Last month, a Daily Mail columnist proposed an unusual solution for women with body anxieties: become a nudist. Many women feel self-conscious about their bodies. They believe they are misshapen or grotesque. In particular, they are concerned about the appearance of their breasts. About 70% of women are unhappy with the appearance of their breasts. This is an irrationally high proportion of women who need help to feel comfortable and confident in the appearance of their natural breasts. The problem is that women simply don’t have a sense of how their body actually compares to the bodies of other real women. They don’t see the breasts of other women. Growing up, they likely see only their own breasts, except for the breasts of celebrities and models in magazines, on TV, or in the movies. These women are first of all selected for the attractiveness of their breasts and have either body doubles or get digital enhancement to further improve their appearance. This creates an artificial expectation about what breasts should look like. This can make many women feel their breasts are unnatural or deformed and seek breast surgery to give them breasts they feel are normal. The solution is for women to see more natural breasts so they can compare themselves to the general population rather than only comparing themselves to airbrushed celebrities on magazine covers. Nudism is perhaps not the best solution for everyone, however, but there are alternatives. Magazines promoting nudism and all-natural bodies and lifestyles were popular in the first half of the century. Many are readily available in specialized library collections across the country. A natural outgrowth of this was also a series of movies focusing on nudism during the mid-century. Although designed partly to be titillating, they mostly feature actual nudists doing normal vacation activities, such as sunbathing or playing volley ball. Finally, there is a good online gallery of non-sexualized normal breasts that can help women understand that breasts come in all shapes and sizes. Some women may still feel they want to change the size or shape of their breasts and, having compared their breasts to other natural breasts, can make an informed decision about breast surgery. If you feel that breast augmentation might be a good option to help you feel confident in your appearance, please contact Philadelphia board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Bottger to talk to him about your concerns.
