Check out this long but very interesting attempt to answer the question: “Why Do Men Like Tits?”

The title of this post at rantlust.com is blunt, to say the least, but the post itself, by a blogger who calls himself Manish, is a thoughtful consideration of how breasts have been perceived by various cultures and at different times through history and from biological, sociological and psychological perspectives. Manish touches on the Kama Sutra and even Darwin. His references include such works as Carolyn Latteier’s Breasts: The Women’s Perspective on an American Obsession, and Marilyn Yalom’s A History of the Breast.

The most interesting part of this post is, of course, towards the end. Manish says:

“Men sexually objectify women. The objectification of women that men do, leads to emotional distress for some women: negative body image, implants, depression, etc. Women’s studies and feminist thought are full of slogans like “women need to reclaim their bodies”, “breasts are solely for nurturing”, etc. Often in such circles, men, by sub-consciously responding to gratuitous use of sexual imagery ( e.g. in ads) and by concious consumption of sexual material (e.g. porn), are held responsible for the social pressure placed on women to meet a certain physique. The sentiment, if not the logic, behind these ideas is understandable.

“But women sexually objectify men too. To take an example off the top of my head, women in general prefer men with hair. This leads some men to go for hair transplants, hormonal treatment, toupees, etc. Consider the number of successful aging male actors (or men in many other professions in the public eye) who are bald. Does baldness make one a bad actor?

“I’m not laboring to make the obvious point that turnabout is fair play. I’m trying to point out that nature didn’t set out to create human beings who respect each other’s feelings and treat them as indviduals first. Nature didn’t give us bodies because the minds we have needed containers. We have the minds and bodies we do because that’s what the brutal, selfish processes of nature ended up creating. Nature in general, and the sex game in particular, works on the basis of individuals trying to get some benefit out of other individuals for their own needs.

“But we humans have the unique ability (ironically, another gift of nature) to rise above our animal selves. To do this, we can’t, shouldn’t and needn’t ignore the reasons that make things they way they are.”

We don’t often get the chance to hear men’s thoughts about breasts beyond such one-word grunts like, “Bigger,” so I really appreciated this effort.

I am in Las Vegas right now. A couple of weeks ago, I was somewhere very, very different: Washington, DC. While there, Mary and I dropped by Rosa L. DeLauro’s office to say hello and to express our support for her important work on behalf of women’s health. Representative DeLauro (D-CT) recently re-introduced to Congress the FDA Scientific Fairness for Women Act.

Here’s a very funny video I came across on Comedy Central, titled “Girls Trying to Be Perfect.”

Unfortunately, you’ll have to sit through a commercial first.

More unfortunately, I have no idea who this talented female comic is, because her name is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the other five clips on that page, from five male comics, are all clearly attributed. Simple accident? Maybe, but I can’t help but raise an eyebrow.

The May issue of Jane Magazine features the “JANE Guide to Breast Health.” Its online version includes a slideshow of women’s breasts. Take a look here.

Who’s gutsy enough to submit photos of themselves to help Jane spread the message for women to love the breasts they have?

Special challenge to women who’ve had their implants removed: Who’s courageous enough to submit photos of their explanted chests?

(Added June 22): Reader submissions appear on Jane’s guest blog, here.

I came across this Q&A at everydayhealth.com:

Are Implants Dangerous?

Q: I have a family history of breast cancer (my grandmother died from it). I’m interested in breast implants for enlargement, but I’m afraid of breast cancer. I researched on the Internet and found out that silicone is dangerous. What about the other kind, which is only salt and water? Are those dangerous too for a person like me? I really appreciate your help to help me to make a decision.

— Azadeh T., Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

A: While some implants are used to reconstruct a breast that has been removed because of cancer (breast reconstruction after mastectomy), the majority of breast implant surgery is done for elective breast augmentation (enlargement). That’s cosmetic surgery, and anytime you are considering a surgical procedure for cosmetic reasons, you should be sure to understand the known risks, and to understand that some risks might not have yet been identified.
The possibility that silicone implants can increase the risk of developing connective tissue problems was not known until many years after this type of implant had started being widely used. The FDA is currently studying the risks further to determine whether silicone implants are safe, so they are not routinely available now. Most breast implants that are available are saline (salt water).

Either silicone or saline implants can have complications — including decreased nipple sensation, pain, unattractive appearance, scarring, infection, or implant rupture — but data thus far suggest that neither type has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. You should know, however, that breast implants may make it more difficult for a mammogram to find a breast cancer. This might be of particular concern for women at high risk for developing breast cancer, such as women with a strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer.

You should discuss your family history of breast cancer with your physician, and carefully weigh the risks and benefits before you make your decision about elective breast augmentation.

The answer was given by Dr. Martee L. Hensley, an Every Day Health Specialist and a practicing oncologist at Sloan-Kettering. Her specialty is gynecologic cancer.

Needless to say, this Q&A is a bit old. It was published on Oct. 30, 2006, a few weeks before the FDA lifted the ban on silicone breast implants in November 2006. But I wanted to share this because:

1) It shows how information on the Internet, no matter how outdated, can live on and on, continuing to influence people. This is a personal lesson for me, a “newbie.”

2) I like this exchange very much because it’s from a questioner who obviously did her homework: Azadeh starts by ruling out silicone breast implants altogether because of the risks.

3) And the answerer, Dr. Hensley, seems to warn off Azadeh from unnecessary surgery by emphasizing that the patient must thoroughly understand the known risks. She says, the patient must “understand that some risks might not have yet been identified,” which is pretty scary! Breast implant surgery is serious, with the discomfort and risks associated with any major procedure, and I feel terrible that there are so many women willing to go through it for the sake of improving their physical appearance. I think Dr. Henley agrees with me.

4) Finally, Dr. Henley acknowledges that there is the possibility that silicone implants can increase the risk of developing connective tissue problems. Of course, now that silicone implants are back on the market, I wonder what Dr. Henley is saying now. Does she buy the FDA conclusion that breast implants are safe enough and so we should allow women to get them, or did she read the fine print requiring ongoing study, which essentially makes silicone breast implant recipients guinea pigs?

Dr. Oliver is a plastic surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama. His diatribe against the FDA Scientific Fairness for Women Act, recently introduced to Congress by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), is not only childish but misleading. His argument is based on the assumption that silicone breast implants are safe. They most emphatically are not. The act would, among other things, hold manufacturers accountable for ensuring the safety of silicone breast implants.

Yes, the silicone breast implant is likely the “most extensively studied medical device in the history of the world,” and Dr. Oliver links to a few articles to prove this point, but that doesn’t mean that the body of research, though extensive, is anywhere near adequate. Research thus far has been problematic for various reasons, the main one being bad design, making conclusive results impossible. For example, the vast majority of studies looks at women for only two or three years, but many health issues attributed to implants –such as lupus and other autoimmune diseases – take years to emerge.

See here for a critique of the 1995 “Harvard Nurses Study,” one of the most highly regarded studies in the body of research around breast implants.

And Dr. Oliver is just plain wrong. He says, “What’s the rupture rate in modern implants beyond a decade? (we [sic] have a good idea at about 10-11 years where it’s ~ 6-8%).” Huh? A 2005 NY Times article entitled, “High Rate of Failure Estimated for Silicone Breast Implants,” gave rupture rates for implants around 10-years old that range anywhere from 21 percent to 93 percent, significantly higher than the comfortingly low figure put forward by Dr. Oliver. And the rupture data by the FDA (author: Lori Brown) shows that half of implants are ruptured at ten years and the majority by 15-20. Also, roughly half of women require re-operation due to their implants within three years, according to an FDA analysis of corporate data.

Finally, I have to say, Poor Dr. Oliver!!! Any man who professes to understand beauty and has to resort to presenting cartoon faces about a woman who just happens to have a different opinion than he does is at best immature and at worst reveals an inner revulsion for women. Here, he even exults that someone else joined his sandbox. It seems that if you are his patient or are thinking of becoming his patient, one might remember that he knows how to make a cartoon of a woman if she mentions something he doesn’t agree with. Beware of any man who denigrates women.

Poor Dr. Oliver? No, it’s really shame on Dr. Oliver.

In Women in Art, we get a tour of feminine beauty through 500 years of art. One smile turns into the smile of another, whose glance suddenly looks at us through different eyes. Sitting through 2:52 minutes of this continuing transformation is quite an unsettling experience, reminding me again why art is so important.

The range of beautiful faces is astounding. I only wish more than the faces of these women are shown — from head to waist would be perfect! This way, the range of beautiful breasts could be displayed as well, breasts in all their natural glory, before the days of surgical enhancement.

These women radiate beauty as defined by the ages. Could somebody like Pam Anderson make this list? I think not.

Let us celebrate these natural beauties.

I am an actress. I am an activist speaking out against breast implants.

This may be seem to be a contradiction in terms, because how can someone in the entertainment industry – an industry that so revolves around physical appearance – be against one of the most popular beauty enhancement procedures today? The short answer is that it’s a women’s health issue and breast implants just aren’t safe. The longer answer is… Well, I’m still looking for it, which is why I am part of this blog.

I know better than most how important physical appearance is to a woman’s sense of self. At the same time, as part of that generation grew up in the new social landscape shaped by the efforts of such great women as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, I have always known that my worth is much, much more than just how I look.

Yet, I agreed to invasive cosmetic surgery, and it made me very sick. Ironically, it disabled my ability to go full throttle after my career goals, which was why I had had it done in the first place.

Through this blog, I hope to find insight and wisdom about women’s relationships with our bodies and with society as a whole. And I hope many other women will join me as I start on this voyage of discovery.

FDA’s unfortunate actions inspired me to start this blog.

I fully understand the feelings of a woman who has undergone mastectomy or mastectomies. Her desire to replace what was lost is often based on her need to regain control of her life. But it is very important to me that all women understand what is really at stake when they choose to get implants. The control that women seem to be seeking by getting implants is lost when they start having trouble with them.

I believe that the more public discourse there is about breast implants the fewer women would get them. This is why I’m here, on the Internet, ready to talk about this hazard to women’s health. I’m here to let women know that the implants available currently are unproven products capable of causing long-term difficulties for those who use them.

I invite other implant recipients to share their experiences here, and everyone to join my larger discussion of why we have a growing commercial venture by plastic surgeons and a surge in the manufacture and sale of breast implants. Those ventures will surely hurt women now and in generations to come.

With all that has been said about breast implants in the past 20 years, I am at a loss to understand why a poorly designed and unproven product has been made easily available to women, and why women, so many years after the great strides women have made to improve their lives, are still willing to undergo surgery to get them.

Let’s talk!

TAGS: breast implant; breast implants; women’s health; body image; women’s issues; beauty

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 at 9:47 am and is filed under Sybil Writes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.