“One day the trend is XXL breasts, the next – small breasts.” How can we restore our breasts?

During recent Fashion Weeks, breasts were all over the catwalks, subtly exposed or sheer. “ Enough with the breasts ! (Enough breasts,” raged influential fashion journalist Vanessa Friedman. New York Times condemning the perpetual “objectification” of women’s bodies. victim of body shaming Outraged by netizens for her bountiful bosom, actress Sidney Sweeney decided to fully embrace it by wearing a revealing sweater that read ‘Sorry I have great breasts.’ Other personalities, such as rapper Cardi B or model Ashley Graham, are praised on Instagram after being seen breastfeeding a baby… On the street, on red carpets, on social media and all the way to the National Assembly, breasts continue to fascinate. and generate debate.

“They are the privileged sign of motherhood (nurturing breasts), the privileged sign of femininity (dominant breasts), and the antechamber of sexuality (primordial breasts), a trinity that synthesizes the age-old imperative for women to become and remain.” the sexual and maternal bodies are accessible,” writes feminist philosopher Camille Freudevo-Metrey in her book. Breasts. Seeking liberation (Ed. Anamosa, 2020).

Sanctions that are enforced

For a certain activity or a simple matter of comfort, some demand (as in the 1970s) to no longer wear a bra (movement). no bra), when others demand to free the nipples (Free the nipples) In fact, the instructions are still tough. 50% of French women say they are complicated by aging on their breasts and 47% on their bust (1).

“For centuries, society has given us the same image of what a desirable breast should look like. The artwork depicted very young white women with half-apple-shaped breasts, plump, raised busts almost weightless, very pink nipples, no hair,” laments the director of the documentary, Angel Murray. Bless our breasts (airing this year on independent streaming platform on.suzane). He launched his investigation after noting a “return to Puritanism” in society, particularly with the banishment of some women who breastfeed in public or the controversy over teenagers wearing face coverings. “We are not, or rarely are, exposed to the breasts of women who look like us. The only ones we see are the models in the media or in pornographic pictures,” laments midwife Charlene Gayolt, the author of the book. The great guide to my peaceful pregnancy (Ed. Marabut, 2024).

For centuries, society has given us the same image of what a desirable breast should look like.

Angel Marin, director of the documentary Bless Our Breasts

If they allowed to give visibility to the diversity of breasts and to democratize the talk about them, then only social networks condense the paradoxical phenomenon of alienation and liberation. “Younger generations today are questioning these dictates. But at the same time, some on TikTok are promoting bodysuits that make their chests look bigger, tucking their breasts into a strapless fit, wearing hooded tops or crop tops, Angel Marry explains. In a consumer society that moves as fast as ours, complexes about body parts that are sexualized have become a business and a thriving market.” And taking for example the famous bra buzz from Skims, the underwear brand created by Kim Kardashian, which caused a lot of discussion when it was released.

Constant dissatisfaction

“Showing off a glorious breast, even if it’s done, is always trendy, but in five years, on the contrary, having small breasts may be the norm. Beauty standards are constantly changing over time, and even more so when social networks appeared,” explains psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and doctor of philosophy Vanina Micheli-Rechtman, who warns young people about eternal body dissatisfaction. “These inflated demands lead to long-term disasters, accelerated aging of the breast and more and more complicated reoperations,” says Dr. Sébastien Garson, plastic surgeon and scientific co-director of IMCAS (International Congress of Aging Science). estheticians), which nevertheless specifies that “the demand of the majority in France remains very natural”.

Led by a flood of international celebrities who have revealed their breast implants have been removed (from Victoria Beckham to Tori Spelling, including Pamela Anderson and Laure Manaudou), reduction (retrenchment) has caused a brief decline in volumes in recent years. “One day the trend is XXL breasts, the next it’s small breasts… Society keeps telling us that we have to change our bodies every four mornings. We don’t have time to be comfortable in our own bodies when we’re already thinking about the next thing to change,” adds director Angel Marry, who struggles with body ownership. And to conclude. “There are many ways to restore and pamper your bust. Also, seeing the multiple breasts of women of all ages, with nipple shapes and different skin colors, we will learn to look kindly on our breasts, which do not necessarily correspond to the straight half-apples of Venus. »

(1) Ifop study for Humasana in 2023