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April 3, 2008

A filled-out bosom or a bosom-filled with love...

....That is the question.
The headline is a translation of a Bangla movie's promo – Shunyo e buke – the story of Saumitra and Churni, two artistes, who meet through common friends, fall in love, brave displeased families and economic disparity and get married. On their wedding night Saumitra is shocked to discover that Churni is flat-chested. His shock then turns to anger and hurt with him accusing Churni of ‘cheating’ him since she wore padded bras.

Padded bras, under-wired bras, rounded bras, push-up bras, diminishing bras and a plethora of other ‘specialised’ bras are all designed for one purpose: To beautify the appearance of a woman’s breasts. As long as there are women unhappy with their breasts, there will be a market for products and procedures that remove that unhappiness. And going by given figures, there are many women unhappy with their breasts. According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), the United States alone had 3,99,440 women going in for breast augmentation or enhancement in 2007. Another 1,53,807 went in for a reduction in their breast size. Those are the numbers in one country for a single year; the global figures are bigger and growing by the day.

While rising figures for breast augmentation/ reduction definitely mean more profits for the plastic/cosmetic surgery industry, do made-to-order breasts mean happier women? And why are so many women unhappy about their breasts in the first place?

The ASAPS breast augmentation home page says, “Women may choose to under go breast enlargement surgery for various reasons. These personal reasons may center around breasts that are perceived to be under-developed, or because of differences in the sizes of the breasts or from changes after pregnancy or breast-feeding. Some women may be happy with their breasts but just want them made fuller… Breast enhancement using breast implants can give a woman more proportional shape and may improve self esteem.”

Whatever might be the immediate stimulus, ‘may improve self esteem’ seems to be the primary reason for women to go in for these procedures. In a quick email survey of 18 people – 11 women, 7 men – it was unanimously agreed that while it was a woman’s personal choice to go under the scalpel, those who did were suffering from low self-esteem. They viewed themselves as lesser than the image of what a woman is supposed to look like.

There’s no denying the fact that breasts play a significant part in the ‘attractive quotient’ of a woman. Popular myth has it that most men prefer bigger breasts. Perhaps not Lolo Ferrari but definitely an Angelina Jolie. Flip through any ‘lad magazine’ and there are more pictures of women with big breasts – naturally or surgically enhanced – than those with small breasts. Think ‘hot woman’ and the most media-propagated, Accepted Image is of a woman with luscious, proportionate, anti-gravity big breasts.

So what happens when a woman’s breasts – whether bigger or smaller – do not adhere to the Accepted Image? She feels ridiculed, feels she’s lacking and thinks she is not as attractive as other women to the point that at times her entire personality suffers. Looking good is important in today’s world (and I daresay in the previous ones as well) and with women being constantly told they have to look a certain image, the numbers going to great lengths to achieve that goal are increasing.

Take the case of the movie quoted at the beginning of the story. Churni was born with small breasts and had to pad up to avoid jibes. Eventually her husband – who is in love with her – rejects her for not having his idea of what breasts are supposed to be. It makes one wonder: How do men react to the whole enhancement idea?

Read further: Killing themselves over breasts

22 comments:

Mystique said...

hola, I was just gonna send you this thing I found in my dad's mail (good I got to it before I deleted it) anyway, I'll just post the whole long thing here for everyone.


If Men Had Boobs

Today I had the unpleasant experience of shopping for new bras. You must understand that I do this only under extreme duress. I don't like shopping for anything (I know, unusual for a woman apparently), but shopping for brassieres is the worst of the worst. When I find one that actually fits, I buy like a zillion so I don't have to go shopping for them for at least a decade. However, I've lost a lot of weight recently, which necessitated said shopping trip.

Suffice it to say that I have big boobs. Real boobs, too. No baggies filled with gelatinous substances inserted here! But now my size D boobs are only size C boobs, which although smaller, are still plenty big. I am not fat. My boobs are not billowing rolls of lard. They're just plain ol' big. I should also point out that I am fairly tall, 5'9? to be exact. Evidently, these physical features seem to render fitted lingerie a near impossibility. Unfortunately, women with big hooters don't have the luxury of walking around braless. If we did, our tits would eventually hang down to our navels, much like those tribal women in the National Geographic magazines. No thanks. Bras are a must.

So, after rifling through rack after rack of bras of every shape, size and color imaginable hanging on those stupid little hangers that get caught on each other, other bras, your sleeve, your purse, or whatever else comes in close contact with them, I came to believe that men and men alone design bras.

Therefore, this rant goes out to those dipshit male bra designers. If you men had boobs, you'd understand how frustrating it is to buy a decent fitting bra, but since men only have balls, allow me to enlighten you.

First of all, whatever inspired you to believe that a woman wants a piece of inflexible wire shoved under her boobs for 'support'? Is it some kind of latent, sadistic desire to torture women? Let's put that same wire in your whitey tighteys and see how much you like having a piece of wire grinding on your balls every time you move. How you've managed to flood the market with these instruments of torture is beyond my understanding. Excuse me, but my boobs, nor any other woman's boobs, needs to be supported by a piece of fencing. Although in your primordial brain you may think of boobs as udders, we are not cattle and our boobs do not need to be corralled. Thank you very much, asswipe.

I realized today that male bra designers prefer small boobs. I can prove that because it is nearly impossible for anyone with big boobs to find a bra that is even remotely attractive. For those of us who are well endowed, it seems that bras are for utilitarian purposes only, that is, to hold those boulders up where they belong. No, instead of those cute, colorful bras for the tiny-titty-B-cup-and-under set, we get white, black or tan (and sometimes pink!!) industrial strength bras whose only embellishment might be some itchy lace. Let's put some of that lace on your y-fronts, shall we, boys? And let's not forget to mention that these same behemoths have shoulder straps that could double as seatbelts.
Jesus fucking Christ. Have some imagination, will you?

It has taken decades for women's clothing to come in tall sizes, but finally it is possible for those of us in the high altitude zone to wear jeans that don't stop at the ankle and shirts whose sleeves aren't all 'three-quarter' length. Halle-fucking-luiah! So, now that we've come this far, why the hell haven't any of you moron male bra designers figured out that tall women have long bodies, therefore, it might be a good idea to extend the length of the shoulder straps?
Imagine yourself walking around with your whites pulled up your ass all day. That's what it's like. Is it your cheapass frugality? I mean, really, how much can a couple extra inches of seatbelt strapping cost?
Dickweeds.

I believe that you shit-for-brains male bra designers imagine that every woman has boobs like Barbie's. It probably relates back to your childhood when you hid in the closet with your sister's Barbies, perversely stroking those enormous plastic tits. Let's face it, Barbie has some pretty perky knockers, but it begs the question: Have any of you imbeciles ever seen any real tits? THEY ARE NOT POINTED!!!!! And furthermore, real boobs can't be squeezed into points! So why do you design bras that could pop balloons, fucktards? Does anyone have deformed enough boobs to wear one of those monstrosities? Oh that's right! Barbie does! Jesus Christ.

Okay, I'm done ranting. I feel better now. Thanks for listening, Craigslisters! By the way, for the record, after an hour of trying on a multitude of brassieres, I managed to find ONE that fit, although it looks like a seat cover for an F-150 with obligatory seatbelt straps ?
white, of course. Swell. Just swell.

----------------------------------
there y'go. point made by the anonymous writer. and you're right, Zeenat aman did have rather pointy boobs in Don.

Praful said...

lol!! definitely one of most hilarious pieces that i've ever read.

Anonymous said...

I am so confused by your blog. How can you make such a random statement like, "women who have breast augmentation have low self-esteem" or whatever. Seriously. Not. Do you wear make-up? Do you brush your hair? Oh no, you care about how you look! lord.

Anonymous said...

No I don't wear makeup and neither do I brush my hair. I do wear kajal though and it IS because I care about how I look. I LIKE looking nice. And that is the point of the article, which bit didn't you understand? Women (people) like looking nice, but when you take drastic steps for that, it should be questioned. As for 'random statement', do you skip lines and read? The reasoning is pretty much there. Lord.

Never Mind!! said...

Indian2006: I guess even if you do wear make-up and do brush your hair, it is not comparable to a bosom job. Wearing make-up is part of looking good and well-put together which everyone wants irrespective of gender.Wanting to look good versus going through any amount of pain to achieve is is the crux of this article.

Great blog Eve!! Ohh, your Adsense shows an ad which says: "Natural Breast Enhancement. No risk trial....". The irony of life I say!

Anonymous said...

Some people want to make lots of money and they will go any extreme to make you believe that you will be the best looking breast in town.Its like how most kids end up with braces in their teeth.I had one too when I was 17.She said my teeth might come off on the day of my wedding if I dont fix it right away.So inspite of everybody loving my 2 lil beast tooth,I went in for the kill.Now I wish I had them back :(
Will never do that to my breasts.

Anonymous said...

How do men react to the whole enhancement idea?

1. Its not a good idea at all. Its an absolute NOOOOOOO

2. Be comfortable the way you are.

3. Lesser the accessories & cosmetics,the better or let me put it this way the less time one spends in front of the mirror looking at one self, the more beautiful one is...... isn't it dear ??

Anonymous said...

For Indian mainly and to get this story off my chest (hee hee at ref of chest)
I knew of this very successful woman, pretty in the conventional sense, thin( whatever! ppl find that hot) and very congenial and intelligent.
her husband had the reputation of sleeping around with anyone and everyone.
so one day a friend thought the 'woman' had gotten a boob job done. and all i said was 'poor woman'. My friend raved and ranted about the RIGHT of the said woman and women in general to look beautiful, to increase their self esteem and get the attention of their asshole husbands back!
I have never been more shocked in life but as the sleeping with boss post indicates, i live in a fool's paradise and speak from a postion of privilege all the time.
So it is considered ALL RIGHT and EVEN EXPECTED and ENCOURAGED to get a boob job done to get your husband's attention back? It is so scary...so one day if the wife gets breast cancer (God forbid!) and despite this boob job one day, the breasts SHALL sag, then? then what?
and Eve, YAY at ur not using any make up, as i like telling people if i was meant to have REDDER lips and cheeks, God would have made them like that. I do like kaajal though, especially the smoky look Kareena had Omkara, any idea how to get that...

'N'

Itchingtowrite said...

hilariours commnt by mystique... i feel exacly the smae- u never get something that fits lik a dream
and on the post- whoever does it first check if u can get th right size bra to fit them into

Crimson Feet said...

The story sounds silly... I don't think any intelligent man would consider it as cheating... but then, its a story.

The idea of getting a boob job may have a lot to do with the self esteem of a female, just like the idea of getting a high paying job/success affects the self esteem of a male. He may go to any extent to achieve it.

Beauty is her tool, success is his!

I know there will be many who wouldnt agree. I mean, you do have a milind soman and indira nooyi! But I hope one can see through, and notice the point. When it comes to more evolved individuals among us, the gender differences fade away and you accept and appreciate the other person as a human being. And thats exciting and fulfilling.

Anonymous said...

You know crimson it is not even remotely fair to compare success and beauty.
anyway
i'd like to say something serious and of substance but am having a really bad but i hope to come back here again and comment on that.
but please let me tell you that once on my blog i had a person searching (got from blog stats) for this:
'does eating golgappas make breast bigger'
hee hee
there might be a serious fear behind that query but it still makes me laugh.

'N'

Jhoomur aka JB said...

Nevermind: Hello, havent seen you around earlier. And grin at the blogsense, it's there, dont think anyone clicks on it though. :)

Crimson: Contrarily, I think that movie made a lot of sense. The husband in the film is a sculptor/painter of female anatomy..and therefore had a certain idea of the perfect female body or at least what appealed to him. Even without being an artiste, many men DO have a fixated idea of HOW they like the boobs (on a woman). Some men marry women who might not have the cup size desired by them and spend lifetimes being 'lusty' after 'busty'; other men take further steps. It's like saying women being unsatisfied with their men -- for whatever reason -- is silly. The movie questions two things: Do we love someone for their physicality or for what lies beneath the skin... And how important certain images become in our own heads. It's naive to think perhaps that everyone falls in love with the person and not the persona.
And pray, beauty is her TOOL for what? Basically you are saying that only beautiful women and successful men get ahead/ find love? Also completely DISAGREE with comparing looking beautiful/good with wanting a well paying job. I might want to look good AND have a fuckin good job...ditto for many men i know. Almost like saying a beautiful woman is ok with a job that sucks.

Mystique/ Itchy --> Wonder how much does the boob job really help... Small breasted women want big ones, those with huge breasts want them reduced, others want theirs rounder, still others might have the perfect shape and size but will worry if they sag, yet more women will worry if they have the right nipple size. Just because boobs CAN be fixed they are being fixed and certain imagery is being propagated -- as rightly pointed by Maxine -- to make that industry work.

By the way, PENIS JOBS are also done... How many men are up for it?What is funny though is that women are HONEST about feeling bad about their boobs and getting them fixed... show me ONE man who will discuss having his penis fixed. Most of the male species will die 200 times thinking that they might not be adequate. Therefore its a bit pissing off to think that just bcoz boobs are visible (over outfits that is), there's an image for them...WHILE for men that standard saying is ---> Size does NOT matter it is HOW you use it. hahahaha, fuck OFF i say. what say girls?

Anonymous said...

I am glad that some one has been talking about the bra business..

I am a 5ft nothing person and am skinny except a lil rounded fat I have put on around my tummy..and I have big boobs...like the earlier post mentioned..I am not fat..i am in fact skinny but I have big breasts,that are actually bigger than my face..
Born in a typical middle class family where dressing up demands you cover up yourself as much as possible I have had the misfortune of constantly being reprimanded by my mother about how I could not wear anything too tight as it would seem as if I am trying to draw attention to them..thus having grown up wearing ugly clothes..i started hating my boobs...
I have also had braces for almost two years and in spite of my awkwardness I have found men staring as well as ogling at me..because of my boobs..
I have been in relationships with many men..some nice some dicks but all of them have had one infatuation in common..their complete obsessiveness with my breasts...
Now i am single and each time i put on weight my bra size goes up..if i run they jiggle...if I get my periods they are absolutely sore..and over the years I have developed backache due to carrying this heavy load..
I am going for a breast reduction surgery this December after I have consulted various doctors, my parents and my friends..all of whom are convinced that I am making the biggest mistake of my life which will lead to a lot of unhappiness in the future..

I am doing it because I hate big breasts..because I am tired of the attention they draw...I am sick of jokes like "before she enters the room her breasts do..", I want to feel light and sexy...because sometimes being small is good for your self esteem..
So there... women with low self esteem go for breast enhancement as well as reduction...

Jhoomur aka JB said...

Dear Anonymous (am gonna call you 'Reducto'),
Thankyou SO MUCH for writing in, you have no idea what your words mean to me and perhaps many more women out there...who are (hopefully) reading this blog or perhaps will (hopefully) stumble upon it. The next post is for you and to us, the women who SUFFER because of our breasts.

Anonymous said...

wow 'reducto',you did speak about so many of us out there.Even I had to cover up,and even when wearing a skirt and top my mom would come with a shawl and ask to cover up!And so grew up thinking that my breasts were big.Looking back it wasnt so at all.hmm.now any doc would recommend a lift,but my brain works better these days than what others think of me.
Anyway...nice to read these comments too.

Anonymous said...

Can't help remembering this.

There is a nice lil' beautiful bird called Tit, i wonder anyone of you have noticed it, its little bigger than a sparrow.

So, once i was with a friend,then suddenly these birds made an appearance...... me total buddhu/nut case et al, so i said excitedly.... "hey, hey look,look watch them ...... beautiful tits up on that tree "

I wanted her to look at the birds, but when i looked back i saw her checking if anything was amiss.

luckily, she saw the funny side of it, so we had a laugh. Otherwise mar gaya yaar.

Never Mind!! said...

Yeah am new here. Came here through Desipundit. Cool blog you have here! read you on IBN. While on that can I ask you something about IBN?

Shady said...

Well ever heard of a women who divorced her husband cos when that guy was her Boy friend he wore undies that made his instrument look bigger and now she got lemons instead of melons :D

Mystique said...

sigh.
why why are people obsessed with breasts huh??
I used to be. Because buh-leeve me, I'm on the smaller side. But yeah, I realised it doesn't matter at all, because I am not my body, I'm something else. If people judge me by what I look like, they're complete assholes.
Kudos to eve who doesn't wear make up. I don't either.
But I do brush my hair.
:P

Anonymous said...

Oi
before it sounds as if i am some anti-makeup freak...i dont use makeup YET...but am open to some bits of it like mascara and eye shadow...another reason for not using it is coz i suck at it and look like a horribly painted geisha if i do/ :) dont comb because the uncombed look makes it appear that i have fuller hair. :) so vanity all the way...

Sue said...

LOL!

If it makes you feel any better, I'll stand up and say I liked being flat-chested, except for a few years in the teens. I liked being able to swing my arms across my chest without hitting myself en route!

Now I'm a mum and have cleavage that is displayed when the son uses my neckline as his trapeze line. I'm used to my current body but I certainly don't want them the slightest bit bigger!

P.S.
The word verification code is ctnsprm -- do they save these for you??

Anonymous said...

Yo Sue
honestly, i have NOT paid word verification for the weird ones they come up with for this blog! Guess theyve decided they like me or something!!! As for big breasts.... yes you are right and lucky. When i had biggies the toughest was sitting for meals at restaurants...they ALWAYS got in the way of the mouth and the table and being my height it was tough to NOT have them resting on the table instead of the elbows!