On Triple J’s sex show The Hook Up last night, listeners heard a story that will likely hit close to home for many.

“I have absolutely tiny boobs and feel very self conscious about it,” the letter to the show started.

“Particularly because a current partner recently said while we were hanging out ‘You know you have no tits?’. Now I refuse to take my top off when we have sex and it just feels like I have a boys chest.”

Inspiring the show’s conversation of breasts, it quickly became clear she wasn’t the only one to have suffered a major knock to her self esteem thanks to a so-called ‘harmless’ comment.

Listen: Women share their breast stories. Post continues after audio.

For caller Emily, an off-the-cuff comment from a boyfriend affected her so badly, she seriously considered surgery.

“My experience is I was dating a guy a few years ago and he was lovely but he just didn’t understand the pressure that a relationship can put on a woman who is already insecure about my boobs,” she told host Hannah Reilly.

“So I have one breast that is a C cup and one that is an E cup, so it completely skipped two cup sizes. He used to constantly make remarks about it, just kind of lighthearted, but I don’t think he really understood how self conscious I was about it.”

Image: iStock

She says as a result she ended up booking to get a breast reduction.

"It was going to cost me something like $4000 just to get a reduction on one of them and as far as I know it's quite a lengthy procedure and with a lot of recovery time," she said.

"We broke up a little shorter after [I made the booking] and I didn't really realise how much his opinion actually changed my perception of myself." Listen: The latest ridiculous thing plastic surgeons want us to change? Our nipples. Post continues after audio.

It's good news now, though.

"And now I'm dating this guy now who is just the most lovely guy and he hasn't even pointed it out, he doesn't care. It's just amazing how relationships can change your perception of your own breasts."

According to clinical psychologist and body dysmorphia expert Dr Ben Buchanan, insecurities arising from comments from peers is very common.

"It's really common for just a tiny little comment from someone to really spark a great deal of fear and someone can ruminate it for a long time," he told the program.(Post continues after gallery.)

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The Butterfly Foundation

"Some people can look in the mirror for eight hours after they get one of those little niggling comments and it can really affect people so I think that's a really good lesson to really only make comments that you have considered, are positive and are going to build someone's self esteem."

It's clearly not something that can be just brushed aside either.

Dr Buchanas says he often sees these comments trigger the development of the mental disorder body dysmorphia.

"This is an extreme obsession with one's body, where you get really, really concerned that it's disfigured or ugly when in fact it's pretty normal," he said.(Post continues after gallery.)

Inspirational celebrity body image quotes.