Although women's bodies generally suffer from many injunctions in our society, breasts seem to be right at the heart of it all. A source of many complexes, many women feel at odds with their breasts.
Do you have to have breasts to be a real woman?
As soon as breasts develop, there are those who look forward to them, and those who prefer it when they're not there. Then there's the stereotype of the woman who must have beautiful, round breasts that don't droop, that are soft, fluffy and voluminous at the same time, just like in films or advertising. Coupled with this concept is the idea that to be a "real" woman, you have to have breasts. For some, breasts are sexual objects; for others, they are the means of nourishing a child.
To stick to this image of perfect breasts, we resort to lingerie, push-ups, exercises to make them firmer, surgery to make them bigger, to make them smaller, and anything else that might make our breasts more "beautiful", more "pleasing to the eye", more politically correct and in line with the "norm".
However, all breasts are in nature, and their shapes and aspects are as numerous as the number of women on this planet. There is no such thing as normality, and yet many women have a complex about their breasts. This can even go as far as feeling ashamed of wearing certain clothes, appearing naked in front of someone else, or even in front of oneself, and leading to a feeling of hatred towards one's own body.
There are as many breasts as there are people!
If you do a little research on the Internet to find out why your breasts don't match up to what you're shown in the media, you'll come across hundreds of pages giving information on cosmetic operations to have your breasts redone. It's not easy to feel good about your body and accept yourself when you're being pushed to change...
This period is all the more difficult during adolescence or early adulthood, or when sexual life begins. If you're too small, you're not a woman; if you're too big, you're quickly sexualized and exposed to the male gaze. Our breasts can also be the cause of backache.
We think they're too wide apart, too saggy, not the right size - in short, we never really like our breasts.
It's difficult for everyone to feel at ease with their breasts, but it's important to remember that there's no such thing as ONE perfect breast. In fact, the breast is one, if not the only part of the body to undergo so many variations over the course of a lifetime, whether through the hormonal cycle, contraception, pregnancy, weight gain or loss, or age. Their shape and volume vary throughout life, and it's more common to have different breasts than perfectly symmetrical ones.
In fact, in recent years, movements such as no-bra (see our blog post on the subject), and even numerous Instagram pages such as @taboobofficial and @tubular.breasts, have been advocating the beauty of every breast, however different it may be, and the right to show breasts on social networks, without them being perceived as sexual.
You're beautiful, your breasts are beautiful!
Watch out for anomalies that need your attention
@sikana
It's very important to keep an eye on your breasts, especially if you notice any of the following: changes in size, the appearance of a lump, skin retraction, thickening of the skin, redness, visible veins or discharge from the nipple (except when breast-feeding).
Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women, making it the most common cancer in women, but it can also affect men! But it's also one of the most curable cancers: if detected early, breast cancer is curable in 9 out of 10 people.
So, from the age of 50, it's important to have a mammogram every two years. This is fully covered by the French Social Security system.
Palpation of the breasts by the gynecologist, and self-palpation every month after menstruation from the age of 20, are also important for detecting breast cancer.
To find out how to perform self-palpation effectively, we recommend you watch this video.
And during your period, you can always trust the comfort of your Elia menstrual panties
