My Love/Hate Relationship With My Boobs

When I was a teenager I hated my boobs.  When I was in my 20’s I loved them.  Now that I’ve had two kids I’m not sure how I feel about them.  

I’m a natural 36 D, that’s a lot of breast to deal with in junior high.  I think I was the same size then, I can’t really remember, but what I do remember is that is when boys started to notice and I got a lot of unwanted attention.  Even though I was a pretty self-confident girl, I spent most of my teen years hiding my chest and feeling self-conscious.  

As I grew into myself in my 20’s, I realized they were beautiful and not something I had to hide.  Doesn’t mean I flaunted them, I was just more comfortable with my body.  Then I went into television where yes, they could be an asset, but since I was a journalist once again I spent years covering them up, trying not to show too much cleavage so I would be taken seriously.  And on those occasions where I didn’t wear a suit, and just a regular top,  I’d hear comments through the grapevine. “Are those real? They can’t be, she’s Asian!”  Yes, stereotypes still exist.  Well whatever, people will talk, but for the most part I really liked my chest.  Then when I got pregnant and I went from a D to a DD to an E and who knows what size those first few days of breastfeeding.  Two children and years of breastfeeding later I’m now back to my D bra, well sort of (you know what I mean they are just not the same.)

What is it with boobs?  When you have small ones you want bigger ones, when you have big ones you may want smaller ones.  Either way, is there a perfect size?  Women spend thousands of dollars on breast implants and a growing number of women on breast reductions. If you don’t have a big cup size you may be saying why would anyone want smaller breasts?  Well, first of all because of back pain, jogging is not fun and if you don’t wear the right clothes you can look fat.  It’s really hard to find clothes that fit properly and I can’t just grab that cute spaghetti strap sundress off the rack and bathing suit shopping takes days. But it’s not just about the physical effects, for many women it can take a psychological toll, just like someone with a small chest.

But what’s all the obsession with breasts when in reality once you're a mom they just become food sources for your babies.  I mean really what are they for?  Are they for men? Are they for babies?  I say they are for you and whatever you want to do with them is up to you.  While I’m glad I was able to breastfeed my kids,  I’m happy to say that my breasts are finally my own again.  How do you feel about your breasts?  Would you get implants or a reduction or have you?

Women and body image:

• Body Image: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
• The Problem With Beauty
• Empowering Women, One Girl at a Time