The male obsession with female breasts is a fairly recent phenomenon from a historical viewpoint. In all types of ancient art medium, the female breast was usually exposed. Even in the Christian realm, paintings, sculptures, and drawings commonly and frequently depicted females with one or more uncovered breasts. The Sistine Chapel is adorned with female breasts and ancient artifacts depicting nudity seem to have far greater shock value in modern times than the artists would have believed possible in their time period. The first well-known written work on human sexuality that involved reference to breasts occurred during the 2nd century BC with the advent of the Karma Sutra. In Ancient Egypt, women accented their breasts with primitive cosmetics and exotic scents. However, body painting began much earlier with primitive man and female breasts received far less focus than facial features. In truth, there are no ancient social or cultural precedents to explain the current belief that female breasts are sexual magnets for males. Female breasts and sexuality did not become strongly connected until the repressive Victorian age when women were expected to cover more of their bodies. Strangely, during this same era, the female breast reached a zenith of sorts, as women's clothing was deliberately and provocatively designed to emphasize, enlarge, and expose as much of the female breast as possible without showing the nipples. Thereafter in western societies, the female breast continued its onward march towards becoming a social icon and sexual projectile.Cultural Differences
It is also worth noting that American attitudes about the sexuality of breasts are hardly universal and may even represent a minority viewpoint in the larger worldly view. There are widespread cultural differences in male and female attitudes about female breasts and the role they play in sexual attraction. In so called primitive societies, the female breast was seldom covered. Eastern cultures and European attitudes about female breasts and nudity in general are quite different. For example, at one extreme, women in middle eastern countries are not allowed to expose any part of their breasts in public; yet, in most western European countries, females often and routinely go topless at beaches and public bathing facilities. As in most things, cultural differences abound but the question remains for American women. How did American males, specifically, become so obsessed with female breasts as objects of sexual desire and attraction?
The Playboy™ Bunny and Barbie® Doll Look
For those of you who are old enough to remember, in the late fifties and early sixties, the only pictures of uncovered breasts that one could see in regular magazines were either in technical journals (usually drawings only) or in National Geographic. Of course Playboy magazine also entered the social mainstream at about this same time and drastically changed American attitudes toward the female breast. Playboy™ magazine and similar male dominated publications directed towards male readership, have a long and rich history of showcasing female breasts. Most observers would also agree that the majority of the female breasts featured in men's magazines tend to be young breasts and breasts of considerable size. Another social icon, the Barbie™ Doll, must also have certainly influenced millions of young girls in their thinking about what was cool, fashionable, and desirable. Henceforth, the Barbie™ breasts with their rather large and protruding statue, became an ideal that most women could only dream of, at least until the advent of mainstream plastic surgery.
Renaissance Breasts
Medieval dress was designed primarily for functionality with few concessions made to emphasize the female form. Prior to the 1400's women did not support their breasts as it was generally believed there was no reason too nor was there any support apparatus available. During the Renaissance period however, many changes began to appear in female attire including an early version of the corset. As the corset evolved, the different forms continued to push the breasts upward and higher to the point that the breasts almost appeared to spill forth from the woman's top. Female breast fashion remained basically unchanged until the French Revolution when both the corset and low cut bodices disappeared until the end of the Napoleonic era. In the meantime, the Industrial Revolution was beginning to take place in western European countries and most notably
Before the Bra, there was the corset
There is little to tell about the history of the Bra since the Bra is a quite modern social artifact. Prior to the invention of the Bra, women either wore corsets or a simple chemise or wrapping. As in most things, history often repeats itself and one can easily observe the direct linkage between an ancient garment, the corset, and a modern invention, the push-up bra. Although technologically, the push-up bra is far superior in design, construction and comfort, both garments had the same uplifting effect on a woman's breasts. However, the corset was very uncomfortable and with the invention of the blouse, a need appeared for a better type of breast undergarment. The first Bra was invented in in the late 1800's but the early versions were more form flattening rather than flattering. The early inventors were most likely trying to develop a garment that was more comfortable and healthful than the corset with little thought to inventing something that would make women look sexier. In fact, the breast flattening style remained popular even through the era of the roaring twenties but abruptly changed to the present breast enhancing form during the thirties and forties. This abrupt change was not co-incidentally occurring during another time of great world social upheaval in both the Depression and World War II. If you were wondering why its called a Bra, the term became popularized from a controversial lawsuit over patent rights in the 1930's between a French designer and garment maker named Phippipe De Brassiere and an American garment inventor. The American lost the lawsuit, the garment received widespread national and worldwide publicity and the name was shortened to Bra by the media and thus became institutionalized.
The Women's Movement, "The Bra was Burned"
In a temporary setback, women started shedding their bras during the women's movement of the sixties and for a brief time, the bra was considered an item of male oppression. Not surprisingly, male breast oglers everywhere could hardly believe their good fortune and there has even been some idle speculation that the women's movement was itself a male conspiracy in order to get women to remove their bras. Of course there are conspiracy theories about nearly everything and one must not take them too seriously. Nevertheless, the "Bra-Less" trend continued to gain momentum on its own and with the popularity of breast implants even more women could now go bra-less late into their lifespan. By the late seventies the natural look for breasts had become widely accepted. However, the bra was not dead and the competition gave rise to new forms to accent the female breast, particularly for women who were less than well endowed. By the early 1990's various forms of the Wonderbra™ appeared along with new technologies in the development of plastic breasts that could be inserted into bras. Where all this will lead, no one can say for sure, but during the last seventy years, two trends were clearly emerging. One, bras would definitely make a comeback; and two, busts were moving upward and outward, one way or another.
Another Alternative
What should women do? Many women choose to do nothing about their breasts. Most women probably should not do anything drastic with their breasts. Large numbers of women who have breast surgery do not have excessively small breasts; they just want larger ones. For the majority of women who would simply like to enhance their breast size and youthful look, without totally restructuring the entire breast by placing foreign objects inside their body, there has been only one other option. The external look of the breast can be nicely enhanced by uplift bras and various types of synthetic padding; unfortunately, these items provide little assistance when wearing fashionably sexy clothing or swimsuits and certainly no help at all in those private moments while unclothed.
source:http://www.allnaturalbreastcare.com/
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