Boobs, no big deal

Americans put more emphasis on boobs than we need to.

For example, Rihanna showed up to the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards ceremony in a completely sheer dress made of crystals ­— without a bra.
I thought she looked great.

As with any celebrity appearance, the reviews have been mixed.

It was either praise, condemnation or snide innuendos on a website or blog about the singer’s boobs.

The idea that the female body has been unfairly sexualized has become more and more central as rape prevention has really started to enter the public sphere.

The objectification of women often becomes a clichéd and overused phrase.

However, it defines cultural phenomena that harms a large percentage of the population. 

The correlation between rape and the objectification of women is only facilitated by a media market heavily driven by the male gaze.

Women are often presented as sums of parts, not whole people.

Breasts, of course, have been a highly sexualized commodity.

And when the media focuses on them, it only makes the problem worse.

Now, women have begun to protest. The objectification of women creates a dangerous environment that presents them as things to be taken advantage of — hence, rape culture.

However, given the scores of feedback on Rihanna’s dress, maybe we are blowing boobs out of proportion.

When I went abroad, I saw boobs everywhere. And everything else.
Beaches were full of nudity. Television wasn’t censored.

One the first nights I was in Spain, I turned on the television to a naked bike race and saw way more than I ever thought I would.

The point is, when people stopped caring about their bodies, when they stopped worrying so much, a lot of pressure was suddenly taken off.

There, I didn’t feel as if I was being held to a standard.

Many demand women be allowed to show their breasts as men are allowed to walk around shirtless.

That necessarily doesn’t have to happen.

Boobs are a body part like every other body part.

Rather than battling about their sexuality, we should recognize that they serve a purpose no more glamorous than your hand or your foot.

If we all quit caring a little bit, we would find gender inequalities and body standardizations about who is allowed to wear what suddenly go out the window.

We are able to create a more forgiving body image culture.

And, I hope, a less dangerous one.

ewenning@indiana.edu