Almost all of the representations of breasts we encounter in the mass media are filtered through the hypothetical heterosexual male gaze. Breasts are objects, things that people desire.\u00a0Women’s personal, subjective experiences of having breasts is almost never discussed in pop culture. I mean, yes, occasionally two female characters might talk about their breasts, but usually in reference to whether and how they do or fail to attract male attention (e.g., “Is this too much cleavage?” and “I wish I had more cleavage!”). What it feels like to have breasts outside of the context of being a sex object isn’t talked about. There’s a void, a black hole of experience.<\/p>\n
The only other common\u00a0discourse\u00a0about breasts that comes to mind centers around breastfeeding. In that discourse, the idea\u00a0that breasts are for men<\/em> is challenged, but only in favor of the idea that breasts are for babies. <\/em>In neither discursive context does anyone make the case that breasts are primarily for\u00a0the people who have them. That the pleasure (and pain) and comfort (and discomfort) that comes with breasts belongs\u00a0— first and foremost — to female-bodied people.<\/p>\n Last week, I saw something\u00a0different.\u00a0Crazy Ex-Girlfriend<\/a> is an odd little TV show with a couple musical numbers in each episode\u00a0and one of the numbers last week was called “Heavy Boobs.” It’s safe for work but… maybe not safe for work.<\/p>\n