Does cultural fetishizing or normaliization of breasts have a notifiable impact on the quality of life in a given culture?

Might make hot weather uncomfortable to have to cover them up. Otherwise, I don’t know. Might be able to argue that those who don’t view breasts as sexual are missing out on some great fun. ;)

Breasts are sexual, period. Make that two periods . . Just because the weather is warm and they are hanging out doesn’t mean they lose their sexuality.

There are cultures that just view them as something used to feed babies. There is nothing sexual about a cow’s utters so the same goes for women. These are just something used to feed a child and nothing more. Why be offended or turned on by them when for the majority of the time there is a baby hanging off of them?

We have ruined a lot of girls’ confidences by making them sexual, not to mention women aren’t allowed in many places to go topless if hot. Women feel they need bigger chests to please men and thus there are self esteem issues. I’ve heard women being called “not real women” because they had smaller breasts. I’ve heard of women told not to breastfeed in public because it was offensive and people were staring. There is nothing offensive about feeding a child.

There is nothing offensive about the human body in general. Just because we aren’t sexually attracted to every person in the world doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to not be ashamed of their bodies.

@flutherother “Breasts are sexual, period. Make that two periods . . Just because the weather is warm and they are hanging out doesn’t mean they lose their sexuality.”

I think breasts are sexual as well, but the fact that an individual like you or I finds breasts sexual doesn’t change the fact that in some cultures breasts are no big deal. Think of it like this. In our culture feet are no big deal, but there are still foot fetishists. The fact that some people see feet as sexual doesn’t impact the fact that culture at large doesn’t. So if you or I were transplanted to a culture that wasn’t really concerned with breasts we would be part of that society’s foot fetish community. Sort of.

@Ajulutsikael “There are cultures that just view them as something used to feed babies. There is nothing sexual about a cow’s utters so the same goes for women. These are just something used to feed a child and nothing more. Why be offended or turned on by them when for the majority of the time there is a baby hanging off of them?

“We have ruined a lot of girls’ confidences by making them sexual, not to mention women aren’t allowed in many places to go topless if hot.”

I get what you’re saying that a tit with a baby hanging off it isn’t so sexy, but reducing a breast to a baby-feeder disturbs me. It comes too close to reducing women to baby factories which offends me a hell of a lot more than sexualizing women ever could.

Really, any part of the body with pleasure-inducing nerves can be sexual.

@incendiary_dan Hell, hair can be sexual. Or a prosthetic or a car. There is no end to what people find sexy. Says thrilling things about sexual diversity doesn’t it?

@fundevogel I imagine in all cultures breasts are sexual, it’s just that in our culture they are usually covered up. I think our society is over sexualised and yet prudish about sex at the same time which creates tension. On nudist beaches (I am told) us men quickly become desensitised to the sight of bare breasts. Breasts become no more sexual than legs or faces. Is this a good thing? I don’t know.

@angelique_1 I think the OP is referring to third world countries, in which the women walk about without tops. It’s totally natural for them to be topless.

@flutherother I disagree with your original comment. Breasts have been highly sexualized by different cultures. There are many cultures in which the males don’t view breasts as their personal funbags.

@flutherother “I imagine in all cultures breasts are sexual, it’s just that in our culture they are usually covered up. I think our society is over sexualised and yet prudish about sex at the same time which creates tension.”

I think the two are linked. The more sexualized something is the more taboo it becomes. But I don’t think that necessarily should be the case. I expect it is a consequence of the endemic sexual taboos we’ve inherited from Christianity’s influence on western society. The more something is forbidden the more enticing it becomes and the more enticing it is the more forbidden it is. Its a viscous cycle. Thank goodness our culture has been getting less uptight about sex.

Here’s some related material – World map of average breast cup size

@flutherother Not all cultures view breasts as sexual.

And, as @incendiary_dan stated, virtually any part of the body can be viewed as sexual.

@YoKoolAid That’s an interesting link. I feel bad for all those Russian ladies. My goodness.

@YoKoolAid I hesitate to draw conclusions from that since breast size can be a result of several things that may or may not relate to a culture’s perception of breast. Sure, there might be more boob jobs because our culture’s view of boobs, but we’ve also got an obesity problem in America which no doubt contributes to it’s boobage.

But it is neat to see.

Well, legs are sexual. We’re not required to cover them in public.

Some people are attracted to certain facial features. Fortunately, in the United States, there’s no law stating I have to wear a mask lest someone be overtaken with lust for my freckles.

The insane focus on “perfect breasts” destroys a lot of women’s self esteem. Myself included. Every time I go shopping, I’m reminded that my breasts are “wrong”. They don’t make bras that fit appropriately. If I go without a bra, the shirt I’m wearing isn’t cut to match what is there. I have no idea how many other women have “wrong” breasts (see: Tuberous Breast Deformity) because no study has ever been done, but I’ve seen numbers of between five and thirteen percent of breast alteration surgery is done to “repair” a “Tuberous Breast Deformity”.

Why does it have to be a “Deformity”? The breasts are there to make milk. If they succeed in this function, why on Earth should they be considered “deformed”?

Why do I have to look at myself in the mirror and wonder why my breasts aren’t nice and round and full like every other pair of boobs that aren’t also hiding behind a boxy shirt?

@Seek_Kolinahr “Why does it have to be a “Deformity”? The breasts are there to make milk. If they succeed in this function, why on Earth should they be considered “deformed”?”

I would be appalled if this “deformity” is recognized by any medical body that isn’t in the business of cosmetic surgery. It’s just a foul a marketing ploy.

Well, foul is definitely an appropriate word.

Still, it would be nice if something other than perfect perky nippled cantaloupes appeared in mass media once in a while.

Agreed. Something like the Dove campaign but for bodies in general.

I don’t know how you could link a culture’s relationship to breasts with its effect on the quality of life of that culture. You could compare cultural attitudes towards breasts, and you could compare quality of life—maybe. You’d have to find a way to measure quality of life. There are such measures, but I don’t know how good they are.

Correlating breast fetishization with quality of life, or seeing how much of a correlation there is—I doubt you’d find a relationship at all.

I suspect that for cultures that make a big deal out of breasts—they probably build industries oiut of them. They are a sign of status. Need to have big ones.

If breasts are “normalized,” whatever that means, then they would be less important, and probably the society would be more laid back and more boring. I’m not sure that’s a better quality of life.

I think life needs an edge. Things are more interesting when there is a disagreement about them. Especially when a lot of shame is brought in. Then people who disagree with the prevailing norm can sneak around doing something different, thus feeling like they are getting away with something. I think that kind of turmoil is more interesting and probably increases the quality of life.

@fundevogel “I get what you’re saying that a tit with a baby hanging off it isn’t so sexy, but reducing a breast to a baby-feeder disturbs me. It comes too close to reducing women to baby factories which offends me a hell of a lot more than sexualizing women ever could.”

I totally understand what you mean, and that’s also true.

In the greater scheme of things being fixated on boobs or not will change nothing great in the culture that worships them or has apathy towards them. A nation less technical and far poorer where women go topless if no one notices it won’t change their economic disposition anymore than if they worship the female breast. In the way the question was worded to me there would be no difference.