Boob envy

Boobs , breasts , chesticles , bangers , knockers , fun bags , melons , titties , boobies . I’m sure I’m not the only woman who has insecurities around them . I’ve had big breasts and I’ve had small breasts ( naturally due to weight gain and loss not because of surgergical enhancement *not that there is an anything wrong with breast argumentation. )

I’ve had positive and negative attention as a result of having breasts . Both from men and women . I’ve had endured the physical side effects that come with big breasts such as back pain and the emotional pain of find bras that fit propey and that are pretty and you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to afford .

On top of this there is the never ending stream of misogynistic media proper gander attempting to persuade women ,( I acknowledge that men and people who do not define as either gender also have breasts but due to my limited knowledge and experience I will be solely focusing on women for the purpose of this articles . This includes self defining , Cis and transgender women . )that their breasts are not big enough , firm enough , round enough , perky enough ect.

Finally to top it off we have worry about making choices in relation to our health such as whether or not to breast feed and the terrifying notion that every time we give our selves a breast exam we are filled with anxiety of developing breast cancer .

Breast are both a blessing and a curse . They form a fundermentla part of the female identity . They are often the catalyst that initiates a chain reaction to sexual harassment and discrimination within the work place . They are also a defining characteristic in how women value their level of attractiveness and subsequent their level of confidence and self worth.

Eventhough breast do have a practical function they are often viewed more as a hyper sexualised body part . I have read countless stories of women getting breast surgery for personal reasons rhat often relate back to poor mental health and perception of self worth based on vanity . I haven also read many inspiring article about women who have over come cancer and live without breasts and who wear their scares as a badge of honour commiserating the triumph of what they have a endured for survival .

What ever size or shape breasts you have there is always an underlying awareness of how they shape people’s perceptions of who you are . Dependant on her circumstances this can have both positive and detrimental affects on the woman .

From my experience in certain situations having larger breasts has affected my social interactions especially the development of romantic relationships. It has also impacted my professional career development as most women are aware that they are encouraged to dress modestly in a work environment as anything else is seen as inappropriate and unprofessional .

The way women’s bodies are objectified is incredibly damaging to the social political and economic status of women . Often women with larger breasts are fetishised and associated with sex based professions such as exotic dancing , modelling , adult entertiqniment and prostitution. This is incredibly damaging as it often distorts people opinion and perception of what a woman’s job role is . Hyper sexualised women are often deemed to be unprofessional and their interlect and abilities are undermined or even ignored because their breasts are deemed to be “distracting ” . This just shows that institutionalised sexism is engrained In to many cultures. This is frustrating as there isn’t any scientific evidence to show that there is any connection between a woman’s level of intelligence and the size of her breasts .

It’s scary how aesthetics have such an impact on how we may preconceived judgement about what a person is like , without knowing anything about them. This is abundant when it comes to people’s perceptions of women. It is a notion many feminist have been trying to combat for years with campaigns focusing around sexual assault as rape such as “ a dress is not a yes” and “ my clothes do not determine my consent ”.

Any person who has a reasonable understanding and intellect would believe that a woman’s character and behaviour can be determined by what clothing she wears . The usual conclusion is if a woman wears short or revealing clothing ten this is an indication she is sexually promiscuous and that her choice in clothes is an attempt to inform other people that she desires sexual activity. This it seems to also attract unwanted sexual or physical harassment due to people’s preconceived conceptions. Often clothing is sexualised in certain situations such as on a Friday or Saturday night out in bars pubs or clubs. This concept is rarely applied to men . A prime example are low cut tops shouting the chest area , cleavage and décolletage . When a woman wears this an item of clothing of this nature ,especially if she has larger breasts , it is often interpreted as an expression of sexuality and this is often deemed to be inappropriate to worn in certain circumstances. However when a man wears a top of the nature he is not subjected to this same for of negative judgment . On a hotsuerd day men ,regardless of ther body type , are ofte seen walking around completely topless . However if a woman was to this she may even be arrested for the offence of indecent exposure . This is a perfect example of misogyny and how women are unjustifiably treated in a way tat is negatively discriminatory.

Usually a person character should be determined by their actions , words or behaviour. I’m sure many would agree that in the case of a woman, her sexual preferences and wat she chooses to do in her private life should never be deciphered from her appearances .