The Taboo Of Boobs

Sociology
Biology
Culture

By,
Sarah Martineck

Introduction: Boobs, boobies, jugs, tits, suckers, knockers, hooters or

breasts. Over time breasts have developed many different names and new

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Martineck
meanings. Some may look at boobs as nothing more than just the anatomy
of a female, while others love them, and some think that they are evil and a
mark of death. In every era, from early and middle ages, through the
renaissance, and then 19th and twentieth century, breasts have fascinated
human beings. Breasts are more than a body part that we need for
reproduction, they play a major role in the development of society and our
social norms. The controversy of importance is argued by doctors as well as
piers. Today most people affiliate breasts with vanity. People have always
loved the beauty in breasts, but society has lost the value in them and why
they are beautiful. What is so great to look at, when everyones got them,
and if they dont, they can buy some at your local doctors office. So why do
people buy them? And is bigger the better? There really isnt an answer to
that question because they are both very broad topics and constantly
changing. We can try and interpret these answers with social norms which
vary in different cultures, or we can look at research and biology and try and
answer the questions scientifically. Either approach will lead you to
controversy because over time there purpose in life has changed
significantly. And there are debates all over the world today about how and
when should breasts be exposed. Boobs in the big picture are an attraction
for men and feature for women.
Sociology: Humans are obsessed with womens breasts and since the
beginning of man the breast has been the first source of nourishment and
comfort. It is innate for a human of any age to be attracted to breasts and

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Martineck
we are conditioned to get pleasure from them. In middle ages and early
civilization, we can interpret the social views of breasts through artwork.
According to German scientists the, Oldest known piece of sculpture depicts
a female with enormous breasts and a large stomach. The figurine was
carved from a mammoth tusk and found in a cave in Germany (Elliott 3). It
is known as the fertility sculpture. In artwork breasts were an important part
of understanding what was socially acceptable and important. The beauty in
art displayed women with very large breast and wide wastes and thicker
bodies. These features attracted men because they were a sign of healthy
and fertile. A skinny or frail woman was considered sick. The breasts played
an important role understanding history, but it wasnt the size that mattered.
They were also the only source of nutrients to keep a new born child well
nourished so it could survive. In the days of the renaissance, Large breasts
were considered to be ugly and were associated with age and poor women
(Yalom). Witches and old women were painted with large saggy breasts.
The beginning of the renaissance the womens breast were portrayed by
poets to be like fruit but more like apples not modern women watermelons.
They preferred small and firm. Toward the end of the renaissance the
wealthy women began to buy dresses that would be a little lower and corsets
that would lift the breasts up. Upper class women were the only ones who
could afford the under gaurmetes and high end fashioned dresses. It was
very common for the wealthy to set the new trends, and this new trend
included accentuating breasts.

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Martineck
In the late eighteenth century through the early nineteenth century
women were presumed as the weaker sex. This is why women became
domesticated and their place was at home where they were safe.
Ideologically men viewed women this way because of the positioning of the
body parts and her reproductive organs. The female organs were viewed as
being the same as the males only inverted, and not fully formed.
Throughout the change in centuries there was no scientific research that
caused these social changes and perception of women, it was strictly based
on attitudes and influences. According to (Smith,234), Identification with
refined moral sensibility was accompanied by a change of attitude toward
female sexuality. Now women were taught that they were inherently
passionless, and could derive no pleasure from sex. They were to submit to
their husbands in marriage and any lack of modesty was considered
abnormal. Women were required to be conservative and were covered and
hidden. The ideal wife was suppose to be altruistic and solely at home to
preserve American culture and to educate her children to become good
citizens. In the nineteenth century, American print culture, began a new
trend with photographing beautiful women to put in books, magazines, sheet
music covers, and advertising created a new view of women. There were
two photos for advertisement that marked history. According to Yalom, the
image, steel-engraving lady, was a print add from the early nineteenth
century and was taken when urban life was still prominent and the lady was
very frail and pale, slender. She was very wealthy and now the new trend

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Martineck
was set to have beautiful skin by having arsenic in her diet and really small
waist and petite body. Smaller boobs were better because they made you
look skinnier which was a sign of being wealthy. This trend was challenged
with the picture of, voluptuous woman. The poor class, which was heavier
set, included all the actresses and prostitutes, and they wore corsets like the
rich, but were much bigger in the breasts and legs. They changed
everyones perception with the rise of theatre and then television. Because
there were only heavier set women who were actresses so now all the skinny
girls wanted to put on weight so they could get into acting. Famous
actresses and artists marked the later pivoting points and changes in
societies perception of the ideal women. The small waist remained
important and so did the corset which shaped her boobs into bosoms. It
was a war against the rich and the poor. Women competed do be prettier
and shape was good. Less clothes eventually became important in showing
their shapes, and girls who didnt have the shapes began to exercise. With
modern civilization began education and other competing factors in the
ideals of what is now known as beauty or the perfect woman.
The twentieth century is the rebirth of breasts by giving them a new purpose
on earth. Today breasts are still used for attraction but now they are used by
society and media as a marketing tactic to stimulate the country instead of
just a man. For women, cultural norms dictate an emphasis on appearance
that results in an obsession with idealized beauty norms and standards.
Idealized beauty standards include large breasts, small waists, and ample

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Martineck
hips,( Mildenberger,234).

Marketing and media began to use pictures of

skinny women with big boobs to attract attention and create need for feeling
of desire. The American way to advertise is, Sex sells. As the American
culture uses sex to attract consumers, it created a need for women to feel
they need breasts. Now we have easy access to purchase them if we have
the money and desire Breasts have become so popular we use them to sell a
hamburger, so are the loosing their value?
Medicine and Health: Breasts are more common now then ever,
thanks to modern medicine and implants, but they are still very unique. With
modern medicine and nutritional supplements breasts no longer have they
same value as they once did. In early civilization breasts were essential for a
babys to grow and it was the only nutrients we had for there survival.
Breast milk is made up of antibodies and nutrition. The World Health
Organization estimates that,about 800,000 child lives would be saved each
year if every child was breastfed exclusively from birth through the first two
years of their lives. Breasts milk still has the same importance that it always
did, but the actual breast itself is another story. With new nutrient
supplements and modern medicine breasts are no longer needed for a
means of survival like they were before the 20th century. Now they are more
used for appearance. According to Modern Gerations of Implants, Attempts
to improve the look of the breast by augmenting their size and shape date
back to the 1880s. Among the materials in breasts early on were ivory, glass
balls, ground rubber, ox cartilage, and sponges. Then in later years

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Martineck
injecting themselves with enhancers that caused major side effects even
death in women. Today there are two forms of medical implants silicone and
saline. According to National Library of medicine 1.5 million American
women currently have silicone breast implants. Out of those women only
34% of those women with breast augmentations did it for appearance. The
other women of the implant group had a very different reason for considering
implants. Such as genetic make-up or back issues, or most commonly in
women who were at high risk for cancer. Women have mastectomies to
remove their breasts and then they replace them with an implant. For many
years there have been concerns that breast augmentation can harm
developing fetus, effect a womens ability to produce milk, and increase
levels of silicone in breast milk. The IOM committee found positive findings
for these issues of major concern. The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast
cancer in the United States for 2016 are: About 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer will
be diagnosed in women. Breast augmentations are no longer just for looks like
they were in early 1900s. Science and medicine have completely change the
dynamics of breasts and their usefulness.
American Culture: Breasts are the only part of the body that is
associated with attraction and reproduction and they are found on both men
and women.

Breasts in American culture emphasize there many purposes.

Through sociology and biology breasts have double meaning and both
positive and negative aspects. Biologically breast milk is vital to the
development of a new born baby.

According to US Food and Drug

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Administration, If women breast fed their babies for the first two years it
would save 800,000 childrens lives every year. But the breast itself can
cause hi risks of cancer so therefor we now weigh the importance of them.
Women have also evolved into much more than just a domesticated house
wife who has a sole purpose of baring children. In early history and in most
cultures breasts were very important because of their vital function to
provide milk to infants and breastfeeding benefits to both mothers and
children. Now women have careers and play sports and get educated. Many
women dont want or need breasts based on occupation or preference.
Womens roles in society have changed and so has our culture. And in
conjunction with modern medicine and nutrition we have supplements for
womens breast milk, so technically their biological function is no longer
critical to fetal survival. The sexual orientation in our culture has changed
significantly as well. People are now more open with their sexuality and
there are more homosexual and transgender men and women. Now it is
even common for a man to get a breast augmentation. The importance of a
female breast has changed sociologically and cultural norms have adapted
with these changes. Medical technology has complimented all these
changes to help them develop with social needs.
Self Reflection: All of this information has really put breasts into a
new perspective for me. On the first day of class we played the game where
the class divided to two sides of the room based on the whether they agreed
or disagreed. The first comment was I like big boobs. I chose the side that

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Martineck
I agreed. Only a few people joined the side with me, but none of them were
girls. I felt awkward and was very embarrassed. Then you asked us to
explain why, and a female classmate joined the agree side and spoke up.
She said, I like big breasts, as long as they are real. Well whether it was
directed at me or not I took it totally personally. I had a breast augmentation
when I got out of high school. Looking back, I was too young, but I did it for
my own personal reasons. I had one breast that was smaller than the other
and I was very flat with a very athletic body. I also was raised a tom boy and
remained much like one through out my life. I wanted to have stronger
female features for a balance of my masculine side. I love breasts and think
the female figure is beautiful. I am heterosexual and I am very attracted to
men. I always wanted to fit into any bra so I could have cute
undergarmettes, but my chest wouldnt fit into any. Before this paper I
thought the purpose for women to get boobs was strictly for looks and
attention which had a negative association. After reading all the information
I did I realized that they are very common and people actually get fake boobs
for all sorts of reasons. I also learned that boobs have been loved and
people have been fascinated with them since prehistoric time, so why should
I be ashamed. And the medical knowledge I gained about breasts and their
side effects and the positive outcomes for all these concerns, has really
given me a peace of mind. Education is powerful and when you know why
you stand for something you can defend yourself instead of questioning
yourself.

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Martineck
Conclusion: Some may argue that breasts in women were designed
only to attract men. Others may argue that they were an important part of
the female body. The larger the breast the fattier the deposits, and therefor
could produce more milk, which would signal to early man kind a women was
fertile and could nourish a new born baby. They served their purpose since
prehistoric times as a part of the process of life and reproduction. Large
breasts were considered much better. With large breasts the nipple was able
to move to the babies mouth and provide cushion for its soft head. Breasts
after delivery assist the uterus in shrinking back to its original size.
Breastfeeding also prolonged a womens fertility so that a woman couldnt
get pregnant again while nursing her young. Breasts were looked at in a
functional way witch created a natural attraction for men for sexual pleasure
and comfort. Today womens breast are displayed all over advertisements
and associated with sluts and stripteases. They are also mutilated by
disease and hate. They are decreased with hormones and surgery and you
see pink flags everywhere representing the war against breast cancer. With
modern medicine we have made it so that women dont have to have breasts
for a babies to survive and we have things like birth control and
supplemental nutrition. We have changed the hole meaning and outlook on
them from gods given gift to women to a curse of death. We use them to sell
anything and everything instead of breastfeeding our babies for a natural
length of time. The sociology of breasts in America has changed and so has
their biological purpose.

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Martineck

Work Cited

Harris, D. K. (1985). The sociology of aging: An annotated bibliography and sourcebook. New
York: Garland Pub.
Intitute of Medicine (US); Grigg M, Bondurant S, Ernster VI, et al., editors. Information for
Women About the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants. Washington (DC): National Academies
Presss (US); 2000.
Yalom, Marilyn. A History of the Breast, New York: Knopf, 1997
Mildenberger, F. (2015). Merril D. Smith (Ed.): Cultural Encyclopedia of the Breast. Sexuality &
Culture, 19(1),
Cole, N. L. (2015, October 10). About Sociology: Research, Theories and News. Retrieved
February 23, 2016, from http://sociology.about.com/
Why Breastfeeding in Public Is Taboo

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