As a culture, we are breast obsessed. To be sure, nearly 38,000 breast augmentations were performed by AACS members in 2009 alone. Our lingerie models, reality stars and even cartoon characters are increasingly sporting chests of epic—if not unbelievable—proportions. But while Christina Hendricks-like curves may have their perks (pun intended), the power of those breasts on the way a woman feels about herself and interacts with others is complicated by instincts and contemporary values that don’t always match up. According to Christopher Ryan, coauthor of New York Times best seller Sex At Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality and an expert in evolutionary psychology, the “power” of breasts originates in their prehistoric function as “sexual swellings,” natural augmentations that advertised a woman’s biological availability during ovulation. “Full breasts,” explains Ryan, “are attractive to men because they signal youth and fertility,” adding, “as a woman’s fertility fades with age, so do her breasts.”
Unlike our ancestors, however, Ryan suggests that breasts as sexual swellings are intended to create and maintain relationships, versus just reproduction. Our desire to prop, pad and surgically augment our breasts is thus a carry-over from ancient times, something we are prehistorically conditioned to do for companionship, if not sex.
A Proverbial Jungle
Ryan specifically likens the way a woman might use her breasts strategically to the way many men buy expensive watches, cars and clothing in the hopes of making themselves more attractive “mates.”
“Women experience the power that pendulous breasts give them (or don’t) in their interactions with men,” explains Ryan, “So it is utterly normal that many women will opt to increase this power if they can.”
And they almost always can. From 18th-century corsets to the latest Victoria’s Secret cleavage-creator to surgical options, fashion trends and technologies have supported women in their quest for curves for centuries. “Sex today requires a lot of negotiation,” asserts Ryan. And while the particulars of how we use our breasts in the mating process may have changed, “We are still primates,” he says, “and it’s a jungle out there.”
But the particulars of the jungle have also changed. The appeal of breasts today is no longer just a matter of their subconscious function in mating, but rather their very conscious perception and depiction as eye-popping, jawdropping sexual objects.
“Breasts have an inherent biological appeal to men,” states Ryan, “but they have been eroticized through the taboo.” Recalling the role of women’s ankles in Victorian England, Ryan explains how the obligation to cover a body part has the paradoxical effect of making it extremely sexy. The forbidden fruit of our time, the breasts have been sexualized in America because of the taboo, and sometimes shame, we’ve culturally ascribed to them. This fact is underscored when you compare the American preoccupation with breasts to that in Europe, where bare breasts are frequently shown in advertisements and are perceived as nice, but not, in the words of Ryan “such a big deal.”
Great Power, Great Responsibility
Elisabeth Dale (formerly Squires), author of Boobs: A Guide to Your Girls and an expert on women’s relationships to their breasts, agrees. “The sexualization of breasts is rampant in the media,” says Dale, “but rather than celebrate their power, we trivialize breasts because we are afraid to admit this power.” The fact that we refer to someone stupid as a “boob,” she explains, demonstrates how our society has preferred to trivialize breasts rather than admit to their potency. Breast augmentation, Dale explains, is similarly mocked by mainstream media as a way of denying the powerful allure of breasts in favor of their sacred and maternal depiction.
For the modern woman, juggling family, work and her own femininity, the popular discomfort surrounding breasts does have its consequences. In fact, a study cited by Dale on breasts in the workplace revealed that men view large-breasted women as less personable and less professional than their average-breasted colleagues. Similarly, Dale points to the discrimination that can occur between women of different breast sizes as evidence of some of the downsides to big breasts.
“Breasts are the only thing that attract and distract at the same time,” says Dale. “We have to remember that while more women are showing more cleavage, you really have to use your breast power responsibly.”
Despite the potential drawbacks, breast size is increasing across the board. “E cup is the new C cup,” says Dale of the fact women are getting bigger, earlier than ever. Environment, lifestyle and a sustained boom in breast augmentation procedures all contribute to the growing American bosom. Perhaps not surprisingly, this is especially true in warm regions in the U.S.
“In the Silicone Sunbelt, regions where it is warm year-round, women get implants that are approximately 200 ccs larger compared with elsewhere,” explains Dale. Of course, less clothing and more beach time in the warm weather not only makes breasts more visible but also increases their power in the relationship dynamics described by Ryan.
