Beauty and the breast

I heard a story about a man who went through a red light and got a ticket because his wife claimed he had been staring at the bouncing breasts of a woman pedestrian. “Now, didn’t that serve him right?” we answered. He’d certainly remember her forever. Going through the inconvenience of claiming his license at the municipal police station, who wouldn’t curse those breasts now?

There’s something about breasts that diminishes or improves how a woman perceives herself. A flat-chested child? A “has-been” talent or a present-day vamp? An attractive housewife? An unattractive partner? 

So why do breasts mean the world to us, enough to go under the knife? Firm breasts can give us confidence. Some acquire confidence from schooling, others by wearing a particular color or being engaged in a cause, some by having a small waist. Many need to assure themselves they’re attractive. In fact, a lack of confidence in one’s appearance could even destabilize our national security. If we all felt depressed about the state of our boobs our husbands would be nagged to eternity for every little reason; he wouldn’t even know why we’re upset, and this might, in turn, create havoc in his office, lowering his performance rating. Plastic surgeons wouldn’t have particular patients and income would be lost; and women would walk around hiding behind layers of underwear. The last threat wouldn’t be applicable to my Manang Marietta who washes our clothes with the confidence of a grandmother with breasts to her waist from feeding six children. “Manghihilot din ako,” she says proudly. Really, if you can’t have a job you’re good at and you’re distracted by your own body flaws, you might as well have your boobs touched up, at the very least — if only for national security reasons. I don’t mean just learning the meaning of a red light, but showing respect to human life.

Six months ago I met a woman who had convinced herself to get a breast “enhancement.” I never say to such a woman, “You’re perfect,” because once we’ve set our sights on what we want, because we believe something is imperfect, everyone must simply agree. It never will be okay and all right for a woman who, inside, feels she doesn’t look good. “So you’re going to be perfect” is the ideal reply to such a candidate for cosmetic surgery.

What would I do? Convince my man to support the idea of a surgery. Support is what we need when we put our minds to anything. We have to make aspirations a reality, not just wear a support bra.

Three hundred thousand women in America had their breasts enhanced in 2005. An heiress debuted her new assets in a series of strapless dresses at a ball. A model emerged with new and improved breasts — albeit discreet ones — after having a baby. Countless young actresses who feel their careers need a boost have their breasts enlarged. Why? Maybe to make them bounce up and down purposefully as they walk. I’ve seen such exhibitions before.

There are two types of breast enhancers I know of. The silicone gel-filled implants and saline — so called because implants are filled with saltwater. Silicone-gel-filled implants, were pulled out from the market because of leakage and links to complications. Twenty years later they’ve now available in Europe, Asia, and South America despite the FDA prohibition.

There are lots of women out there with implants, so you never know. What other reasons entice women to get implants? Well, for reconstructive purposes after a mastectomy surgery that could rob a woman of her femininity. Another reason would be to correct asymmetries in the breasts and nipples. Volume is one reason; another is self-satisfaction. Can the men in their lives or those who they wish to attract tell the difference? Maybe not. Besides, men will never be pleased by artificiality. So how come they stare at women with huge breasts? How come Filipinas are now acquiring larger breasts? Because breasts and the possibility of their enhancement thrives on our ideas of sexuality. Besides, breast augmentation and reconstruction, it’s been proved, have considerable psychological benefits, playing a very real role in a woman’s sense of well-being.

Many say, “After my pregnancy my breasts would just hang there. I needed push-up bras and I placed foam pads. These were inconvenient because they danced around unless I inserted them into bra pockets. At the end of the night, after coming home, I’d take off my bra and it just demoralized me. What a man saw in the clothes wasn’t what they saw when the bra came off.” Wouldn’t a life-long investment be worth every centavo if it gave women peace of mind? Not every woman wants to look like a pin-up girl. They just want to look normal. Some doctors say that certain patients just want to fill up a dress. “We don’t want padding. No more stuffing. If possible, we don’t even want to wear a bra, like women of ancient times.”

Have you ever noticed ancient art? Female breasts there are usually exposed. Even in the Christian realm, paintings, sculpture and drawings frequently depict females with one or more uncovered breasts. The Sistine Chapel is adorned with female breasts. Nudity seems to have far greater shock value in modern times than the artists believed possible in their time! Female breasts and sexuality became interconnected with the Victorian Age when women were expected to cover their bodies and yet push up the bosom by wearing a corset. So the female breast attracted peak interest because it was covered, yet partly exposed. Women’s clothing at the time was deliberately and provocatively designed to emphasize the female breast, until it resembled a sexual projectile.

In time, the corset came to be an essential element of female fashion, worn by Spanish, English and American women of yore. However, the corset was very uncomfortable and with the invention of the blouse, a need arose for a better type of breast undergarment. The first bra, invented in the late 1800s, was flattening rather than flattering. (If you ever wondered why it’s called a bra, the term became popularized after a controversial lawsuit over patent rights in the 1930s between a French garment maker named Philipe De Brassiere and an American garment inventor. The American lost the lawsuit, the garment received widespread national and worldwide publicity and the name was shortened to “bra” by the media.)

Here’s more bra history: “In a temporary setback, women started shedding their bras during the women’s movement of the ‘60s and for a brief time, the bra was considered an item of male oppression.” Now how about that! The “bra-less” look gained momentum on its own and with the popularity of breast implants even more women could now go bra-less late into their lives.

And then there’s the question of silicone versus saline. Which is better? It depends on you. Doctors agree that silicone is the best choice for women who have very little soft tissue or are very thin. Saline, which requires a smaller incision than silicone, is a good option for those who already have adequate cushion of skin, fat, and muscle to cover the implant. Otherwise, you might see or feel the implant edges.

If a saline implant breaks, the saltwater is absorbed into the body — it is not physically harmful, but the implant visibly deflates inside the chest and must be replaced. The improved silicone implants feature a more durable outer shell that resists inevitable wear and tear. The gel bloats and sticks together so nothing leaks. The good news is, there is no evidence linking silicone implants to cancer or causing any harm moms breast-feeding their infants.

Capsular contracture — which is the hardening of tissues called a capsule — can form around the implant from either saline or silicone. There’s a possibility breasts can also get too firm and stand erect — the body responds and adjusts to the placement of any foreign object, including implants.

Breast augmentation seems all too easy, right? It’s surgery that offers a high level of psychological satisfaction, too. So let’s toast the women who choose to go under the knife to feel happy from the inside out, ready to spread their joy around. Who knows? Maybe even for the good of national security!