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Say Yes 2 Breasts

Three years ago, I wrote an essay about “authenticity,” and different aspects of how our society is or is not obsessed with it. Building in part from an even-earlier piece about reality TV shows that were simply and blatantly about judging women for their looks, I included the following on the authenticity of breasts:

Breast implants call into question all sorts of authenticity-related issues and beliefs, depending in large part upon the function a given person wants breasts to play. Breasts that have been surgically enhanced may seem perfectly and reasonably authentic to the man or woman lustily watching someone walk down the street, or to the patron of a strip club who finds larger breasts desirable; they may look smooth, firm, and enjoyably unsubtle. Yet others may find the knowledge that a pair of breasts has been surgically enhanced diminishes their attraction – even if they, too, find larger breasts generally desirable – or that the reduced sensitivity or inability to breast-feed that might result from implants is a turn-off rather than a turn-on.

It’s not as though finding pictures of breasts in our daily lives is a big challenge; walk down any street in most American cities and they’re on billboards and magazine covers galore. Now, though, JANE magazine has tossed down another breast gauntlet, to help women celebrate the real and (as one woman proudly noted) asymmetrical breasts of their lives. They’ve even included a blog so you can submit pictures of your own breasts! (As of this writing, only two people have taken advantage of this special opportunity.) Formally, this section is called “The JANE Guide to Breast Health,” but I think that depends on whether celebrating with a slide show of “perfect breasts” counts as “health.” Still, and clearly, we’re looking at pure authenticity here!

I suspect Gawker has the right idea... Go nuts, folks (but might not be good to read in the office).

posted by The Editor @ 6:54 AM