Breast Obsessed?

While I feel the current obsession with the physical self is extreme, it is important to remember that we're all genetically predisposed to selecting those that can BEST meet our standards for the perfect mate. Unfortunately, society's persuit of physical perfection is eliminating our appreciation for intelect and personality, while surprassing natural limitations of physical "beauty." While I think this is impacting both genders harshly, it's obvious that men are being more harshly influenced. The male psyche differs from the female and men tend to focus more on the physical aspects of his mate. Thus, explaining the more harsh obsession with physical appearence than women.

Men and women are both obsessed with breasts. Women are because just like any other body part society raised them to think they need that perfect barbie figure. If a womens breasts are too big she wont like them and she will want a reduction. If they are just right she will show them off constantly thus making all other women who arent blessed with a chest jealous. If they are too small then they want an enhancment and become obsessed with the fact that they dont have any. Forever women have been asking men the same question- Why are you so into breasts? many men have the same answers- because they dont have them. This has a negative impact on men because its what they think about constantly but then they get jealous when women get ahead because they have breasts. I think that a womens right to choose whether or not to augment her breasts is her own decision. If that is what will make her feel good about herself then why not?

Our culture is obsessed with breasts because that is what the media has made it out to be. I believe that breast augmentation wouldn't be as popular if there were no playboy magazines or victorias secret catalogue models. If you are uncomfortable with the way your body is you should be able to change it but not for you to look like someone else. Designer vaginas is a strange thought but if it were to happen I'm for it as long as you couldn't go to the doctor and say "I want mine to look like Angelina Jolie's." Women should still be individuals and love who they truly are.

Our culture is without a doubt obsessed with breasts. Being that breasts are visible to the public eye they have become a great sex symbol. Now a days, you can find breasts everywhere whether it be on tv or on magazines. Playboy for example, small breasted women are not on there because it may not be appealing or "sexy" enough to the public. Women are sometimes judged on the size of their breasts which is morally wrong, but there is nothing that anyone can do about that.
You ask how focus on the chest perpetuates inequality? Well,breasts are simply a means of nourishing children with the proper nutrients that men cannot. But that doesnt mean that the bottle doesnt exist. They would be just as useful if they used the bottle to feed there child. Karp does not seem to be bothered by the fact that women want to get breast augmentations. However, she feels as if woman should do as they please. If having larger breasts makes them feel better as an individual then that's what they should do. Some do it to boost their self esteem while others do it to attract men and gain more attention.
I personally think that designer vaginas would be a bit strange but hey why not? If someone feels uncomfortable about their vagina why not have the option of participating in cosmetic surgical trends and designer vaginas? After reading Feminism is For Everyone, I'm pretty sure Bell would not be against nor for having designer vaginas. Bell would want the individual to make their own choice for their own personal reasons.

In today's society you turn on any television, open up any magazine, go to a movie and you see breasts. The culture that we grow up in as americans depicts women in certain ways everyday. We see women as being perfect if they fit a particular body type as seen on television and in our society. Women are now obsessed with their body images partly because of our society and how you are "supposed" to look.
There will always be inequality when it comes to men and women. As future has taught us, men has been placed on a pedistal and women have been underminded throughout history. Our obsession with breats in turn has created almost the same problem for men. Now you are seeing more and more men having plastic surgery done on every part of their bodies in order to fit that perfect image as seen in our society. Plastic surgery can have impacts on men and women in both positive and negative ways. If you have a certain image it may in turn help you get a certain job or on the negative side, it may hurt you if you don't meet the expectations of what that company is looking for.
Feminists are both for and against this because of a number of different reasons. One, women want to feel good about themselves and plastic surgery is the easy way to go for many people. Some feminists argue that fact because they feel that you are born with what you have and thats that. As we see in the reading "Our Feminist Ways", each individual has its own opinions about certain feminist issues but one thing is for certain; society will always thrive on that sex appeal, which has created this push for the perfect body.
Designer vaginas? Are you serious? This is ridiculous......Bell hook would probably have positives and negatives to this idea just like breast augmentation. Any feminist will have 2 sides to the story but in my opinion this is too much. Our society is becoming obsessed with themselves and television shows like "Doctor 90210" is a great example of this. It will be interesting to see what our world brings us in the upcoming years and how techonology, marketing and other strategies pushes our culture to spend more money on themselves.

Clearly our society has an evident obsession with the female bodily organs, particularly the breasts. This infatuation not only stems from men but from women alike. Symbolically boobs are oftentimes associated with nurture and mother-like care. Plastic surgery is continally on the rise, and breast augmentation is a very popular choice of change. Our society's obsession with breasts is shown through the entertainment and advertisement industries. In male magazines the breasts are oftentimes a center focus of attention because it stimulates something in the male brain that attracts them to this particular organ. In the minds of some women, boobs almost amount to power. It represents something that men lack.

However this is not just a current infatuation. Trace back several thousands of years and even then, a profound obsession with breasts is seen. History tells whether it be through literature, paintings, sculpture, and so forth. The "Venus de Willendorf" is a prime example of our ancestors and how this particular bodily organ has captivated humans. The Venus is a statuette, and is commonly referred to as the "first woman" and the sculptor overemphasizes the breasts--
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfdiscovery.html

The article on designer vaginas however was astonishing. It is not similar in nature to that of breast augmentation because it endorses sexual gratification. However the only similarity I see is from the final paragraph, that perhaps a designed vagina can symbolize power as enhanced boobs do to some. We may ask the question why does society not have an obsession with our elbows or our feet, but rather the boobs? I am a firm believer that the primal instinct of humans is to associate sex with breasts. Sex in turn means reproduction, and that in conclusion means survival.

To me breast augmentation is more of a personal thing for women, and I don’t really see anything wrong with it if it makes a women feel better about herself than she should do it with out the criticism and how it is wrong to change your body. Breast are a huge part of the women body, and get a lot of attention from both genders yeah men are always looking at a women’s breast size but women size each other up just as much. Women want to have the perfect rack whether its for men or to make other women jealous. It’s a shame that we can say we are obsessed with breast but it’s the truth and I think they will always be obsessed over. I wouldn’t go as far to say a designer vagina would be necessary because the breasts are a lot more exposed in a women’s everyday life.

I agree that in this culture, breasts are a body part that are highly worshipped, by both the male and female sex. Moreover, i believe that this obsession of breasts has originated from men and possibly from the idea and act of breastfeeding. However, i do agree that breasts may at times have a negative impact on men. Moreover, a man may feel inadequate when introduced or when working with a women with large breasts. Because of this, the male may treat the woman unfairly because of the size of her bust.

Personally, I think it would be a fair statement to say “our culture is obsessed with breasts.” Lets face it, sex sells, and breasts are a big part of sex and sexual fantasies in our culture – I think that is undeniable. Breasts can be seen almost anywhere, any day, at any given time. I am willing to bet if you turn on the television, read a magazine, or even walk down the street, you will find breasts. Is this a bad thing? I don’t know. But, the implications and expectations that our society has put around a women’s breasts has certainly taken its toll on the women of our generation, many women before us, and with the way things are going, it looks like future women will have to deal with the same issues. As far as physical appearance goes, men and women will always look different. This creates an inequality in its own, yet, to me it is a very superficial one. And honestly, I am still reading more into the “implications of this breast-obsessed culture on the male-folk?” I can think of reasons such as, men would have to deal with issues of finding “the perfect wife” or things along that nature, but it all seems so childish. If these implications and expectations were not here, the maybe (some) men would not have an inner voice to find a woman with the perfect breasts or body.

If one would look at our culture today they would be blinded by cleavage. Everywhere you look, it’s boobs, boobs, boobs. They are used as sexual objects, as motherly gifts, and as a form of advertisement. As Karp says, “our culture is obsessed”(p. 3). Men view breasts as purely sexual. Since men are constantly walking around with sexual thoughts dancing through their brains (women do it too, just maybe not so much!) it is hard for them to resist (no pun intended). So this puts women in the “sexual hot seat”, which can be both good and bad. First, the negative implication of the breast obsessed mind frame is that women are constantly on display. Ladies, you know what it is like to have someone think that your face starts at chest level. Boobs can sometimes impact a women’s right to be taken seriously. Instead of her ideas being taken whole-heartedly, they are taken whole-breastedly. On the other hand, this could be an advantage that some women cannot resist. Whether it is morally right or wrong, some women use their boobs to get what they want.
So what about other cultures? If breasts seem to be popping up everywhere in our culture, is it the same in other parts of the world, too?
As far as how breasts can have a negative impact on men, I am not really sure. I wouldn’t exactly says it’s a crisis that men cannot focus in a professional environment because they cannot stop ogling their co-worker’s breasts. Sure, maybe they won’t get their work done, and fall behind, and boo-hoo. If they really have that much of a time with them, then maybe we have more power than we thought, huh girls?
The only other reason I can think of, is that men might be jealous. Women’s bodies are made for creating and caring for children. Since men don’t have the ability to nurse, they might feel inferior. Which is why the bottle was probably invented by a man.

Today, if you don't like the body you were given, you can modify it. Cher, Jane Fonda, and a number of "higher profile" women have done so. (Most of you probably don't know much about Jane Fonda, but she was quite a firecracker in her day ... do a google search on her, she was Barabella in a sci-fi movie, and a Vietnam protester before she married Ted Turner and got old.)

I'm not sure that I see breast augmentation or designer vaginas as an issue for feminism. Heck, men can get penile implants too if they want them.

In my head, I see feminism as the equal playing field. So long as the women who have the breast augmentation don't play into the "old boy's network" to move ahead, does it matter whether they are a 32A or a 36C? Not in my mind.

One of the other discussion posts mentioned how women in some nations, Africa for one, I believe, may walk around bare-breasted. I remember as a kid how the boys in school loved to look at National Geographic (smile). But they are simply breasts, and as Karma mentioned, breasts are a means of nourishing children.

It's a cultural mindset and another huge hurdle for the feminist movement.

I definitely agree with Karp saying that our culture is breast obsessed. Try and go through a day watching tv, reading magazines and tell me you don't come into contact with a picture of breasts. The implications of this? I really have no idea. Perhaps, because guys play a lot of sports (hence sports with balls) this idea of something round being fun may carry over to breasts. Perhaps it is more along the lines of sex. Apparently studies say that guys think about sex every 12 seconds (?). Breasts may add to that line of thinking because they are in a fairly visible spot. (Obviously under clothes, but still.) Although I dont think the idea of vaginal cleavage would be as appealing.
I think the idea of breasts perpetuates the inequality by giving us something that men do not have. Does this grant us equality? Doubtful.
How do breasts have a negative affect on men? Maybe if they have a hard time keeping eye contact and the woman gets upset. Maybe if the women they work with get more attention from others for having boobs. I don't understand how having boobs can affect men badly. (Please explain if you have any ideas!)
I think it is easy to have two stands on the idea of breast augmentation. The idea of feminism seems to be about a level playing field for people in general. Where men seem to strut around and appear confident at all times, some women may want a little bust .. i mean boost in their own confidence. Breast augmentation may help with that. While other women feel confident in their own skin and are against forming to what society sees as beautiful, sexy, etc.
Designer vaginas? Ha, that would be kind of .. wierd? Although their are procedures that will tighten your vagina and make it "prettier" if thats imaginable. I actually saw it flipping through Dr. 90210. I cannot see this idea catching on, but who knows. I think Bell Hook might be able to see the idea of having the sides..for and against. But I might suspect that Hook would not go for a breast augmentation.

There are many implications of our breast obsessed society. Not only does it impact women, but men too. Women are often judged by the size or shape of their breasts. BUST stated that a women's breasts can be a symbole of status. If that it the case then a man may feel like his status is affected by the size of his significant others breast. Which is only perpetuation the pressure on women. This may lead to women feeling insecure and unsatified with thier breast size or shape when in fact it is something that we have no control over. And in my eyes breasts are for feeding babies and if a boob job is not improving the breastfeeding ability then it is simply for status improvement...or self-esteem improvement. Yet, if our society would not but some much emphasis on breast then a whole lot less women would be walking around feeling bad about the way their boobs look. When they should be proud because having breast is a unique and amazing asset to women. We get to feed and nurture children with them. We should not be feeling bad no matter how small our breast because breasts of all sizes serve an amazing purpose.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that our cuture is obsessed with breast, it more like breast are romaticized. Men seem to lust after and desire them more than women because they are "nice to look at" and this makes women want to have big ones to satisfy and catch the eyes of men. Men are very visual people and boobs are two things they could probably stare at all day. This doesn't go to say that all men are this way.Some men love feet, some like long hair, big butts, or whatever else women have. However the pressure to meet the expectations of men obsessed with boobs can cause women to doubt, or feel insecure about theirs. Seeing models with big boobs and watching on the sidelines as their boyfriends lust after them can be intimidating. Cultural aspects come into play when women begin to gage themselves against what is considered beautiful. I feel that it's ok for women to enhance their breast size if it is to make them feel better about how they fit their clothes or fill their bathingsuits. But I think that even this is a psychological thing because some women want to emprove their looks because they've seen women who look better or have what they desire to have. It seems to me that the obsession with breast is not just a male thing nor is it soley a cultural thing. In some cultures it's accepted to have small breast because breast don't amount to much, they don't define you or make up more or less of a woman.

I believe our culture is obsessed with boobs for many reasons. Men love breasts becuase they are an object of sex and lets face it, men are VERY sexual beings. Men love boobs becuase they dont have them, and you always want what you cant have. Women love having boobs becuase they attract men to them. Women also compete with other women to have bigger and better boobs. Boobs help women with self esteem and how they feel about themself. Breat augementation could easily be a dilemma with feminists. I could see one point of view as, it's your body do with it how you please dont worry about what any man has to say. I could also see the point of view, don't change your body just to think it will make you look better and have more men attracted to you. I believe that desinger vaginas are the same as designer breasts. With both you will feel better about yourself and more comfortable with your body, if that is how you prefer it to look. I believe that bell hooks point of view on the breast augmentation would be do it if you want. I got the message that she wants poeple to understand feminism and to understand that it isnt anti-man, she just wants men and women to be on the same, equal page as each other.

Our culture is obsessed w.breasts because we are constantly being exposed to them. Everywhere you look these days there is either a woman wearing a revealing shirt, a half naked lady in some ad, billboards with seductive women on them...I think it has pretty much become a social norm these days. It is almost as if it is EXPECTED of women to be revealing of their body in some way. I think this can be very distracting for both the female and male-folk of our society. Women tend to judge themselves against other women, using their looks, body, and breast size as the basis. It gives women a sense of insecurity. I guarentee, without even thinking about it, a man looks a woman up and down upon meeting them, as if to determine whether or not this woman is "acceptable" to him...ie. checking her out to see if she is "hot". Although I am not a male, a majority of my friends are. I have been exposed to many situations involving male and female interaction where upon leaving I realize all that is being discussed is the appearance of the chick, her boob size, and if she is desired...not what she had to say, what she was doing, let alone what her name even was. If a girl is hot with big breasts, that is a no brainer. Everyone wants her. If the girl is hot w.small breasts, it is usually determined that should would be a lot hotter w.a bigger chest. If a girl isn't attractive but has a nice chest it is better than being an unattractive girl with a small chest. I'm not saying this is always true at all, but in my experiences, it is more often than not.
As for breast enhancements, I find it interesting the division amongst the feminism groups. I can definitely understand both points of view, although I personally am kind of anti the whole thing for cosmetic purposes. I think that if there are medical circumstances, then it should definitely be an option if the woman so chooses. My best friend's mother suffered from breast cancer and lost both of her breasts. This is an uncontrolable situation and I think the option to restore the body to its original form is acceptable. But cosmetically, I just think it is absurd. My old roommate got a boob job when she was 18 years old. In fact, her mother gave them to her as a high school graduation present. INSANE if you ask me. I think the whole cosmetic aspect of it all just pushes further the idea of women needing to have a perfect body to be acceptable. The thought of a "designer vagina" made me laugh because I am positive that creating the perfect vagina for yourself is something that excites not only the females but DEFINITELY the males of society. I think it is something that would become comparable to breast augmentation in demand.
After reading Feminism is For Everyone, I think that Hook would be against designer vaginas. She belives feminism to be "...a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitations, and oppresstion." (pg.1) The idea of a designer vagina would only push sexism and sexist exploitations and oppression further.

I believe that breast augmentation, as well as other surgeries, will remain controversial issues. The real question is weather the woman getting the surgery is doing it for herself or for others. I had a friend who suffered from a rare syndrome when she was born that caused her right breast not to develop. She spent years feeling uncomfortable about how she looked and what she would wear and just a year ago, she got a breast implant. It was a big decision for her, but she decided to do it because she felt it would make her feel more comfortable with herself. Although this situation is different from a woman who simply wants to change the size of her breasts, it is also similar if the woman is doing it to feel better about herself.

In the case of women who feel obligated to change the size of their breasts, I believe that is a combination between how a woman views herself and how comfortable she is with herself and also the pressure she feels from society. I believe that the popular media strongly encourages the idea that women should be tall, thin, and have big breasts. However, many of the guys that I have talked to would not want to date a taller woman and their ideal woman would not breasts as large as many women think. I strongly believe that though males might find models attractive to look at, they would not look for a woman with a body type quite so out of proportion.

I think Hooks would always disagree with sugeries to change a woman's body because she would believe there is so much pressure from society to do so. I say that there is also pressure that women put on themselves by comparing themselves to others constantly. We must accept ourselves for who and what we are and find ways to feel good about that and challenge the popular media's ideals. If women keep trying to live up to those ideals, they will never change.

I think that our culture is obsessed with breasts because of the way that media portrays the "perfect" woman. Women need to be skinny, tall, and have huge breasts. Women feel that they don't meet this criterion and have a difficult time excepting the way they are. It causes huge confusion in the younger generation of females because they want that approval by society and getting biggest breasts would help. Men and women would face inequality for the simple fact that women have these procedures done and get ahead, whether it be in their social or love lives. Men on the other hand have no way to get surgery to get ahead, they are stuck with what they got and that's that. This could have a negative impact on men because we are than seen as "pigs" and are disgusting for wanting such things in women. Men also get a persona that makes them seem barbaric.

Some women are pro-enhancement because they see breast augmentation as a positive. They feel that having surgery is for them and not for society or man. Women who are anti-enhancement feel that women should love they way they look no matter what and should not succumb to society. I think that designer vaginas would open the door to a lot of arguments between these two groups. Because when will trying to be "perfect" end? Will there be any more surgeries out there that could change the woman's face, personality, etc? I think that this argument is very similar to breast augmentation because there will be women who are all for it and women who are against it. I think that Bell Hooks would feel that there would be no end to this. Things like this would bring down what the feminists have been trying to do for years.

To simply state one answer to why our culture is obsessed with breasts is folly. There are various reasons for this obsession from the general top layer of sexual lust, to the bottom layers of body design as it is relative to the human mind (in regards to shapes and contours and symmetry being most appealing to the eye.) There are of course reasons of natural obsession from instinct to feed from breasts. What I am getting at is that there are various reasons why our country could be obsessed with breasts. As for our current social climate, breasts, I find, are popular because they are well hidden and taboo in “polite” society. A look at other cultures show that breasts are just another part of the body, no special attention is paid to them; however in America, through cultural changes starting with puritans, through the 1800’s bible explosion, to the flappers of the 30’s into the more conservative 50’s breasts have been a sought after object that everyone was told to ignore.
With recent lifting of stigmas in American culture one finds that breast enhancement and obsession is more pronounced and visible in the public sphere. Through various changes in social climate and basic and more primal attraction breasts serve as a focal point of what is the most outstanding and visible part of a woman.

It is a well known fact that our culture is obsessed with breasts, not only men but women as well. As mentioned in the BUST article, breasts are right out there for the world to see. And when you DO try to hide them, people seem even more obsessed about them. It’s almost like they are saying “I know because you’re a women, you have them, so where are they and why are you hiding them”? Like I said, women are just as obsessed as men, about our own, those of our family and friends and everyone we see on television. Women are constantly comparing theirs to others around them. Even though a lot of women do not publicly announce what they are observing. This obsession is the driving force behind breast augmentation and the need to conform and feel secure about our own body images. These insecurities are then shown in our confidence levels and this is where men have the upper hand. They can hold their heads high (no pun intended) and feel quite confident about themselves, even when their “package” doesn’t meet society standards.
Bell Hooks mentions that “men do benefit from patriarchy”, but “most are disturbed by hatred and fear of women.” These men only passively support the male dominance theory because it is found to be easier than going against it.
I feel that women can be pro and anti-enhancement because we are stating that it is OUR body and we will do with it what we like regardless of what anyone else thinks about it. If a women wants to make her boobs bigger and USE her femininity to manipulate men in order to get ahead in life, then that is her prerogative. I don’t think designer vaginas would really “make” it in our culture because they are not visible, like going braless or wearing extremely low necklines to show off breasts.

I also agree that our culture is obsessed with breasts. I think that with the magazines and TV shows that are out now, it is just going to get worse. I feel that some women may feel pressured to get breast implants because they think they cannot be beautiful without big breasts, and that’s so far from the truth. Also, I think that men treat women with big breast differently than they treat women with smaller breasts. This is messed up but it happens, this inequality I feel was brought on to us by our own culture. This also affects the way women look at men as well. I think that some women feel that all men want is a big chested female, so when you approach them, they look at you as a pervert. Grant it that a lot of men do act like this, I am not one of them but I have experienced this. As far as the "designer vaginas" goes, I don't think it would be as big a thing as breast augmentation because it’s not as noticeable.

The American culture is indeed obsessed with breasts. As was mentionioned in the BUST article, I think that this is due in part to the fact that they are on display at all times. People can see how big, small, high, or low they are even when they are covered by the most modest of shirts. Also, I think that this obsession partly stems from the attention boobs get in the media. Magazines, billboards, TV shows, movies, etc. all place a heavy emphasis on sexily-dressed women with their breasts all but completely exposed. As far as this "chesty focus" perpetuates inequality between men and women, I think that it shifts the focus from a woman's potential as a human being, to her potential as a sex object. When people first notice a woman's breasts or other physical attributes I think they tend to view her much more superficially and take her less seriously. An, "Oh she's got big boobs, so she must be (fill in the blank)" sort of feeling. No one ever looks at a man and is able to assume things about him based on the size of his member. bell hooks would probably say that this chest obsession forces men to continue to take a patriarchal role over women even though they know "in their minds and in their hearts that it is wrong" (hooks, ix).

Good arguments exist for both pro- and anti-enhancement in the breast augmentation debate. Those for it say that if a woman wants to change her body for herself, then it is empowering to be in control. On the other hand, anti-enhancement supporters say that plastic surgery only makes women slaves to men's desires (read--big boobs). I think that the designer vagina idea is similar to breast augmentation in that the same auguments for and against it apply. However, vaginas are not on display on a daily basis so to augment them to make them "perfect" is so much more ludicrous. I can understand doing some sort of vaginal procedure if there is some documented medical reason, but for pure cosmetics I find it odd. I really feel that bell hooks would be appalled at the notion of designer vaginas.