Quick poll: who cares?
A couple years ago, that would have been a resounding "Not I." I had smaller, proportional breasts that didn't call unwanted attention to myself**, and besides that, I wore nothing more revealing than parka-esque tee shirts. But wouldn't you know, boobs grow 'till your early twenties.
Ass. Hole.
The star star I put re: not wanting to call attention to myself is something that, as a cisgendered female feminist (mouthful, lawl), I have strugged quite a bit with. I personally prefer to have smaller breasts because a) they're a fucken nuisance when you're trying to lay on your stomach to read and b) I HATE having attention drawn to my body for any reason. Unfortunately, being that the UK is epically less humid than the US, this summer has hit me like a shit ton of bricks, forcing me to bust out the dreaded tank top. And I'm using 'bust out' in the most literal sense.
Since I have copious amounts of free time, I thought a lot on this bust and outing. I felt oh so enlightened because I now knew what it was like on the other side--boobage spilling out of regularly cut v necks and, well, everything else in my summer wardrobe that isn't a tee shirt. As of this writing, the ladies are spilling out of this cute little grey dress I just purchased; I'm not deterred from wearing it because of this fact, but I am hyperaware of how people perceive me as I walk through public (re: not for women) space.
Am I sending the wrong message?
Does this make me look like a slut?
Maybe not everyone has these feelings, and perhaps I'm just hyperaware because it's not something I've ever had to deal with. But I know from professional dealings that large breasted friends of mine have experienced that the realms of boobs and professionalism are mutually exclusive. Which is fucking ridiculous, because boobs are pouches of fat that contain ducts to feed infants.
THERE IS NOTHING SEXY ABOUT EDIBLE POUCHES OF DUCT.
I would love it if I could one day live in a world where women wouldn't get harassed in the street or fired for work "unprofessionalism" on account of biology.
And don't even get me started on the breastfeeding in public "controversy."
Welcome to the club! I don't normally think about those questions you mentioned, I guess since I'm so used to the boobs I have. They've been big for awhile... I also like my boobs, for the most part. Yeah, they are really just there for feeding babies, but my boobs look pretty good (as long as they are contained in a bra. Without the bra, they are dangerous weapons and become awkward and uncomfortable.) I figure, "Hey! They're there, I like them, Imma show them off in appropriate ways at appropriate times!" It does get annoying, though, when shopping for clothes, because they don't make a lot of shirts that take into consideration women with larger boobs, despite how much people (re: white males) rave about how great it is for women to have big boobs. You see a shirt that looks cute, but you know by looking at it you can never wear it because it cuts way too low. Or you try on a button-down shirt, and the buttons look like they're about to burst around your boobs, even though it fits right around your waist. IF SOCIETY WANTS WOMEN WITH BIG BOOBS, MAKE SHIRTS THAT ACCOMMODATE THEM, DAMMIT!
ReplyDeleteAlso, being a woman of slightly larger than "average" or "acceptable" weight, my boobs are the one thing that is socially approved (by straight white men.) Apparently, it's not socially acceptable to be overweight, but the media wants you to have big boobs, too. (A scenario that doesn't happen all that often. The smaller one is, the smaller their boobs tend to be, seeing that boobs are basically just blobs of fat.) You don't like my weight? Well, fuck you! Guess you can't touch these boobs, then.
While I am a fan of my boobs, I don't just like them to look nice for straight men. I like them to look nice for my fellow gay men, too. They srsly love boobs. And, heck! I'll show them off for all the lesbians and bisexual women out there, too! But, really, I'm just wearing what I wear because I like my boobs. If you like them, too, then good for you. Just don't stare at them. Or touch. I will break your fingers if you touch. Unless I let you.
P.S: I'm not sure how much sense this made. It's 2:13 AM right now...