Tits. Jugs. Mammaries. Boobs. For years those fleshy sacks attached to the upper part of our torso have been eroticised by men, and used as a means to assess our attractiveness. With the rise of the page 3 girl, it seems that increasingly our femininity is directly proportional to the size of our breasts, and despite their biologically function (to nurture the young, of course), this is considered nothing more than secondary in a culture that values the ability of one to give a good tit-wank over and above that of providing a good, hearty meals for your family. But whether we decide to use them for feeding young, for rubbing in the faces of fat drunks or for nothing at all, it is a part of our body that we should be allowed to feel comfortable with whether or not we have a pair comparable to a couple of melons in a hammock or more like a couple of crusty brussel sprouts rolling around on a plate. What difference does it make anyway? And why is it considered acceptable that there are not only expectations placed upon us as to what the perfect pair of tits look like, but also with regards to what we should do with them?

But, as with most things, it seems that the Internet is the perfect place to find what you’re looking for in the breast department in the form of a website called myfreeimplants, which actively promotes the plight for a Jordan-esque cleavage. This website encourages women to create a profile and provide photographs in the hope of encourage male “benefactors” to donate cash to these women to get the surgery they desire. And the incentive for men? Why, it’s to “help the girl of your dreams get the body of her dreams of course.” Nice. Thankfully, according to a report by the BBC, UK cosmetic surgeons have condemned the site, in the hope of discouraging women from pursuing surgery through these unsafe and degrading means.

All women over the age of 18 are eligible to join, and although they are able to use aliases, they are encouraged to include photographs in their profiles, which are heralded “one of the key components towards achieving your goals.” Their profiles can then be accessed by these potential “benefactors,” who, on the basis of what they see can decide if and how much they would like to donate to ‘the cause.’ Women who join are also able to have chats on a one-to-one basis with these men, and can sell them “personal items or gifts and more…” according to the site. Doesn’t sound wholly savoury does it?

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS – and yes I have noted the irony of the acronym) believes this is frightening, and nothing more than testament to the pressures places upon young women to strive for an unattainable aesthetic ideal. Adam Searle, consultant plastic surgeon and former president of the BAAPS, said:

“This is really quite shocking. The invitation for women to post suggestive photos, sell personal items and chat with strangers over the Internet in exchange for a breast augmentation is just plain degrading.”

Current BAAPS President, and consultant surgeon, Douglas McGeorge endorses this viewpoint, and additionally believes there are potential health implications for these women:

“This is a wholly inappropriate way to proceed with what should be a serious decision made by a fully informed patient. The site’s promise that there are ‘no right or wrong’ cases is frightening - clearly there is no proper medical assessment of candidates, which at best could lead to disappointment, at worst, to someone’s health being endangered.”

But with one British woman claiming to have raised £3,700 from her “benefactors” to proceed with her E-cup surgery, is this a phenomenon likely to fade? Probably not, especially when the preoccupation with celebrity culture promoted by a burgeoning magazine industry does nothing more than encourage young women to evaluate their physical attributes against the bikini-clad wannabes in Heat! Magazine. We are encouraged to aspire to a template of perfection, and feel like failures if our waist is not small enough or our breasts are not big enough, and with women like Katie Price (and good luck to her) able to make pretty lucrative careers for themselves out of a big pair of tits then what’s going to stop the next generation of women wanting to expand their chests to the point of explosion if all they can her is the kerching sound that comes along with it?

Ok, for many women it is a matter of self-esteem. They feel they are unattractive, that they are not feminine, that by acquiring breasts of a certain size that they will be happy. I understand that it’s an extremely distressing state of being, but what is hugely unfair is that we are put in a position where we are made to question our own womanliness owing to what is nothing more than an ignorant lad’s mag culture. There are some I am sure who would argue that the “benefactors” funding these women are the ones really taken for a ride. Stupid, suited, aging men, with more money than sense, harbouring pointless erections and desperate to be given a good time by a nubile young thing. That these men are really the victims, endorsing the surgery desired by these women when in reality what they achieve by doing so is nothing more than a hope of fulfilling some sordid sexual fantasy. Of course, there may be an element of this present, (nothing worthy of considerable sympathy), but yet again it is us, women, who are objectified and evaluated by men, men who are far from perfect specimens of the human species, all because they have the cash and the arrogance to believe they are qualified to do so.

What are the donations by these benefactors doing but validating the insecurities felt by these women, that yes, they do need to get bigger breasts? It’s nothing more than the exploitation of vulnerable women by men who feel that their opinions should be valued, and that cash can get them what they want.

Photo by absolutwade, shared under a Creative Commons License

Posted by Abby O'Reilly on 15 June 2007, at 11:46 PM