General In
Christian iconography, some works of art depict women with their breasts in their hands or on a platter, signifying that they died as a martyr by having their breasts severed; one example of this is
Saint Agatha of Sicily. member participating in a protest|left
Femen is a
feminist activist group which uses
topless protests as part of their campaigns against
sex tourism religious institutions,
sexism, and
homophobia. Femen activists have been regularly detained by police in response to their protests. There is a long history of female breasts being used by comedians as a subject for comedy fodder (e.g., British comic
Benny Hill's burlesque/slapstick routines). During the middle of the first millennium BC, Greek culture experienced a gradual change in the perception of female breasts. Women in art were covered in clothing from the neck down, including female goddesses like
Athena, the patron of Athens who represented heroic endeavor. There were exceptions:
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was more frequently portrayed fully nude, though in postures that were intended to portray shyness or modesty, a portrayal that has been compared to modern
pin ups by historian
Marilyn Yalom. Although nude men were depicted standing upright, most depictions of female nudity in Greek art occurred "usually with drapery near at hand and with a forward-bending, self-protecting posture". A popular legend at the time was of the
Amazons, a tribe of fierce female warriors who socialized with men only for procreation and even removed one breast to become better warriors (the idea being that the right breast would interfere with the operation of a bow and arrow). The legend was a popular motif in art during Greek and Roman antiquity and served as an antithetical cautionary tale. '', 1828 self-portrait by the American artist
Sarah Goodridge Body image Many women regard their breasts as important to their
sexual attractiveness, as a sign of
femininity that is important to their
sense of self. A woman with smaller breasts may regard her breasts as less attractive.
Clothing woman of northern Namibia wears a traditional headdress and skirt. Because breasts are mostly fatty tissue, their shape can—within limits—be molded by clothing, such as
foundation garments.
Bras are commonly worn by about 90% of Western women, and are often worn for support. The
social norm in most
Western cultures is to cover breasts in public, though the extent of coverage varies depending on the social context. Some religions ascribe a special status to the female breast, either in formal teachings or through symbolism.
Islam forbids free women from exposing their breasts in public. Many cultures, including Western cultures in North America, associate breasts with sexuality and tend to regard bare breasts as
immodest or
indecent. In some cultures, like the
Himba in northern
Namibia, bare-breasted women are normal. In some African cultures, for example, the
thigh is regarded as highly sexualized and never exposed in public, but breast exposure is not taboo. In a few
Western countries and regions female
toplessness at a beach is acceptable, although it may not be acceptable in the town center. Social attitudes and laws regarding
breastfeeding in public vary widely. In many countries, breastfeeding in public is common, legally protected, and generally not regarded as an issue. However, even though the practice may be legal or socially accepted, some mothers may nevertheless be reluctant to expose a breast in public to breastfeed due to actual or potential objections by other people, negative comments, or harassment. It is estimated that around 63% of mothers across the world have publicly breast-fed. Bare-breasted women are legal and culturally acceptable at public beaches in Australia and much of Europe.
Breast binding, also known as chest binding, is the flattening and hiding of breasts with constrictive materials such as cloth strips or purpose-built
undergarments. Binders may also be used as alternatives to
bras or for reasons of propriety. People who bind include women,
trans men,
non-binary people, and
cisgender men with gynecomastia.
Sexual characteristic In some cultures, breasts play a role in
human sexual activity. Breasts and especially the nipples are among the various human
erogenous zones. They are sensitive to the touch as they have many nerve endings; and it is common to press or
massage them with hands or
orally before or during sexual activity. During
sexual arousal, breast size increases,
venous patterns across the breasts become more visible, and nipples harden. Compared to other primates, human breasts are proportionately large throughout adult females' lives. Some writers have suggested that they may have evolved as a visual signal of sexual maturity and fertility. In
Patterns of Sexual Behavior, a 1951 analysis of 191 traditional cultures, the researchers noted that stimulation of the female breast by a male sexual partner "seemed absent in all subhuman forms, although it is common among the members of many different human societies." Many people regard bare female breasts to be aesthetically pleasing or
erotic, and they can elicit heightened
sexual desires in men in many cultures. In the
ancient Indian work the
Kama Sutra, light scratching of the breasts with nails and biting with teeth are considered erotic. Some people show a
sexual interest in female breasts distinct from that of the person, which may be regarded as a
breast fetish. A number of Western fashions include clothing which accentuate the breasts, such as the use of
push-up bras and
decollete (plunging neckline) gowns and blouses which show
cleavage. While U.S. culture prefers breasts that are youthful and upright, some cultures venerate women with drooping breasts, indicating mothering and the wisdom of experience. Research conducted at the
Victoria University of Wellington showed that breasts are often the first thing men look at, and for a longer time than other body parts. The writers of the study had initially speculated that the reason for this is due to
endocrinology with larger breasts indicating higher levels of estrogen and a sign of greater fertility, but the researchers said that "Men may be looking more often at the breasts because they are simply aesthetically pleasing, regardless of the size." Research suggests that the orgasms are genital orgasms, and may also be directly linked to "the genital area of the brain". In these cases, it seems that sensation from the nipples travels to the same part of the brain as sensations from the vagina, clitoris and cervix. Nipple stimulation may trigger uterine contractions, which then produce a sensation in the genital area of the brain.
Anthropomorphic geography There are many mountains named after the breast because they resemble it in appearance and so are objects of religious and ancestral veneration as a fertility symbol and of well-being. In Asia, there was "Breast Mountain", which had a cave where the
Buddhist monk Bodhidharma (Da Mo) spent much time in
meditation. Other such breast mountains are
Mount Elgon on the
Uganda–
Kenya border; and the
Maiden Paps in Scotland; the ('Maiden's breast mountains') in
Talim Island, Philippines, the twin hills known as the
Paps of Anu ( or 'the breasts of
Anu'), near
Killarney in Ireland; the 2,086 m high or in the , Spain; in Thailand, in
Puerto Rico; and the Breasts of Aphrodite in
Mykonos, among many others. In the United States, the
Teton Range is named after the French word for 'nipple'. ==Measurement==