Alternatives to Augmentation

The majority of American women are not comfortable or happy with their breasts. This isn't a shocking statement for most of us. We're constantly bombarded with ads and now television shows telling women what is the most coveted breast size and shape. Who decided what is the "perfect" breast? Do we have panels of judges out "there" deciding on what is the perfect foot? Sounds ridiculous right? Similarly, so is this idea of perfect breasts. The non-majority of American women seem to have figured out a way to permit themselves to have their own opinion, and not take on the opinions of the mass media. The consensus of the media is that pert, big breasts are paragon. The bigger the better so "they" say.

According to statistics published in the Journal for Sex Research (vol.24, pp. 177-183), almost 60% of women have the bra cup size of A or B. These are the smaller breasted women of America, but many of the women who fill out the C and D cups don't seem to be happy about their size either. Many young people growing up never seeing what normal natural breasts look like, they just see what the media points out to be ideal, or "perfect."

Every cup size comes with varying shapes. No two breasts are alike. Some how so many of us have joined in on the idea that we must fit into the "perfect" category or we're not desirable as women. We as women need to decide what is important. Should we continue following the latest trend of our anatomy? Key word: trend, and as such, it is certainly decided upon by men. We need to dehypnotize our culture that perfection is attainable.

In comes the invention of the brassiere, commonly referred to as a bra. Its main purpose is to shape the figure of the wearer. Whatever shape you want, you can get by wearing the correct style bra. The range in sizes seems to be infinite these days. For example, whether you are an A cup or an H, there are professional bra fitters waiting for you to come and be fitted for a bra that fits your body. The price tag on a bra is nothing in comparison to surgery. There is no pain involved and no recovery period. The fun part is that you can change your bra as often as you change your mind. Let's face it: we feel differently everyday about how we look. With that in mind, work with what you've got.

Why is it that being different from each other is so frightening? How long will it take for us to realize that what differentiates us from each other is what makes us unique. The earliest meanings of the term UNIQUE were "single, sole, and having no equal." We are by definition already perfect because we are unique.

My apologies to all the plastic surgeons that want to "fix" us and to all of the people in the media who get paid to tell us what to do, how to look, and what to think, but I am going to rebel and form my own opinion about my breasts. Whether big or small breasted, lopsided or sagging, happiness is in knowing who we are and what we are made up of, and it isn't plastic.