Loving Our Bodies And Ourselves

Celebrating Authentic Breasts

My puberty journey began in 1961. Back then there were no books like “Our Bodies Ourselves” to help understand the changes in our bodies. At that time the only pictures you might see of women’s naked bodies were in men’s magazines like Playboy or pictures of indigenous women in National Geographic. Based on those examples of bodies, and breasts in particular, all I knew is that mine didn’t look like the ones I saw in the photos.

When I decided to do a study of women’s breasts for the juried exhibition “ReNude: A Celebration of The Body” my goal was to create a safe space for women to share their experiences and thoughts about their breasts. What I didn’t anticipate was the deep healing catharsis that took place for everyone. Words and feelings flowed freely. Some were hesitant to reveal themselves, both physically and emotionally. Others, like the pregnant woman and nursing mother, started taking off their clothes as soon as they entered. Never shy about my own breasts, I remember when I started nursing my son, my relationship with my breasts changed. They were no longer just mine; they were these amazing body parts that were able to provide sustenance and deep connection for my baby.

With a broad age range of participants, ranging from late ‘20s to early ‘70s, I was surprised that similar thoughts, feelings and experiences were expressed by everyone. We all had a time in our lives when we were unsure about our breasts — how did they compare with others? Were they too small? Too big? Saggy? Perky? Droopy? Odd-shaped? Why is one of my breasts a different size? Do all nipples look the same? What about nipple hair?

When I asked each participant which words they would use to describe breasts, most responded in the same way:

Abundant

Beauty

Comfort

Erotic

Feminine

Full

Lover

Mother

Natural

Nurturing

Pleasure

Sensual

Soft

Transformation

Unique

I am working on a larger and more comprehensive study of women’s bodies and self-image. Please contact me if you would like to be included as a participant or collaborator.