[dj-bizmonkey]

hugs to all you ladies out there! i've been out of the loop, entertaining my mom, her best friend and her daughter who is my age. on that note, it was at least mildly vindicating to go shopping with her. she's very well-endowed and probably three or four times i heard her cry from the dressing room, 'my boobs are too big for this!' it's nice to know that while we may not have mastered the sweater, we can get away with loads more types of clothing.

i agree with everyone else here, i think getting reconstructive surgery after a masectomy is completely different than just getting implants. no one (unless they are trans) elects to have their breasts removed. it isn't a choice to have breast cancer. it is a choice to, as beck put it, mess with already health tissue. the fact is, no matter the size or the shape, they are a symbol of femininity and losing that is devastating. i do understand what karategrrl is saying however as in, 'hasn't she been through enough?' well, maybe after all the chemo and biopsies (sp?) have breast augmentation feels like small potatoes.

speaking of breast cancer, i was putting together a lecture on breastfeeding for my class last week and i came across this ad campaign. i thought it was pretty amazing:

www.print.duncans.tv/2006/obsessed-with-breasts/

[beck]

i agree too, post-mastectomy seems to be more about getting back what you've lost, like a wig after chemo. whereas cosmetic surgery - i know we're all third wave and all in here, but having major surgery to modify healthy tissue in the absence of any medical indication seems kinda self-hating.

when i was a teenager i used to ponder the idea of surgery, i would never do it now as my breasts are just not that important a part of my identity. they don't even register on my radar - i want to be known for being smart, on top of my game in my chosen profession (might need to cut down on BUSTing for that), a good friend, in the near future to be a good mother...Chesticles don't even come into it, as long as they work for the purpose they're designed for (that would be feeding babies, not impressing neanderthals), i'm happy.

Not to mention the fact that people tend to look a whole lot worse after having surgery - i actually thought Ashlee Simpson was kind of cute before the nose job, now she's just yet another generic hollywood fembot. in fact, can anyone name a single famous person who looks better post-surgery (excluding gastric bypasses perhaps) than before?

the biggest scary horror story for me is the stuff i've read about women breastfeeding and their babies being poisoned by faulty implants. Just horrible.

OK rant over

[beck]

oops felt so strongly i posted twice

[knorl05]

karategrrl: right. reconstructive surgery post-mastectomy is an entirely different situation than cosmetic procedures, imo. my aunt went thru the same thing, it is very saddening to see. she was stripped of so much, it was a nice option to be able to at least get a memory back of who she used to be.

breast implants are supposed to fall, but there are quite a few cases in which women have to return to the operating table to fix whatever mishap resulted from the surgery. i have honestly heard/seen more horror stories or complications from the procedure than not.

[karategrrl]

Okay, ladies, I have to share...

I saw an acquantance of mine the other night. I hadn't seen her in several months. Well...she got boobie implants. Now, before we all get ballistic, let me say that this poor woman--who is only in her mid-40s did so as part of a breast reconstruction following breast cancer--she's had a few breast biopsies, chemo (and hair loss, over a year ago) and a total hysterectomy. The biopsies left her breasts dimpled, so I think she was trying to fill them out. She's been through so much I'm sure it was like, "Fuck it! I'm getting implants!" I must say, she didn't go nuts with the size. They do look natural. But...

The left one is higher. She said she's waiting for it to "fall," like it should." If it doesn't, the doctor wil have to *operate*--again--to put it where it needs to be. Hasn't this woman been through enough? Was I right, or what--implants aren't a one-shot, done deal. <<shudder>>

PS: Ditto on the NIPPLES!!!! Love 'em. Even boy nips.

[Vendetta]

Thank you ladies.. you have been just what I need. And yes, it is possible for me to feel the way I felt before... It has to be in me somewhere...

[konphusion26]

Agreeing with Crinoline - nipples-are-awesome! lol all sizes!

[knorl05]

i'm sayin!

is true boobies dont make the woman. we just gotta redirect our attention to other aspects of ourselves that make us attractive individuals. if in fact that's what we want.

[karategrrl]

Hope you're doing better, V. We all have our bad days, myself included.

What support! You ladies just seriously freaking ROCK!!!

[edie52]

*joins group hug*

Vendetta, I remember reading your posts about how confident and sexy you used to feel, and that was really inspiring. I think it's possible for you to feel that way again. Don't beat yourself up if you can't get back to it right away, but don't forget about it either. It's in you somewhere!

[crinoline]

*jumps in for (((GROUP HUG!)))*

V- No matter the size of the boob, I'm sure you have nips, and nips are always sexy! Yay for being sexy women with small (but still perfect!) boobies!

[karategrrl]

It's just a pain in the ass when the breasts are TOO small that just disappear under clothes or with shoulders back... then what the hell, small boobs can be sexy but what about almost un-existant ones?? I cannot find my boobs sexy when the most of the time my belly is bigger than them.. argh!

Hey Ms. V (for Vendetta),

Sounds like you need a BIG ((HUG))! You are SEXY, bebe!!!!

[Vendetta]

It's just a pain in the ass when the breasts are TOO small that just disappear under clothes or with shoulders back... then what the hell, small boobs can be sexy but what about almost un-existant ones?? I cannot find my boobs sexy when the most of the time my belly is bigger than them.. argh!

[karategrrl]

ETA: I just hate to see the assumption of ‘large breasts good, small breasts bad’. I would compare it more to hair or eye colour – there isn’t one ‘good’ kind and a bunch of inferior ones.

So true, so true. There are, of course, plenty of people who don't share our highly advanced thinking.

I have blue eyes but I've always loved brown eyes--so deep, dark and mysterious. Well, people with brown eyes envy mine. I love straight hair--it's classy looking and takes to bob cuts so well. Well, as you might guess, everyone with stright hair wishes they had my curly hair. The grass is always greener, huh? We humans are funny...

[beck]

you're right karategrrl, hottness comes in all shapes and sizes, i just felt sad when i read the posts on here. i don't normally post on this thread as i've always been ok with my breast size, as far as i've given it any thought at all. to be honest, it never occurred to me that girls or boys might find me less attractive because they are not large.

boo to stupid media stereotypes selling fake images of fake women, i say. and to the men who are silly enough to think that those images are in any way grounded in reality.

ETA: I just hate to see the assumption of ‘large breasts good, small breasts bad’. I would compare it more to hair or eye colour – there isn’t one ‘good’ kind and a bunch of inferior ones.

[karategrrl]

Sorry, gals, for the duplicate posts from me...computer server issues??????

[karategrrl]

Well, my original post got lost somehwere in cyberspace, but I wanted to say that though I won't promote any body type as "hotter" than another, Beck, I have to agree that smaller busts do tend to lend a more streamlined look to the body overall. I have read compaints from our large-busted sistahs about how it's hard for them NOT to look provocative, how men tend to talk to their chests, and how when they try to hide the large breasts with flowy tops, the overall effect tends to add the appearance of pounds.

I trained in the martial arts for many years (as you may have guessed) and took my share of (unintentional)elbows to the breasts and such. Ouch!! At times like that, I was glad to only have what I have! The streamlined look works on me.

[karategrrl]

(deleted duplicate post)

[karategrrl]

(deleted duplicate post)

[beck]

just delurking to say to any London BUSTies (starship?) - there is this new underwear shop on Oxford Circus where Shelley's used to be that you might like. I'm pretty small busted normally but am pregnant and my boobs have grown a bit so I needed some new stuff (although I am not big enough for any actual maternity underwear ).

Anyway, i think they are a french or italian company and their sizes are much more geared up to smaller busts - they size from 1-5 - I'm now a full B-cup and I was a size 4 (with 5 being the largest they sell) - so the majority of their range would probably be a good fit on a A or AA cup and those with small frames.

Underwires are uncomfortable for me at the moment, but their non-wired bras were still flattering, I even got a sports bra that gave me a nice shape, which is very rare!

here is a link...
http://www.regentstreetonline.com/RegentSt...nel/Tezenis.htm

and just wanted to say small boobs are much hotter than big ones! tight or low-cut clothes look sexy rather than slutty, and it creates an impression of being slimmer overall. as far as i'm concerned, large ones attract the kind of attention i do not want. i'll be happy to get back to my usual size - the only challenge is keeping the bottom half of me in line with the slimline top!

relurks...