and a Brazilian butt lift.

I've been in a constant battle with the way I look since I was 11 years old. As a young, overweight, LGBTQ kid growing up in London, I was a target for bullies and stood out like a sore thumb. I was three times the size of the average kid; I acted differently and dressed differently. I absolutely hated going to school because it was a continuous cycle of bullying, hiding, and feeling inadequate. I would come home and cry to myself. It was awful.

Eventually, I became more of a bully to myself than the bullies at school, and it didn't get any better in adulthood — until I spent $75,000 to get the body I always wanted.

The problems with my looks got worse as I got older and more internet famous

When I became the CEO of a talent and communications agency, Daddy the Agency, I started posting pictures of myself online, often sharing the red carpet with celebrities. I quickly gained a big social-media following — one I wasn't ready for.

Once again, I became a target for trolls. I received horrible messages daily. People just seem to write without thinking about the person on the other end. I was most surprised to find members of the LGBTQ community — my own community — giving me the most hatred. If they couldn't accept me, then who would?

I ended up removing all of my photos and deleting my Instagram. I wanted to remove my social presence not only to shield myself from the trolls but also to help stop me from incessantly scrolling and comparing myself to others.

Deleting my online presence took me out of the firing line, but the damage of the past 16 years wasn't so easy to heal. When the world went into lockdown in 2020, my mental health spiraled. I got into a really negative space. Zoom calls were the worst, as I found myself fixated on the way I looked. In my depression, I turned to stress eating and stress drinking; I hated myself even more, and I knew something had to change.

I decided surgery was the only route out of the dark hole I was stuck in

I tried fad diets, starvation, and personal trainers — none of it worked. At that point, I was wearing a size XXL, and doctors in the UK wouldn't operate on me, deeming liposuction too risky. Refusing to take no for an answer, I found a clinic in Turkey that agreed to perform mega liposuction, which is a plastic surgery procedure that removes a large quantity of fat, typically more than average. The clinic in Turkey agreed to remove 18 liters of fat, which is about three times more than the amount they allow in the UK.

My mom did everything she could to try and change my mind, but I was fixated on achieving my "perfect body." I didn't care about how much it would cost. So I quickly booked my surgery, and I flew to Turkey in early 2021.

It cost me thousands of dollars to achieve a body deemed good enough for the world

I had several operations while I was in Turkey, ultimately removing over 77 pounds from by body. During the first operation, I was under general anesthesia for 10 hours and lost so much blood that I had to have two blood transfusions. I also had a tummy tuck, a Brazilian butt lift, and a range of non-surgical procedures like Botox, crowns on my teeth, and fillers. The recovery process was long, too, as I was covered of bruises and scars. My whole body was swollen.

And then came the price tag: $75,000.

It may seem extravagant to some, but I don't have any regrets. Since the surgery, I rejoined social media; the trolling and the nasty comments have died down. People treat me completely differently — both online and in person.

Since my surgery, I am so much happier

At 27 years old, I finally feel loved and accepted in the LGBTQ community. In some ways, it's quite sad because I'm still me — I just look drastically different.

I still attend high-profile events with celebrities. But now there is less hate and more love, which has had a huge impact on my mental health.

Years of bullying and insecurities are hard to recover from, but I'm finally starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I'm definitely not fully there yet, but I'm in a much better space.