It's official. The summer of 2008 is all about cleavage. There hasn't been a
heat wave, flood or hurricane, Big Brother is boring, Glastonbury didn't
rock any boats and England weren't at Euro 2008. So, the nation has filled
the hole left by the absence of a single galvanising event with an awful lot
of tit talk.
We gasped in awe at Helen Mirren's magnificent, sixtysomething bikini-clad
bosom, emerging from the sea like the proud bow of a ship - she has now
graduated from national treasure to national treasure chest. We were
scandalised by Sienna Miller flaunting bare-naked bee-stings while on
holiday with her married boyfriend. And we worried that Jordan's
ever-morphing mammaries would get in the way of her Olympic dressage dream.
Nothing lifts and separates Brits more than breasts and how they are dressed.
Big or little, it's how you wear them that counts. For some, cleavage is a
good thing. (Kelly Brook has made a career out of hers.) How else do you
explain the popularity of the new boob jab?
This year's most talked about plastic-surgery procedure involves injecting
breasts with the filler Macrolane. Less invasive than a boob job, it will
plump up those puppies by an extra cup size, costs about £3,000 and lasts
for up to 18 months.
For others, however, mammaries mean trouble. Royal Ascot banned cleavage and
visible bra straps in a bid to raise the tone of the event. Even the
downturn in sales at Marks & Spencer's was blamed, by ageing
shareholders at the AGM, on too many cleavage- revealing dresses. The
company's boss, Stuart Rose, was attacked by the pressure group Busts 4
Justice after it emerged that the store charged £2 extra for bras with a cup
size over DD. The group now has nearly 6,500 members, all agitating for
equal treatment of large-breasted women. “It's bigger than M&S.
It's about the whole high street. We are a market force, and they should
respect us,” says Beckie Williams, the 25-year-old founder of the pressure
group. “In the past, large-breasted women have accepted poor service and bad
design. There's enough of us now to demand more. We should be treated
better.”
She's right: thanks to boob jobs, boob jabs and the general increasing size of
women, there have never been more big breasts. (The average UK bust size has
risen from 34B to 36C in less than a decade.) So the question of display has
never been more pressing.
HOW LOW SHOULD YOU GO? MRS MILLS ON CLEAVAGE ETIQUETTE
* What you must realise about displaying your cleavage is that men will look.
They cannot help themselves. The area of flesh between the breasts has an
ineluctable power over the male gaze. This is a good thing and can be used
to your advantage.
* If you wake up with a huge spot on your chin, you can't face sorting your
hair out or psoriasis has broken out over your nose, undo a few buttons and
your self-confidence should return.
* Because the cleavage is a sexual display, there are occasions when it is
inappropriate. Receiving communion, supervising young offenders' community
projects and, especially, school sports day spring to mind. People (for
which read other women) will assume you are desperate and looking to grab a
man. So, cover up - unless, of course, you are desperate, and don't mind
being regarded by your flat-chested sisters as a scheming tart when all the
fathers present are glued to your perky performance in the egg-and-spoon
race, hot in anticipation of more than the egg bouncing out.
* Traditionally, good taste dictates that one should display breast or leg.
Only prostitutes flaunt both, so have a care, unless you are looking for
more adventurous ways to supplement the housekeeping.
* How low you go depends on your nerve and sense of adventure - though, if
your nipples pop out, you've probably gone too far. As a general guide, the
later the hour, the more you can display. What is alluringly sophisticated
over dinner in the evening is slappertastic on the bus to work each morning.
* There is much debate about the age at which one should start covering up.
Obviously, it can vary. A few summers of topless sunbathing can give you
crepy, wrinkled jugs by your mid-thirties, while a woman who has kept them
covered might have smooth, milky-white orbs right through her sixties.
* As soon as you can have a conversation with a man in which his gaze only
briefly slips below your chin, you have reached the point of covering up.
* While a good display of cleavage can be useful in making difficult meetings
with bosses and bank managers go more smoothly, be aware that too much
cleavage can make a man deaf: “Hmm, what? Sorry, I was miles away.” It's not
only men who need to learn how to handle breasts with care.
TALK TO ME, NOT MY BREASTS: THEY MAY BE LARGE, BUT CAMILLA LONG HAS LEARNT
TO LOVE THEM
I've always been thrilled with my 34DDs - let's just say the conversation
rarely flags - but sometimes enough is simply enough. You want to hide them
away from prying eyes and spaghetti fingers. (“Oops, sorry, thought that was
the... light switch.”) You want to say goodbye for ever to sweaty summer
rigging and enormous orthopaedic bras; goodbye to flesh-coloured straps
(why, if they're meant to be invisible, can you always spot them at 50,000
paces?); goodbye, even, just once before I die, to bras altogether.
So, yeah, living with big breasts can be a bore. And, as a DD, I'm nowhere
near the crippling turbo-melon category. Those poor women who wake up to
find their airways blocked! Unlike them, my breasts do not constitute half
my body weight and all of my personality; there are not, at any given time,
three old Etonians down there on a charity toboggan run. Still, I've had to
learn how to handle them (steady, chaps) with due respect.
It has taken 15 years. At first, I hated them. The tricky teens, when everyone
is staring and snapping your trainer bra and making you want to die. Then,
in my early twenties, I started to love them - perhaps too much. They were
out the whole time, public property, a whole new currency, even: there's not
a bouncer in London who won't let you in for a quick flash (and I have
researched this). Then there is later, now, when I've finally worked out
that covering up at least 1% of the time is more punchy than constantly
showing them off. I have learnt to apply the element of surprise.
I have learnt many other things, too. That nobody brushes past you “by
mistake”. That martinis are a death trap, because you can lose olives down
your cleavage and nothing will make you feel more pig elegant than that.
That clay-pigeon shooting is totally out (such a pity, because I do have
talent). That high necks are impossible, while low ones make you look like a
barmaid. That there's nothing like a pair of big bangers - “the cavalry”, as
a friend calls them - to settle the matter.
I abide by three rules: 1) Getting them fully out is a no-no, even if you're
in the south of France. It's nothing to do with unsightly saggage - only
sluts go topless. 2) Using them in the boardroom is provincial. A girl in a
suit with tidemark foundation and big boobs out for all to see is the female
equivalent of a short, balding businessman with two mobiles. Just watch the
next series of The Apprentice. 3) Never, ever, wish to have small ones.
Ever! Even in the face of a tank top. The French say that a woman without
breasts is like a bed without a pillow, and they are right. A friend who
tried big prosthetics for a day reported that large ones were “very, very
fun - everyone perked up when they saw me”.
Case closed.
As for men, never believe them when they say they prefer smaller ones. They're
just trying to be arty, nice to their girlfriends - or there's something
really wrong. (“Sorry, which bit is the breast again?”) Most of them
are in denial.
As my friend James insists - he likes “small ones ... firm to the touch and
the right shape and feel. I only look at large ones to check I haven't
changed my mind”.
YOUR BIGGEST ASSETS: SOPHIA NEOPHITOU, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF 10, THE
HIGH-FASHION MAGAZINE, EXPLAINS HOW TO DRESS YOUR BREASTS TO IMPRESS
My colleagues say I have balls of steel when it comes to business, but my
secret weapon - my nuclear missiles, as I call them - are my 34F breasts. My
bosom suggests I might be motherly, kind and soft, and acts as a highly
effective distraction. I use my boobs in the same way other women might use
their big, blue eyes. They have a hypnotic effect on people. They are
disarming. People aren't threatened or intimidated by you if they can see
your feminine side - and breasts are the most obvious sign of femininity.
The most important thing about big breasts is to wear them properly. If you
want to look good, you have to accept your shape and dress to suit it. I'm
5ft 4in, medium build, with hips and tits. That's the reality. But having
big breasts isn't easy when you work in fashion and have to look the part.
Many designers routinely make clothes for a skinny, boyish silhouette, but
that doesn't mean I can't wear the best labels. It's all about knowing who
and what to buy.
I work with Roland Mouret and Antonio Berardi, and my closet is full of their
form-fitting clothes. Other labels that work for me include Alaïa for knits
and skirts, Dolce & Gabbana, for dresses, Balenciaga, for trousers,
pencil skirts and knits, Ann Demeulemeester, for vests, Burberry, for coats,
and Martin Margiela, for tailoring.
It takes energy to dress your breasts properly. There are no short cuts. I
have developed a uniform: fabulous heels, a masculine vest with a pencil
skirt and a fitted cardigan. That's what suits me.
Bras are extremely important. I don't want to wear an industrial tit sling, so
I go to Agent Provocateur, which makes bras to order, (not Rigby &
Peller, because I don't like thick straps). Stella McCartney and Myla are
also favourites, because they do supersexy styles in big cup sizes. I've got
a small back, which makes buying bras even more difficult, so I often buy
one with a larger back size - a 36F, say - and have it adjusted by a
seamstress. I do that with bikini tops, too, because it's so important that
they fit properly.
I always wear fitted shapes. Anything billowing and baby-doll is not for a
girl with boobs. It makes you look fat, because the fabric falls outward.
Women my shape look best in contoured clothes. If you don't want to do a
fitted body-con look, wear bias-cut dresses and tops that skim your curves.
I'm very conscious of necklines. I would never wear a polo neck: they make my
breasts look like a table under my chin. Round necks aren't great, either,
but scoop, boat and V necks are. You need to see some skin, but it doesn't
always have to be cleavage or bare. Sometimes I wear a low-cut Roland Mouret
dress with a sheer cotton T-shirt underneath.
A masculine-cut jacket with a great shoulder line also works for me, otherwise
my look can be too feminine. I can also do a classic mac or a Crombie[-style
coat. Block colour gives a continuous silhouette.
I never wear blousy sleeves, or chunky knits, or frills, or pleating across
the bust, and smock dresses are wrong, too. I would also never wear a dirndl
skirt - I'd look a mess. And have you ever seen anybody with big breasts
look good in a floral frock? It doesn't work. I would feel like Beryl Reid
in Entertaining Mr Sloane.
I don't know what it would be like to be flat-chested; it's difficult to
speculate about it. I know my breasts are big - and I know I've got to make
the most of them being there.
Yeah, don't ever wish they were smaller because being small is HELL... being small doesn't mean you're thin-skinny-and-beautiful like Keira or Sienna. You're just small. some clothes look awful, you feel unwomanly for not even having to wear a bra! And of course boyfriends always ogle big ones!
Leyla, Madrid,
Sarah, Germany - Well said! Your comment was the most rational of all the ones on this page.
Corrine, Phoenix, AZ, USA
bigger busts shouldnt be used to aid a woman in the business world. we are not object for men to gawp at, yes we love it when they do but that should merely be a plus, not a deal breaker. topless sunbathing is a great for us flat girls as you dont get gawped at and get a great tan minus lines!
Elle Mahoney, Twickenham,
I thought it was a nice article to read. I hate my 34G breasts.
Men only look at your chest and seem to forget you have a face or any other assets. Hate and cant shop high street,
Its good to see that somebody recognises that there are women out there with a fuller figure (in parts!).
Layla Clarke, Carmarthen, Wales
I am flat-chested. Men will never lustily gawp at my chest- true. Yet I hate to break it to the buxom Ms. Long that despite this deformity, men adore me! I am a lovely combo of leggy elegance prettiness &slimness
Come out of denial Sweetie –Feminine Beauty is NOT about the size of ur breasts
Charlotte, London,
I don't prefer small, I don't prefer big. I prefer (or don't prefer) the woman they're attached to.
Michael, Pueblo, Colorado, US
Bigger the better not true i wouldnt know what to do with huge breasts
Dave, Bristol,
Every morning I view a pair of breats in perfect shape, with not a droop in sight and well proportionioned to the frame carrying them.
My wife is 48 years old
John Adam, Newcastle,
Ann On of London, dont even comtemplate surgery, just use padded bra and only let your husband know about your size. If he loves you, he will love whatever size you are. Your person is more important. Look how ugly Victoria Beckham is compared to when she was single and gorgeous. Bad decision.
virginia, Brisbane , Australia
Most people I know who harp on about their large breasts are, in fact , just overweight by around 2 to 3 stones.
The most attractive physical thing about a man or woman is being easy in their own skin (and not taking themselves too seriously)!
laura, Preston, uk
I'm sorry, but EVERYONE is obsessed with breasts, not one or the other of the genders. Men WILL look, as will women (usually for different reasons) and size does not matter. That said, I do not like the unprofessional manner in which this article was written.
Bonnie, Alamosa, USA
long live dolly parton
anne marie heelan, Paris, France
I add my vote: a great pair of.... glasses! On a slim woman with small breasts (fit, healthy, time-withstanding, the best), preferably reading a book or showing her intelligence, or dreaming or looking at you if you're the lucky man to be with her, is the very, very sexiest look of all.
Paul RH, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom
Women don't generally choose their boob size - and men don't choose to like big or small. But those of us cursed with big boobs have to live with it unless we can afford a reduction. Which I cant, but luckily I have a man who likes them. Boycott M&S for Bravissimo!!
Sarah, Bad Liebenstein, Germany
Size of chest is irrelevant. They're either nice ones or they're not.
Exercise and correct fitment or bras is crucial.
That doesn't just go for the chest, it goes for women in general.
Size is irrelevant, only shape, health and being well dressed make you attractive or not.
Jason Edmunds, Pontypridd, UK
I used to be small-chested until I breastfed four kids. Now, I just don't know what to do with the extra-cleavage. I tried hiding it away, but I felt too frumpy. After reading your article, I realized all I need is a new wardrobe to feel better and the guts to wear low necklines. Thank you!
Theresa Pregent, Whitby, Canada
Dear Irene, I think you must have easy-to-dress breasts, then, if you don't have to give them much thought. Being a 34GG, believe me, I have to think very carefully about how to dress my breasts, and the article made me laugh and smile.
Denise, Worcester,
I think that Matt from Perth needs a quick lesson in boobs and bras and sizes thereof......
Since the age of about 14 I knew that the number (34,38 etc.. ) referred to the chest size and the letter referred to the breast/ cup size.
But good to hear universal acceptance from AA to GG!
Antony , Berlin, Germany
I am about to have a surgical reduction because I so hate having large breasts. I have to fight to be taken seriously at business meetings, I can't wear many styles, running is painful, not to mention the unwanted attention from neanderthal men whose brains appear to be in their genitals.
kate corwyn, bristol,
"Only prostitutes flaunt both leg and bust"???? Has this writer been to a nightclub in the last, oh I don't know, 30 years? Or in fact anywhere in any uk city on a weekend evening? I wouldn't recommend voicing this view if she does - or trying to pull in her slacks and sweater ensemble.
Angela, NOrwich, England
I'd just like to cast my vote for small breasts. I find Keira Knightley to be one the most attractive actresses to come along in quite awhile, and I loudly applaud her stance against having her bust increased for ads. I find anything larger than a 34 or 36 to be too big, and over 40 to be gross.
Eric, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, USA
Many UK women are obsessed with their breasts because sadly they've given-up on the rest of their bodies. Dressing large breasts is a valid topic on style, but the juvenile put downs toward other women is rather pathetic.
The list of stunningly beautiful and foxy small-breasted women is endless!
Katherine, London, UK
Small boobs are undoubtedly more elegant and age better. I think it is wrong to say all men want large ones - some men prefer thin leggy girls and a 34b is a handful, why do you need more than that. Basically all shapes and sizes can be great as long as the shape is right and they are form!
Emma, Surrey, UK
The 1960's Goldie Hawn profile is my favourite.
Dennis, Portland OR, US
I have always prefered a perky female bottom to boobs, and I know a lot of men think likewise.
Norcot, Oakham, Rutland
I am a woman in my 60s with size 34B breasts. I get no complaints and have always been happy with my breast size oh except when I lived on a beach in Crete in the 70s and wished I had smaller ones - easier to be naked somehow.
I am told my breasts are beautiful by the man in my life. So good!
Collette Hurley, Totnes,
Claire, Bucks - My partner , nor any of her or my friends, breast fed, not one. I even spoke to my mum, she didn't either !
James, Eton,
I Do Not have a large chest but a curvy bottom, I could spend my life saying "does my bum look big in this or that," but I dont care...I wont get bum cheek cancer.....I wont need my bum cheeks cut off like breasts...have you ever hear of bum cheek cancer? So what I lack above, I gain behind!!! xx ;)
Aileen Newton, Cheddar, UK
I don't think it's just all breasts. Breasts are one thing but so is the shape. Living in a city where a lot of women have at least 25% Latin genes, you see many pear or even coca cola bottle shaped women. These women with these types of body shape, is actually more appealing to men's eyes.
Arlene, LA,
Let me explain a mans point of view to the lady correspondants above:
Large dressed breasts are attractive to men-FACT
Large dressed breasts are full of curiosity, & wonderment-FACT
If we undress the breasts, I know that the favourite in the bedroom would be fit, small to medium sized beasts.
Chris, Brighton,
Breasts are for feeding babies by the way. If a bust is very large the infant has difficulty latching on.
Claire, Bucks,
I am 27 and have 34E breasts and have done since I was about 20 (D then DD from 18-20). I have found the best way to keep them perky is ALWAYS wear a good bra- wonderbra or balconette style are best as they properly 'lift'. Hence no stretching of the tissues, hence no saggy boobs! And I LOVE them.
Claire, London, England
Not on a man!
Andrew, Poole, U.K
James, how true! There's a young woman - slim, petite, glasses, and dare I observe small breasted and perfectly in proportion to her slim body, who wears interesting clothes that are not tarty or revealing loads of flesh - who's on the Piccadilly line into Kings X each day. Feline, slim pure beauty!
HG, London, United Kingdom
You have to wonder why a woman wants to show her cleavage, and why big breasted women want to more than anyone else. Why do they want men to stare at their cleavage? Have they got nothing else in their brains or character to attract our attention? Is that it, two breasts? Are they so desperate?
nb, London, United Kingdom
Dont care if you have little uns big uns or woppers,be nice & keep them covered up. Young starlets think they have the only pair & shamelessly flaunt them at all the functions they attend just to get noticed
C Smith, Burlington, Canada
How refreshing to read a woman saying 'dress to your figure'.
How refreshing to hear women who understand that men like 'women with curves' (men may gawp at thin women but they stand to attention for curvy ones!)
How educating to learn that 'only tarts expose both legs and tits'. I will watch!
Rhys Jaggar, Leeds, UK
i am fed up of women thinking that having large breasts gives them carte blanche to behave in an overbearing,domineering or even downright agressive manner. 2 bags of fat attached to the thorax do not an intelligent nor kind person make.And when on display in the workplace I find them a distraction.
peter, Rotterdam , Netherlands
Big is not always more beautiful. Many belive the most attractive women can be found in East Asia.. beautiful, elegant and petite. Hardly renouned for large breasts though. Overall body shape and lack of fat is more attractive than some chubby girls poor effort at being a poor mans page 3 girl!
fred, Seoul, Korea
'Men's fear of women's power'! Give me a break! Women who are happy and capable of being equal may have noticed they are treated so. You, on the other hand, may have noticed men taking a 'Whatever. You carry on how like.' attitude to you...or maybe you don't notice anything at all..
Matt, Perth, Australia
"Women know without their sex they have very little to attract men."
Terrible statement, Robin!
EVERY woman has beauty in some form or other. As a "non-narrow-minded" male, I don't find big breasts attractive. Intelligence and quick wit draws me in, the rest comes later.
Darren Ward, Manchester, UK
Doctor: Big breaths. Patient: Yeth, and I'm only sixteen! I wonder how much men's interest in breasts is because they grow up in a culture which infantilises them (the men, not the breasts).
Kevin Straw, Leicester,
I have gone out with a flat-chested girl and it simply didn't work. All others have been 36C minimum and no complaints :) Presently 34B works just fine for me.
Bigger is better on an average (esp covered up) but I think slightly more modest stay looking better for longer.
And yes, I *will* look.
Shaz, London,
'If men say they prefer small breasts, they are definately in denial' ... I prefer small breasts , very often large boobs just look ridiculous ... but not as ridiculous as your statement . Other than that , boob size is almost irrelevant to me .
Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,
yes, they are.
Pete Minns, hull,
Being Big is the second best quality of breasts. The first is being firm and youthful. A sad fact is that ig breast tend to age prematurely, lose their shape early and fall down horribly. That is the reason why some men prefer smaller breast. Shape is more important than size !!
Phil, Paris,
Having had breast cancer, I find it very sad that women want to have unnecessary procedures performed on their breasts, in particular this new trend for Macrolane - do we know the future implications of this? I've also heard of lumps being missed due to implants. Luckily, I only had a lumpectomy.
Linda, Fife,
For God's sake everyone get a grip will you? Most men like breasts, all women know this. Some prefer big breasts, some of us prefer medium-sized breasts, and some prefer small breasts. Nobody has to be in denial about anything when it comes to personal preference. What staggering levels of arrogance
George, Brighton,
Yes, I find them mouth watering and good for comfort!
G Best, Sussex, UK
I'w with Jerry Seinfeld here - " Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at it - it's too risky. You get a sense of it and then you look away." Good advice.
Marc , Liverpool, UK
Size is unimportant, it's shape and firmness that count. Besides breasts take second place to the sine qua non of female pulchritude - hips, bottom and thighs!
Roman, Chicago,
I really can´t see why people give them such an importance...I totally agree with Irene.
Claudia, Montevideo, Uruguay
I always used to sunbathe topless when holidaying on the Med... until I spent a fortnight in Spain with my in-laws last year. My 60 year old Mother-in-law (not blessed like Mirren) decided to join me, and relieved herself of her own bikini top, to the utter mortification of her son and grandchildren
Kate, Suffolk,
I'm ignoring all the stupid generalisations.
M, London- get yourself to Brastop or Bravissimo- bargain bras at sale time, and Bravissimo sell lots of tailored clothes too- their shirts don't gape but flatter. You'll feel lots better- I'm the same size as you.
Mel, London,
All very well for men to say natural is best, but as a size 10 with natural 32DD's, whilst they look great in my bra, as soon as one comes off the look of disapointment in some men's faces when they realise the perkiness was manufactured is heart breaking. So I would rather be small and firm thanks
Lucie, London, UK
Excellent article which kept me abreast of modern-day mammaries. The uber-boob rules!
chris, london,
I think it is women who are mad about breasts. Great big silicon assisted boobs look foul and hideous, women who do this to themselves need psychological help. However small, natural is far more ascetically pleasing.
Steve, Coventry,
Well, there is a saying in my country, that the intelligence of a man is inversely proportional to the breast size of his woman ;P. At least when I'll be forty-something I won't have my boobs at the knee level. So dear Clara eat your DDs out ;).
Monika, Warsaw, Poland
I agree Tom, women are far more breast obsessed than any guy I know. So long as u have something in the bedroom, guys dont really care beyond that to be honest. I think women put far too much emphasis on breast size. But like men and penis size, we worry more than the opposite sex does.
karl, hull,
thanks to matt, perth, australia - good to hear that..sue, london
sue, london,
Talk to me not my breasts. Sometimes a womans breasts are a lot more interesting than the woman behind them.
Steve , Surat Thani, Thailand
A simpler answer to all this blabbing is of course: YES!
Christopher Thomas, Connah's Quay, Flintshire
I have large breasts - 40D...and I'm only 5'2". I just don't like the fact that "they" make me look fat and top-heavy. I USED to like to ride my horse - but I have to literally strap myself into a sturdy sports bra PLUS tight shirt UNDER my riding outfit. Whew! It's just not worth it!!!
Rise , Roseburg, OR, USA
The bigger the better
Gene, Sydney,
To Irene of London. How stereotypical of you to "blame" men again. Try re reading the piece to see that the contributors are women.
You try to dimish men with your patronsing put downs.
Grow up.
Tom, huddersfield, england
WE are mad about mammaries? You must be meaning "men". As a woman I dont put more emphasys on my breasts than on any other part of my body.
Irene , London,
Big or small, natural is best. Living here where topless is virtually the norm, we play the spot the fake game.
All that silicon enhancement only works, and looks good, when covered by a bra and nice top. On the beach frankly they look ridiculous (in or out of a bikini top).
Neil, Las Palmas, Spain
I have 34Fs, and am a student, I don't have the budget to fill my wardobe with Alaia and made to order Agent Provocateur. I am left with the high street which provides shapeless clothes which makes me feel frumpy and shapeless, because obviously decent tailoring costs money. I hate my shape.
M, London, UK
Alexandra from Newport US....... its called humour. Irony...!!!
Andrew, Hove, UK
While naturally big (to a limit) breasts are nice, there is NOTHING wrong with small breasts,especially with a slim/petite body. Fake plastic ones are a BIG turn off to me & just underline the superficiality and the lack of confidence of their bearers(except in cases of reparative surgery of course)
Tom, London,
@Katharine:
'lesson (sic) men's fear of women's power'
So you want us to fear you, do you? Funny, thought you just wanted equality.
I can absolutely assure you Katharine, it's only in your 'wimmin's' magazines that men fear you. In the real world we couldn't give a monkey's. End of.
MD, Milton Keynes,
If women show cleavage don't be surprised if men look.
If you don't like that then cover up. You simply can't have it both ways.
As a man I make absolutely no apology for looking at exposed breast-flesh.
David, St Albans, UK
As long as they are natural, and to a certain point (or two) I don't know if they are more beautiful when bigger, but certainly more delicious.
Eugene, heidelberg, germany
I'm disappointed that this once-great publication has engaged in such titilating tosh! To refer to women's body parts as 'tits' 'bangers' and 'puppies' is to proliferate the damaging objectification of women. I think that the use of such terms serves to lesson men's fear of women's power.
Katharine, London,
Certainly to look at, men prefer bigger but are otherwise happy with anything 34 or over (below that, lets face it, its ceasing to exist)
Its blindingly obvious that men will be drawn to looking at an attractive, face, chest, pair of legs.
Over here, its accepted that men will 'perv' at women!
Matt, Perth, Australia
Some culture prefer breasts and others legs. Face it women, it's 2008 and it's very unlikely that we will experience the freedom to expose our skin with the same freedom as men. In the natural world aren't the male of the species meant to be more sexually attractive? What went wrong?
Rose, London,
Another vote for Bravissimo. Most women wear too small a cup size and too big a back size. Bravissimo will sort you out without even touching you or looking at a measuring tape. They do clothes too. 'Freya' is the make of bras they sell a lot of - they're pretty, light AND work wonders!!
Amy Allen, London,
...when I see a petite, slim, toned woman with small breasts, little makeup and some individuality and a lack of vanity (ie. glasses perhaps? flat pumps? something which is done for HER and not for men) I think wow, what a beautiful woman!"
You must be psychic! Me too....
John, London,
I don't understand the men who always jump to conclusions that large breasts mean fake breasts or who think naturally large breasts only come with very large women. There are many of us with NATURALLY large breasts and slim bodies, modestly and fashionably clothed, who don't appreciate the comments!
Liz, Canada,
As one of the turbo-melon girls mentioned above (numerous implants and a double K) I enjoyed this article. Getting guys attention is easy, avoiding it is much harder. I like to wear a shawl, which hides my shape a little and also allows me to wear cleaving showing dresses, but only show when I want.
emma, LA, USA
Busts 4 Justice i would just like to point out that at a 30C marks and spencers don't even make a bra to fit me. As an english woman where the hell else do you buy your bras! Get over yourselves!
chris, manchester,
Why did the big breasted woman have to make the comment that men always prefer bigger? First, it's just not true, no matter how much she'd like it to be to make herself feel better about herself. Second, why would she ever want to be so nasty to other women? It's horrible behaviour, shame on her.
MN, London, UK
I think we're in danger of neglecting the fact that breasts are erogenous zones for WOMEN. Men look but don't know how to touch!
Katharine, London,
I feel sympathy for Ann of Nottingham.She could try Bravissmo clothes and underwear.The staff are brilliantly trained and really care and their stock sizes are amazing. If it was not for their help i would have had a breast reduction(32gg) Bravissimo on line and mail order and has shops too!
pat, storrington, uk
Mrs. Mills's etiquette is outdated and worst, sexist. To imply that business women must resort to showing their cleavage to reason with (supposedly) male colleagues is frankly insulting to men and women.
Alexandra, Newport, U.S.
Carla Bruni hasn't got large boobs and she is regarded as sexy and elegant. I'm very flat chested but far too squeamish to have a boob job. Please don't make me feel even more "inadequate" by publishing articles by women saying big boobs mean better boobs and men are always gawking at them.
Anne On, London, UK
Hardly the case that women sunbathing topless in the south of France are sluts, more likely that you're a prude. I always sunbathe topless in the right context (Spain, France) and no one bats an eyelid. Don't wrongly apply your cultural context to theirs. That's like saying nudists are whores.
anita, cambridge , uk
You show.I'll look.Everytime.
ron, toronto,
I hate my boobs, I'm a UK size 6 and my boobs are 30E, it's impossible to find tops that fit, I have to buy clothes that fit my boobs but are too big for my stomach and arms. Not to mention running is impossible and the back ache is less than lovely and men treat you horrifically.
Anne, Nottingham,
more material for the same money just because you're bigger?great,next time i eat out i'll wear a padded shirt and demand that the other diners subsidise a bigger meal for me!"Busts 4 Justice"should be ashamed of themselves.would you ask for a bigger car for the same £ as a smaller 'cos you're tall?
Marco, KrakOw, Poland
It's a trade off - Natural firmness against size!! The bigger the better as long as the firmness is maintained!!
G H, Dubai,
watching cleavage is like stearing directly at the sun eclipse.
somehow you have to do it, but you have to take just a sneaky peak.
nevertheless, there are some cases, that allows to take a more longer peak, but they are less than the finger in one hand.
edoardo chioni, Rome, ITALY
Look without being embarrassed about looking. Put all thoughts of Carry On from your mind and it's OK!
John Polenski, San Francisco,
The state of women today has got to the stage now that when I see a petite, slim, toned woman with small breasts, little makeup and some individuality and a lack of vanity (ie. glasses perhaps? flat pumps? something which is done for HER and not for men) I think wow, what a beautiful woman!
James, London, UK
This women thinks she is empowering women "men can't help looking". They need their sex to detract from their spots. Canary Wharf is full of women's beauty shops and very little else. Women know without their sex they have very little to attract men.
Robin, London,
Boobs are only too big if you can see them from behind.
Dr. Jimmy, Nottingham, England
If men say they prefer small breasts, they are definately in denial. I love big breast and always will. It is part of the turn on factor in all males !!!
It is all about the chemistry !!!
ian payne, walsall,
As a man who likes women I prefer smaller neat breasts rather than the more bovine type. The big breast fantasy seems to work on the theory that if breasts are nice then the more of them the better. I find the unnatural ouline of
surgically enhanced breasts laughable rather than sexy.
M Wilkinson, London, UK
One thing that bustier women must remember, and frequently don't, is that strapless tops don't work with big boobs. Strapless tops and boob tubes have a habit of digging in at the top of the breast, causing a four-boob look that's very unsightly. Lasty, busty women should always have a good bra!
Richard, Great Malvern, UK