To think that the West is seriously fucked up on the bosom front?

[Hullygully]

Bags of poison sewn into our infant feeding parts.

How fucked up is that?

It has probably been said but just for my two pennorth worth, wanting to change the way you look is not a new thing. A few hundred years ago they wore wigs, which very few of us would dream of doing, the wealthy used to whiten their skin with stuff that contained lead and all other unmentionable things just because white skin was supposed be a sign that you were somebody. African tribes (sorry to be vague but I don't know which part of Africa) who put rings round their necks to elongate them, others who put huge discs in their lips, Chinese feet binding, tattoos, ear piercing, there are no doubt many others. Isn't there a trend for Asian women to have bottom implants at the moment too? All these things are done to achieve a look what is popular at that time and place, by both men and women. Quite a few of them have a detrimental effect on the health of the person who does them.

Very little has been said about reconstructive surgery on here but have a breast implant after a mastectomy is not that far removed from having an artificial leg or arm (they aren't always useful - sometimes they are just so the individual can feel more normal and they aren't without their difficulties), or a glass eye or scar reduction surgery. Are we really saying that none of these people should have these things just because they are the result of wanting to look normal? It is human nature to want to conform to the perceived image for their particular time and place. I don't think breast implants are any different to any of these things. OK so a batch have been proved to be dangerous but so have many other things that we do in pursuit of a particular image.

That is not to say that I personally would have a breast implant or that I don't wonder why some people have them but it is their choice. I just don't get the argument that somehow this is an indication of how messed up Western women are. There are so many examples of people around the world and throughout history who have changed their bodies, this is nothing new.

An awfil lot has been said about reconstruction.

RTFT

I have. Relatively speaking, not that much has been said about it.

Perspective, I guess!

ie I think lots, you think little.

Potato Potarto

"I want girsl to be thinking about their sporting hobbies, history studies, careers and not fussing over how big their chest or bottom is. I want them if they ahve spare time to help the sick not flaunt their chest."

I actually agree with Xenia.

I spent my teenage years thinking my (in hindsight, lovely) body was repulsive. Now it is not quite as outwardly attractive, but I love my body now.
It's really strong, soft, and curvy from every angle.

Another person might look at me in the gym changing rooms and think my body is pale, flobby and scarred, but I genuinely don't care because I like it. It's mine and I am lucky that it works so well.

couldn't agree more covkimbo

I think people always are going to do what they want and people should be allowed to choose. They don't look good though and I do think having an anaesthetic for something which is unnecessary is risky. Looking at the news currently the safety element is very current and I think this will deter many. My friend had some done abroad and the clinic is no longer there and she has nowhere to get them checked out.

I think this debate is about the bigger picture, and what is perceived as normality, rather than one based on individual cases. The problem with womens' perception of themselves and their breasts lies with the media. People are more likely to see prominently displayed breasts in the media than in real life, and if there are a lot of cosmetic implants on display, it subtly starts alters the perception of a woman's body, and that it is normal to change your appearance in this way. It is basically promoting a 'look' and a fashion, and humans have been known to follow fashions.

In the past, people in the public eye were royalty, politicians, showbiz celebrities and movie stars, who were a bit different to 'normal' people. These days, with reality TV shows, anyone can have their 15 mins, and you now don't have to be rich/famous to benefit from the treatments only movie stars used to use - all you need is a credit card. Therefore, many publicity seekers look to 'enhance' themselves when appearing in the public eye, creating a particular look which others may find attractive and wish to emulate. The difference here though, isn't how you wear your hair, it's how your breasts look, and the more women there are in the public eye who deliberately disrobe and display their surgically altered wares, the more people feel that maybe that's how women actually look, and feel bad about their perfectly normal bodies. Young boys and girls seem particularly influenced by this.

It seems wrong to me for invasive surgery to be seen as a normal thing to do if you have money, as though it is a fashion, and not being taken on a case by case basis.

Basically, what is wrong is fake tits being flashed everywhere in magazines, music videos, tv and newspapers.

And real tits.

...yes. Tits in general being flashed everywhere.

what a ludicus thing for her to say

...yet people getting huffy if one is being dicreetly used to feed an infant in a cafe.

yes, because feeding your baby is truly DISGUSTING AND PERVERTED

Spot on all the way through the thread, Hully. I actively empower my daughter to be who she is naturally and to love herself. So happy to see the majority of peeps on here will educate their sons to respect women and to instill natural confidence in their daughters.

Northernwreck - well said.

Mapleleaf, I'm very pleased for you that it doesn't effect your self-esteem - that must be a lovely feeling - one that I never had. It ALWAYS effected my self-esteem and of course that will be down to deeper issues within me, but that was what I wanted to do at the time. So I did.

DD is my first (and probably only DC) so if you're referring to missing out on the pleasure of BFing, I'd never done it before so how would I know what pleasure I was missing out on? Some people have amazing experiences BFing, others don't.

As for nipple sensation, I don't miss it at all.

I was giving my view of MY experience. Some people will have had implants and will be thrilled, others will have them and will have a terrible experience. Everyone does what they think is right for them at the time. No-one says "I'm going to have a nose-job - even though it's wrong for me and I will regret it for the rest of my life" etc.

For some people it is wrong and for some people it is right. Others are appalled and others are not.

Each to their own. As long as it doesn't impact anyone else. If I thought for a minute that something would happen to me through my breast implants that would directly impact someone else (my DD, my DH etc) of course I would act to resolve it as quickly as possible. But that can be said about anything that can happen to me.

Hi Homemadecakes, if it's not too personal to ask, I am curious as to what you will tell your own daughter about your breast implants? Kind regards.

I wonder, because I know my little madam DD never missed a trick when she was growing up

I've wondered that too Cabbitmel

I also wonder how those who have had a breast enlargement operation would feel if their daughter expressed an interest in having liposuction or labioplasty once they are adults?

It's been so interesting reading all these comments. I'm trying now to analyse why I my self esteem hasn't been affected much despite having smaller than average breasts. Some thoughts follow:

1. because all the females in my family have small breasts so we all joked about it.
2. because I'm in my mid-fifties and my body image role models were Twiggy and Jane Birkin!
3. because none of my boyfriends ever commented on the size of my breasts

or made me feel a freak. If they had, I would have dumped them.

1. I loved being able not to bother wearing a bra (this changed with age and having kids and to some degree modesty) but was the case up to 30.
2. Having larger breasts while pregnant or breastfeeding, I realised how much they just got in the way of doing anything active though also enjoyed the temporary voluptuousness.
3. Because when I look at other women with averagesized or bigger breasts, I don't see that they are any happier than me. There is a lot more to one's personal happiness than the size of one's breasts.
4. As to nipple sensation during sex, I certainly wouldn't personally want to risk losing that pleasure for any non medical reason. No way!
5. Last but possibly not least, I wasn't brought up within this hyper-sexualised, pornified culture which commodifies sex and bodies. I only ever saw other women's breasts on Page 3 or on topless or nudist beaches, the latter being full of bodies of all shapes and sizes.

I would add another point ot your list, mapleleef, no one told you it was desirable and possible to have your breasts sliced open and filled with silicone. That market had not yet been created.

This is very interesting, posted by SGM on another thread