Why have large breasts become "must haves"?

[Hullygully]

I know someone on here will know the sociological history.

Even in my generation we didn't want them, indeed tried to hide them. Now they are de rigeur (inc implants). What has wrought the change?

This comes from a thread about implants and the whys.

My mum was surprised the other day that a woman on the tv was a glamour model because she had an ordinary face.

My niece told my mum (in that voice teenagers use when they are explaining things to people who they consider too old to understand the world) that being a glamour model isn't about how attractive you are it is about what you are prepared to do.

And surely implants come under the category of what you are prepared to do. Most young women aren't going to go down that route.

On the subject of boobs, I went to buy another couple of bras for DD yesterday in my lunch hour. Went to Matalan (yes, I know, I know but it's all that within reach of work). They had bras for adult women - the usual range of lacey, upheaved, padded creations. And they had a range for teens - more or less the same DD is a size 28AA. She doesn't need a bra but she has one because it makes her feel more comfortable in PE when all her friends have them. She has some George plain white cotton ones and one with butterflies on it, no padding, no underwiring. Why would I want to buy my 12 yr old something that would give her massive great bosoms! It's obscene. There was one rail with some sensible bras and guess what.....they had almost all sold apart from one that was a 34. Hope that teaches them something....

If that were true, SGM, we'd all be doing it.

I know we can now have the uneducated/lack of access to opportunities POV, but i don't know that I buy that any more. I think they conform to the expectations of their social group where it's comfortable.

I think when you have images in the media such as page 3, porn is definitely more pervasive and there is a culture around image and placing value on image it is very hard not to be swayed by that. Particularly because much of it is unconscious.

Just thinking about the media images projected:

How many fat female newsreaders do we see?

How many unattractive female presenters can you name?

Think of your favourite TV programme. How attractive are the women? More than averagely attractive?

Think of female politicians, how attractive are they?

What about well known female scientists?

In fact can you name any woman on TV who is not good looking?

Think of children's TV and "family" TV. What do the women look like? Do they look like people you might see on the bus?

I can only think of Sister Wendy Beckett who's not very attractive and she's not been on the telly for yonks. Oh and Ann Widdicombe but I think she's considered more of an oddity than a woman by many.

The only female scientist I could think of was Susan Greenfield and she's got fake blonde hair and fake lashes.

There's that marvellous historian woman presenting the illustrated manuscripts series on BBC4. She has very large breasts and is very intelligent.

So why aren't we all influenced then, Katie?

I don't really have a case, I'm just trying to work it all out btw

But plenty of wealthy women have implants, indeed you need the cash to do it.

Because for some people how they look is their only asset. So they have to conform. Or they think it's their only asset.

Let's face it, you're not going to win The X Factor of BGT even with the most amazing voice. You have to look right too.

Some of us can see it and reject it. Others see it and accept it, even embrace it because it gives them what they want but can't achieve otherwise. Others can't even see it.

You can buy implants with a payment plan and instalments.

ok Katie.

But that means you're saying women do it because they don't think they have any other choices to "succeed"

It's also relevant to the 'market'. Ie which man. It's matches taste.

In lots of settings it would feel very wrong. In some it's the best. So we don't all do it.

Yes. I think that's true. How does society value women? How they look. Sad but true.

Didn't Liza whatshername of DM fame have hers reduced because she wanted to conform to the waif like standards as displayed in Vogue?

I live in a place where every woman seems to have something or other fake about her and every other shop is a beauty salon. I will argue until I'm blue in the face about my right to dress nicely and not feel I'm comprising my sex or my intellect but the extent to which these women go is totally depressing. Even young teenage girls all have fake eyelashes here.

I think I need to get out more.

Or less. TV is particularly depressing.

I went out into London on my own on the tube for the first time in ages. I was surprised how ordinary and frankly ugly many people look because I've become a bit conditioned by rather insular life style.

I was just reading a thread about the gender neutral upbringing child, and the link was to the DM (!). I saw all those things down the side, all those pics about women and their appearance. I suppose it is utterly prevalent.

Katiemiddleton:That's a bit harsh! Just because you are very pretty and married to a prince you think you can say what you want.

lolly

I think the reason big breasts are must haves is because men like them. Thats so very sad but thats what I think.

I LOVE my small norks. I've experienced big (well EE) when pg and breastfeeding and I was so happy to get them back to a B. I'm tall and pear-shaped too so they do look very small on me. But when they were bigger they felt constantly in the way and annoying. Smaller ones make it much easier to wear anything you like too.

I did have one boyfriend who wanted them to be bigger. Everyone else has been very happy with them apparently!

I think it's much more a thing women want (like being skinny) than something that all men are gagging for.

It's about presentation too. I have friends who are known for their cleavage, which makes me sad. And worry for their sanity, because while of course one must be able to wear what one likes, the reality of being Out is that a super low cut top with massive cleavage in a shove them up/ thrust them out style is seen as an open invitation to drool/ manhandle/ comment. Certainly nobody talks to you as a human person when your tits are on display like that. Men or women.

I don't hide mine or anything, but I refuse to wear an uncomfortable bra, and don't wear low cut tops because I prefer people to look me in the eye.