| Since the publication of our book
"Flat, but Proud: A guide for
love and life for women" in December 2003, we have been swamped with emails from women and couples who have realized that there is life beyond worrying about
one's chest size. The summary of the communications is that they felt the pressure not from their partners but from the businesses (that include media,
plastic
surgeons, drug
marketers, etc.) that had a vested interest in making them feel bad about themselves so that they would buy their products.
(Related article: Plastic
surgery and self esteem) On the contrary, when we spoke to approximately 5,000 people all over the world, our findings showed that
breast size was the least important of the issues for couples in loving relationships. There were some men who have made their partners feel miserable because of their
small breast size, but this group of men continues to be in a minority. Of course, there were some women who were desperate to have
a larger
chest at any costs but they again too were in a minority.
(Related article: Choosing
breast implants)
While so much is made of large number of cases of plastic surgery for
breast
augmentation, the number of cases is still very small despite the 584% growth rate in the United States during the last decade. According to
American Society of Plastic
Surgeons, women paid for just about a quarter million
breast
augmentation procedures in the US.
(Related article: Plastic
surgery in luxurious, spa like setting)
Our research also showed that while number of women who chose
breast
augmentation is rapidly growing (starting from a small base makes the growth appear to be very rapid), the vast majority of women actually are very proud of their small
breast size. Our analysis shows that as many as 45 million women fit our criteria of small (A or B cup) and they continue to have perfectly normal lives. Breast
augmentation is also not for those women whose low
self esteem is not due to their chest size but due
to other psychological problems. (Related
article: Safety
of saline breast implants reconfirmed)
 This does not mean, however, that they have not tried other means to change their size. Since herbs and lotions are much cheaper alternatives, many women have been trapped by the manufacturers of these products. The results were always
disappointing and many suppliers were barred from operating by the
Federal Trade Commission. University of California at Santa Barbara's Sociology Department actually maintains an excellent website for women including information on the pros and cons of potential solutions available.
(Related link: Frequently
asked questions about breasts)
We continue to be surprised, though, that despite availability of so much information, there are still so many women who are misled by advertisers. Not only these women end up spending a small fortune, but they are shy of asking for refunds or complaining to the authorities because of the embarrassment attached. How many women will pick up the phone to call FTC and give detailed information on what they bought and why they bought and what the result was. We are very proud of the fact that we continue to provide a support forum for women who like themselves the way they are and men who love such women. Our advice is still very simple: "Do nothing!"
(Related
article: So
should you choose silicone implants?)
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