“How much boob is too much boob?”
According to my friend Sara, “Too much boobs is when it’s kind of in your face.” However, Nabz has a different opinion. She thinks no amount of boobs can be too much. “Boobs are awesome!”, she adds. In some cultures, people are so butt hurt about boobs that it is illegal in the eyes of the law to expose cleavage. In other cultures, cleavage is not only approved but also appreciated. For example, I “instantly” liked Kim K’s new picture on Instagram. How can you blame me? She is looking hella fine.
Certainly people will have different perspectives on boobs much like the world can not agree on one thing at any given time. In Ancient Rome, the attitudes towards female nudity differed but partial nudity of goddesses in Imperial art highlights the breasts as dignified but pleasurable images of nurturing, lavishness, and tranquility. Because the main objective of the breast is to breastfed and nurture infants, the breasts gained some religious significance during that era. Mastois, ancient Greek drinking vessels shaped like a woman’s breast with a nipple at the tip, were found at sanctuaries of deities such as Hercules and Diana. Moreover, the drinking of breast milk by elderly about to die symbolized potential rebirth in the afterlife. Hence, although classified as erotic, boobs were still regarded with respect and religious prominence.
Today, there are definitely no mastois and a good number of people are even against breast feeding in public. Breast feeding, the very action that contributed to boobs being regarded highly, has somehow become a taboo within the minds of most people. However, it is just not angry men who are venting against it: some women, even mothers, are against breast feeding in public. I spoke to a woman who says she feels uncomfortable and even embarrassed to breast fed in public because she is not up for baring her breasts freely. On the other hand, I spoke to a few other women who believe that breast feeding is as natural of an act as it can get and that their child deserves to be fed whenever and wherever. It is all about personal choice and I can not say one person has more right to exercise their wishes than the other but the problem arises when people push their perspectives on those who do not think likewise. Several women have taken social media to share their stories of harassment when breast feeding in public. Yes, times have changed. Women today are being criticized and attacked for nurturing and caring for their children.
Cara Delevingne, Lena Dunham and Miley Cyrus are all campaigning for “free the nipple.” According to their website, ‘“free the nipple” is a film, an equality movement, and a mission to empower women across the world. We stand against female oppression and censorship.’ Meanwhile, in France and Belgium, the burqa is illegal. The monetary penalty for this “offense” in France is $205 and in Belgium, you can be fined $197 or sentenced to up to seven days in jail for fully covering yourself. I do not conform to the religious or social values that makes a woman wear a burqa or even a headscarf, and I will never wear those, but I am confused about one thing; if equality and empowerment means being able to bare whatever amount of skin a woman pleases then does equality and empowerment not mean being able to hide as much skin as she wishes to as well? I am still waiting for the big celebrity hyped movement that franchises the ability of women, particularly Muslim women, to be able to cover as much as they want to.
In conclusion, I don’t really have a conclusion. Boobs are great and magical but the verdict on boobs has been ever changing and varying from place to place and mind to mind. So how about we keep our opinions on boobs strictly upon our own boobs and not judge other people based on how much of boobs they choose to cover or bare?
