Heidi’s boobs?
She doesn’t. Not dose boobs, anyway. She displays them quite…prominently.
FTR, I don’t think I would ever get implants - I’m a B cup. I’m not overjoyed with them, but they are appreciated by hubby, and I have a fear of being cut up - all unnecessary surgery is out for me, at least for now.
However. I have started a yoga routine, which I try to follow daily. For years now I have lifted weights to modify my body. I do want to be in shape, yes, but I’m ALSO doing this so that when I look in the mirror, I LIKE what I see. So -I- would wanna do me if I was my hubby. I also pluck my brows, and have dyed my hair in the past (red, FTR - looked damned good too!) I have a navel piercing and would like to get a tattoo, because I like how they look.
Does this make me emotionally weak, vain and shallow? I have always thought my brains were far more important than my looks - but that doesn’t mean that I neglect EITHER of them. IMHO, it’s all a matter of degrees. Breast implantation and liposuction being one end of the scale, waxing or plucking one’s brows at the other.
Lord. I’ve been trying to keep from posting to this thread. But…
MissBungle, It sounds like you have a rich personal history with respect to your body image, but there’s no need to impose your ideals on the rest of society by saying what measures people ought to take to make themselves feel better. Let people decide for themselves where to draw that line (some people may like to stop at eyebrow plucking) especially when no one is getting hurt. And spare me the argument that young women are getting hurt by the media’s unrealistic portrayal of the female body-if you can defy all social norms put forth by the media, then good for you. I do not pretend to exist in a vacuum.
FTR - I have implants too. I also suppose that if we were talking about rhinoplasty, there would be a little more sympathy and a little less cattiness in your tone.
Just my two cents on the matter…
I hesitated to reply to this thread because I feared being labeled either a man-hating feminazi or one of those wah-wahs who would like to blame “somebody else” for everything bad that has ever happened to them–whether that “somebody else” is the media, men in general, other women, the fashion industry, what-have-you. I can assure you that I am neither, though I’ll admit that some of my post does spend an awful lot of time feeling sorry for itself (whine, whine, snivel, snivel).
What I AM is flat as a board. I can lay on my back and double as a level if the old one breaks. I can use my ribcage as a coffee table, should I so desire.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a very popular thing to be these days. I’ve been assured by my husband and friends that I’m attractive and perfectly proportional (I also happen to be very small and very slender), but this doesn’t go very far.
It doesn’t go very far because no amount of affirmation is going to counter what I see every day, and what I have seen and had to deal with since adolescence.
The overwhelming majority of the posters on this thread (and the somewhat related “bubble boobs” thread in the Pit) seem to find obvious implants unattractive (no offense intended to the posters on this thread who DO have implants that haven’t gone for the Pamela Anderson overkill look. For that matter, no offense intended even if you DID go for the Pammy-A look).
Yet, I submit to you that either our message board is completely atypical, or there are an awful lot of peopleout there that are REALLY out of touch with reality–because “bubble boobs” are everywhere.
Pick up a magazine. Go on, open it. What did you grab–Playboy? Penthouse? Cosmo? Glamour? Maxim? Hell, Car and Driver? What do you see? You see boobs, and plenty of 'em. Some are real. Some are subtle enhancements. Many (depending upon exactly which mag you picked up first) are incredibly obvious 'plants. You can get a similar experience flipping on the TV, or going to the movies. Perhaps it’s not as pervasive there (Calista Flockhart, anyone?), but Pamela Anderson didn’t get to be where she is today because of her Shakespeare-worthy acting ability. Is the media trying to manipulate us? No, of course not (no sarcasm intended). They’re just using what sells. Believe me, if people didn’t WANT to see the-plants-from-hell, if the average Joe (or Jane) found the really obvious I-fell-on-two-beach-balls-and-they-stuck look THAT unappealing, they wouldn’t keep throwing it in our faces. Clearly, somebody–a LOT of somebodies–likes this.
Next, follow me to the store. We’ll stop off at Victoria’s Secret first. Let’s see if we can find ourself some sexy undies. Gee, this is a pretty bra. Oh, I see, it doesn’t come in my size. Ok, well what about this one? No, that one doesn’t come in my size either. All right, how about this one–it’s a little dowdy, but hey…nope. None of these bras are even MADE in my size. Well, what DO you have in my size? Oh, over there in the corner? Ok. Hmmm…let’s see. We have exactly four bras to choose from in my size. One of them is so ugly I wouldn’t use it as a slingshot. The other three have a good inch and a half of padding. Ah, I see. I couldn’t possibly want to walk around looking like I actually do. Surely I must want a LITTLE padding to offset my, err…deficiencies.
Alright, screw the bras. I don’t really need 'em anyway. How about a nice dress to cheer me up? Let’s get one with a nice fitted bodice to show off my waist. Hmmm…there’s a problem here. Either I get a loose fitting top, a Lycra top, or I get alterations, because even the size two dresses are made to fit Dolly Parton Junior.
Should all of these things, ANY of these things matter? Should I really care that Miss January will never drown? Does it matter that Vicki’s Secret doesn’t make bras my size? Who cares what type of cleavage shows up at the Oscars this year? No, I shouldn’t care, and it shouldn’t matter. My self image should be solid enough that I like me for me. Only…it isn’t. Day after day, year after year–it wears on you. There’s only so much implication (unintentional though it may be) that there’s something WRONG with you, that you are somehow deficient before you start to agree with it.
So, if I think being flat-chested sucks so badly, why HAVEN’T I gotten implants? There are several reasons, but the biggest one is simply that I can’t deal with the 10 year “shelf life” (rimshot, please) that they’re generally considered to have. Bad enough to have to deal with the procedure once–I don’t wanna have to do it again in ten years.
BUT…do I criticize anyone else who has gotten them, for whatever reason)–no. Furthermore, if I DID get them, I admit that I’d almost certainly err on the “overkill” side–feast or famine, don’tcha know.
Now, am I trying to imply that there’s an enormous conspiracy out there to make the mammary-challenged among us feel bad about ourselves? Nope. Do I think that this is all the fault of evil, nasty, boob obsessed men? Nah. There’s just as much peer pressure exerted by women on other women here.
All I am trying to say is that before we start flinging around words like “deformed” and terms like “why would you DO that to yourself”, perhaps a little thought would be in order. I really can’t speak for others. Maybe they got them for business reasons–they’re actresses, models or strippers. Our “Holly” from Survivor may well fit in this category. Maybe they got them to give them a “boost” after a child or significant weight loss. Maybe they got them to please a husband or lover.
Or maybe, just maybe, they got them because they were sick and tired of feeling “different” and undesirable.
–Lloth
That has got to be the BEST first post I have ever seen.
Welcome to the boards, Lloth!
(I personally found that Calvin Klein makes very pretty, sexy bras in smaller sizes. 
)
Lloth, this is not really a reply to your post.
I would just like to point out there are many famous women with small chests out there. Two off the top of my head are:
Cameron Diaz
Renée Zellweger
Gwen Stefani
All known for their sex appeal.
IMHO a lot of women who give men way too much credit when it comes to their opinion on breast size. I know a lot of men who like small chested women. Then I know men who like breasts, period, end of story. I definitely think most women are more conscious about their own “imperfections” than men.
A lot of guys I know don’t know enough to compliment there female companions as much as they should, but then give weird; “what, are you crazy”, looks to a woman who point out everything THEY think is wrong with them. Then again, I know two men who were full of complements to their ladies, but ended up leaving their girlfriends because all they talked about was how ugly they were. There’s really no such thing as imperfection, though. If you can’t except that your man, (or woman), is satisfied with you, than chances are you need to, not only except yourself, but love yourself before being with anyone.
This is, of course, one out of many reasons why a woman would want implants.
I personally think many men have a similar problem with height, (or lack of). It’s not as addressed as much though.
There are so many industries dedicated to people feeling inadequate about themselves. Advertising is all about making people feel badly so they buy things to fix the bad feeling that the ads caused in the first place. Create a perceived need, fill that need. This is bad enough when advertising is used to make us buy Coke and beers, but it is unbelievably bad when it makes women have serious, unnecessary surgery for no good reason.
In my opinion, a healthy woman with healthy breasts should not be having surgery on them. Or on any other part of her healthy body. This is just the latest outrage perpetrated on people (mostly women) by cutthroat, completely amoral industries. Sorry, women that have had these unnecessary surgeries, but for whatever reason, you bought into the load of crap they are selling us.
I’d hit it :o
But seriously…wow!
I believe everything happens for a reason.
People are born looking the way they do… for a reason.
one can stay in the shallow end of the pool, by accepting society’s ideals. This involves self hatred for not measuring up AND/OR surgery to measure up.
or… one can a few strokes in the deeper end of the pool by questioning society’s messages. they can begin to challenge how they perceive attractiveness, and why they are so effected by how others may perceive them.
as styles move from curvy to thin, from grunge to glamour…
i always remain more attracted to the ones who remain themsleves… who embrace, what they believe are their shortcomings, with humor and compassion. What I can say, I’ve never found conforming people attractive.
Just my humble opinion.
*one can take a few strokes…
IMHO, in most cases breast augmentation surgery is unnecessary.
So what-most of what we humans do is unnecessary. Tatoos are unnecessary. pedicures are unnecessary. Changing your hair color is unnecessary. Body piercing is unnecessary.
Lloth,
As someone who is NOT as flat as a board, I have to say the situation isn’t that much better on the other end. Victoria’s Secret doesn’t carry much in my size either. I can go anyplace without a bra. Anything with spaghetti straps is out of the question. And those dresses you need to have altered - they don’t fit on me either. Any dress cut to fit over my chest assumes that I don’t have a waist. Any dress cut to my waist assumes my chest to be somewhat smaller. You look at the celebreties of ample chest and think you are too small, we look at the women on Diff Ts list and think we are too big.
Or you can take MissBungle’s advice and take those strokes into the deeper end of the pool - and I suspect that you actually are quite an adept swimmer and are just taking some time to “rest” in the shallows. (We can’t all tread water forever).
(Very nice post, MissBungle)
Let me get this straight, you are a recovering anorexic and your belief is that those who get breast implants are “deformed.” Hmm, that’s interesting. I can certainly understand why many women/men do not like implants, or would not choose them for their own bodies. What I can’t understand is how can you be so judgmental about others whom you know nothing about?
My body is far from deformed, and I have a great amount of self-esteem. I know I’m an intelligent, beautiful woman, a great mom, and many other things. Maybe getting implants is a bit “shallow,” but why should it matter to you what decisions others make? I am by no means a shallow person, as any of my dear friends would tell you.
I wanted something for myself, and I went out and got it. It wasn’t about pleasing a man or anything else. No one ever had a complaint about my body before the implants, and believe me honey, no one has a complaint about it now. I’ve never wanted to harm myself or had unrealistic ideas about what I look like.
I have every sympathy in the world for someone who has battled anorexia, I believe it is a terrible affliction. Never would I judge you for it or accuse you of a character defect because of it.
It doesn’t matter to me. I never claimed it did.
You are no means a shallow person… but getting implants is a bit shallow… and you have implants. wha…?
Saying the sky is blue is not judging the sky. It’s simply stating what it is. Same thing i was doing.
I really don’t need sympathy for my eating disorder. Like I said before, I believe everything happens for a reason… my disorder has actually helped me get through tough times in my life. Thanks anyways.
Ok, whatever. You sound like you have a chip on your shoulder for one reason or another. I was trying to be cool with you, but I guess now I will ignore your emaciated ass.
That is all.
We all compensate for our shortcomings in one way or another. Some wear makeup, some go to the gym, some get surgical enhancements; and others turn into a self-righteous @#$%*. Whatever works, I suppose.
BTW, I think all boobies are great (except possible the overly saggy ones).
Um, Rug Burn, without surgical intervention, they all become overly saggy ones, except the ones that are small enough to avoid the effects of gravity and time (the women with these ones are the lucky ones, in my large, saggy opinion). It’s a part of the natural aging process of women.
I don’t think that’s very fair. You’re just doing what she did and insulting a whole new group of people.
Thanks, Venoma! Couldn’t reply earlier–I’m a grad student in an office stuffed with people and a major advisor who means well but has incredibly bad timing, and who tends to barge in to chat without warning. Love the man to death, but he’s a bit of a father figure–and I’d simply die of embarassment if he caught me typing drivel about my breasts! 
Thanks for the tip about Calvin Klein as well.
Diff T, Miss Bungle and Dangerosa–
You all make very good points–really the same idea from different viewpoints, which is to say that I’d really be best off learning to accept (even like, or love) the way I look, lack of pectoral topography and all. I will agree completely that this is probably the best approach for someone like me.
Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done (though I realize that none of you meant to imply that it WAS going to be easy).
Understand–there’s a bit of a difference in the motivation and drive between the person who wants to make a change (even one as major as a surgical change) simply because they think they’d like the way that they’d look, and the person who wants to make a change because they feel like a freak. I’ve been in both situations. I dyed my hair (yes, I know dyeing your hair and getting surgery are apples and oranges, but work with me) for fourteen years because I liked the way red hair made me look–not because I felt like a freak because I’m actually a brunette. BUT…the “drive” to “fix” my “freakish” flat chest is FAR stronger than the desire to dye my hair ever was (and the award for most pointless quotation marks in a sentence goes to…).
In reality, the person who simply would like the change is far MORE likely to be pleased with the results, because they’re almost certainly working with a better self-image to start with. I am well aware that the real problem with me…is me. Was it Eleanor Roosevelt (or Dorothy Parker, can’t remember, going senile) who said that no one could make you feel inferior without your consent? True words indeed, but some of us have a bit more trouble saying “no” to that particular proposition than do others, even when we know it’s bad for us.
Fortunately for me, Dangerosa hit the nail closest to the center when she surmised that I spend most of my time “swimming”. You’re right–most of the time I don’t have a problem with my appearance–I’ve had quite some time to get used to it, and it’s not like making myself miserable obsessing about it is going to magically turn me into a supermodel (a VOLUPTUOUS supermodel at that!). It’s just that there are times when my swimming arms grow very, very tired indeed.
As I said in my original posting, I cannot and will not presume to speak for everyone who’s gotten 'plants or who has considered getting them, nor will I presume to judge anyone who has gotten them–I really don’t care if you dye your skin green, if that’s what it takes to make you like what you see in the mirror even a little bit better than you did before.
Rather, I simply chose to try to answer the OP in the only way that I felt that I could–to explain the motivation to get implant surgery through the eyes of one person who’s given it serious consideration, and to make a plea for tolerance for those who have taken that step, or who have considered doing so.
–Lloth
In IMHO, people are entitled to air their opinion without fear of attack. Just a reminder to some of the posters in this thread.