Female Breasts
Female Breasts by Raman Bains In many works of art throughout history, female breasts have been featured prominently and in the nude. The symbolic meaning credited to the breast was usually associated with fertility and nourishment, both spiritual and physical, and in the wider sense, with life. Eroticism, nourishment, abundance, expression, feminine power, as well as feminine subservience, are different contradicting themes of the breast played out in time. Different reiterating views of its importance and the way it should be displayed are used to reflect upon the views of women of the time and life in society in general. At times, it is near-worshipped as a sign of sexuality, or as a sign of nourishment. Other times it is restricted down, sometimes a sign of the inferiority of women or, on the contrary, as a sign of women's independence and their equality to men. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, how the breast is perceived throughout history is a direct reflection of the views of the time. Legends about the breast have appeared in a variety of cultures, from Greek, Indian, to Native American myths, they all contain stories that involve biting a breast. For example, as an infant, Hercules was said
After the chaos of World War II, people looked for familiarity and security. The breasts were a sign of security and once again became popular. The old traditional look of the hourglass figure was reintroduced (Lattiere, 1998, p. 44). Large breasts also were a sign of prosperity in this time of advance. Brassieres were designed to give a coned, machine-like, look to the breasts that fit the growing technology of the era (Silverman, Website). During the rise of motion pictures, women tended to get parts that fit the stereotypes associated with their body types. Women with larger chests were viewed as sexual beings, such as Marilyn Monroe in "How to Marry a Millionaire". Movie stars such as Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, and Sophia Loren fit this category. Small-chested movie stars were a minority that included Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn. They were not viewed as sex symbols but as symbols of upper class sophistication, and wit (Yalom, 1997, p. 192). While Marilyn Monroe was type casted as a gold digger and a bimbo, Katharine Hepburn played such characters as a missionary and a political activist. The breasts are viewed as symbols of sexuality, and the modern stereotype of what is sexy is not consistent with the stereotype of what is considered intelligence. "The more bosom, the less brain. That's the law of nature; that is why the poor miserable females are the way they are." (Allende, 1991, p. 98.) Winston, Elisabeth. "The History of Corsets." http://home.earthlink.net/~isibastel/corset.html Latteier, Carolyn. (1998). Breasts: The Women's Perspective on an American Obsession. Binghamton: The Haworth Press, Inc.
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Approximate Word count = 1964
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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