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America's Boob Police
Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com. Her new book, Dirty Sexy, Politics, will be published in August.
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Why is Heidi Montag hailed for showing off her surgically enhanced chest while Jessica Simpson is mocked for displaying natural cleavage? Meghan McCain on the double standard for double Ds.
Let’s face it—America is obsessed with breasts. In every form, on any woman, in every way. But lately I’ve noticed a more celebratory and mainstream acceptance of women who undergo augmentation surgery versus those of us whose breasts come from nature. As I see it, it’s just another facet of our Puritanical hypocrisy—as if one eye is a school marm obsessed with modesty, and the other is winking, begging for more more more.
Last week, Heidi Montag was on the cover of People magazine after going through an astounding 10 plastic surgeries—including a second round of breast implants. This time around, the 23-year-old Montag upgraded to a size DDD. Growing up, I always thought of People magazine as the classiest of the tabloids—they were one of the few celebrity magazines to have journalists assigned specifically to politics. So I was surprised by Montag’s gratuitous before-and-after spread, but maybe I shouldn’t have been.
What I wonder is: Would Christina Hendricks still be considered “big” if she had fake breasts instead of real ones?
Then a few days later, Christina Hendricks of Mad Men (who is, arguably, as known for her acting talents as she is for bringing back the voluptuous woman to Hollywood), walked down the red carpet at the Golden Globes in a Christian Siriano dress with a sweetheart neckline. Her appearance led to plenty of expected nudge-nudge headlines referring to her “assets” and “golden globes,” but it was New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn who really set me off. Not only did Horyn criticize Hendricks for her “exploding ruffle dress” but she also quoted a stylist who said, “You don’t put a big girl in a big dress. That’s rule number one.” One can only assume what aspect of her body the stylist was referring to when she said “big.” What I wonder is: Would Christina Hendricks still be considered “big” if she had fake breasts instead of real ones?
Similarly, Jessica Simpson recently went out to dinner in a low-cut dress, leading to instant drama in the Twitterverse. US Weekly even ran a story about it: “Jessica Simpson’s Big Breasts Are the Butt of Internet Jokes” (Despite rumors of breast augmentation, Simpson has always insisted her breasts are real.) Compounding the issue, she posted a picture of herself displaying a lot of cleavage, which caused a serious Twitpic backlash. (I myself have a little experience in this department, so I am sympathetic to Simpson and others who are vilified for showing off their figures.) Even Simpson’s own father has weighed in on the issue. In 2004, he told an interviewer, “She’s got double Ds! You can’t cover those suckers up!”
The question I have is: Would everyone be so offended and insulted if her breasts were fake? Wouldn’t we celebrate her for showing off her new purchases, as though they were twin Escalades? I raise this question because it is something of a new, twisted paradox in American culture. Women with small breasts feel shamed or pressured into having cosmetic surgery to increase their breast size. Once they do, they are seemingly allowed to display them for all the world to see—as though we, too, are actually invested in this investment. Meanwhile, women with real breasts are shamed and pressured into only wearing high-cut dresses and blouses (or better, yet, turtlenecks!) lest they be ridiculed.
Surely there has to be some happy medium among Heidi Montag’s People cover, Christina Hendricks being referred to as a “big girl” because she didn’t attend an awards ceremony in a burqa, and Jessica Simpson being mocked for taking “her boobs out to dinner.” For all the strides we make as a society when it comes to talking about body image, there is still a real schizophrenia about what is ideal and acceptable. If one young woman decides she needs 10 different surgeries to be perfect, while another chooses to celebrate her body but is punished, how is anyone expected to feel good about herself?
Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com.
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Meghan McCain is a columnist for The Daily Beast. Originally from Phoenix, she graduated from Columbia University in 2007. She is a New York Times bestselling children's author, previously wrote for Newsweek magazine, and created the Web site mccainblogette.com. Her new book, Dirty Sexy, Politics, will be published in August.
leftistmenace
Flaunt 'em if you've got 'em. People shouldn't be embarrassed by the way they look. If you're happy with your real or purchased chest then show it off if you want. This is a free country after all.
juliebee
Hey Ms McCain,
Imagine if the lovely Sarah Palin had fake boobs, your dad would have most likely won the Presidency. I mean if her great looks were enough to carry that incredibly silly, stupid woman to the VP candidacy , just think where some fake boobs could have taken her and the country!
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This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
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Uncommonsense
Good one Juliebee. Judging by the vituperative comments to your post, you hit a nerve with the worshippers of $t. $arah! Carry on.
sabestu
Fake boobs or anything else would not have help palin get to where she inspired to go with McCain. palin is has made a joke of everyone by making the rounds showing off her ignorance.
Bob Wells
Palin would have more brains in the fake boobs than she has in her head.
charo111
Who cares??????
bgeasyas123
People is the classiest of tabloids???? Is that an oxymoron?
I love how McCain equates being on the cover of People after a boob-job as praise....ha!
She doesn't even connect the dots.....having large breasts is one thing, but wearing the dresses that she refers to is another.
CrackpotPress
Any press is good press. In fact, for some reason the #1 keyword search to my blog is "Meghan McCain Boobs." And I NEVER even talked about your boobs. You may notice that no one mentioned the dresses of Calista Flockhart, Tina Fey or, what my wife says was the best, Sandra Bullock.
I seem to remember Ms. McCain mentioning "I like my curves and if you don't you can kiss my fat ass"
ICHINGtoGO
Who cares? Most men couldnt tell if they were in their face. Meghan you are showing your immaturaty for getting caught showing yours. Yours were nice too, thank you.
Sara46
I agree. I've got 'em and proud of it!!!
lastchance
This comment should have been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
kswimmy
As a woman with naturally large breasts, I could go on and on about the way I've been spoken of or treated because of them. Whenever I've tried to explain it to women who don't share the same issue, it is immediately dismissed by them (the grass is always greener, right?). This is something not reserved for grown women by the way. As a shy and timid 8th grader, I was already being called a slut by my peers and being openly sexualized by men more than twice my age. Boys my own age felt free to grab them at will in the hallways. This is all while being remarkably modest in my clothing choices, but it made no difference.
I think it's also interesting to note that a plastic surgeon on TV once stated that what he's come to realize about women who come in for breast reduction surgery is that even though they have the large breasts that millions of other women pay thousands upon thousands of dollar to get, they don't feel sexy. They tell him they feel fat. I can relate to this feeling, and for years wanted to get reduction surgery myself. For a great many reasons, I have since decided that I refuse to have someone cut me open and hack away at me simply to make other people more comfortable. I've got far more important things to concern myself with, and I'm sorry if those other people don't.
dooreen
That is why I wear sports bras. They are great.
dreaday19
moving comfort fiona bra. best sports bra i've ever worn.
dreaday19
being a chesty girl myself, I can understand where you're coming from. However, I was also a late bloomer, and it wasn't until about 12th grade that they came to be in the size they are today. And to be honest, I didn't deal with what you did AT all. I think those 4 years really made a difference in maturity (boys and girls alike), do you think that might have been worse because of your age? Self-confidence is a very tricky thing in 8th grade.
One of my very best friends is very chesty, and her boobs grew in, but then she had to grow into her boobs. Needless to say, she is now quite happy to show them off, and she should be!
kswimmy
I'm sure you're right that age played a part in how I felt in my own skin, and just feeling "lumpy" as opposed to feeling like I was just growing into my adult body. And attention from men became easier to understand (maybe 8th graders these days aren't as sheltered as I was, but like I said, I was a modest gal).
As I got older, there wasn't as much blatant name-calling. But the dirty looks from across the room and the whispers between the other girls didn't stop until maybe my mid 20's. I know it seems like a small thing, whispers and looks. But to someone who's already been conditioned to be self-conscious and to feel like there was something to be ashamed of or hide, it doesn't do anything but reinforce that.
By now I've stopped giving a toss, so who knows. Maybe it still happens but I've stopped caring/noticing. But I can remember what it feels like and the damage it does to your comfort in your own skin. I can feel for a younger woman who just hasn't gotten to this point yet.
dreaday19
Way to go on not giving a hoot about what people think of your breasts. I'd never want to become friends with a girl who would talk behind my back so blatantly anyway. It's just ridiculous.
And the amount of times I've been asked how much I paid for them is just silly. (by men, typically drunk, mostly in college) "nice tits! where'd you get em?" My typical response being "mom and dad" (which sounds terrible these days considering the amount of surgeries bought by parents as gifts). Whatever, water off a duck's back by now.
dooreen
Age plays a huge part I think. For my age, mine were always the biggest, and I always wore baggy, to the point people thought I was heavy. Even the other day, I tried on a jacket, and the clerk actually acted surprised, and said I had an incredibly cute figure, and I shouldn't hide it, she wouldn't. Well she has no idea what it is like or what she would do. And the fake ones don't feel the same or look the same.
dreaday19
door, i think that's all a part of the self-confidence that all women should have. If you don't want to flaunt your figure, that's your choice, but you should not be hiding what you have because you are ashamed of it.
Trunk-Monkey
what gets me is that those of us who are naturally chesty get painted with the same brush as those who purchased their assets as a means of gaining approval from men and society. It's almost impossible to find clothes that fit over the girls *and* in the waist that aren't cut to display.
dooreen
Well thank God tank monkey gets it. I never said I was ashamed of them. I just feel more relaxed when not on display.
And I don't know if you have noticed, some of the most sexy woman you meet are also the most uptight. And attraction is partly about being pulled in, not feeling pushed away.
And for some reason people don't seem to get that. Especially in stores. Sometimes the clerks who are ordinary looking are able to make people the most comfortable. And the ones who are the most "dolled up" give you the feeling they are too cool to relate to the people around them and they tend to be lousy at sales.
dreaday19
sorry, door, I misspoke, what I'm trying to say is that there is a difference between looking cute and showing off your cleavage. The third side of that would be wearing a large sweatshirt to hide them. My boobs are a part of me and I've accepted that and love them, and when I try to look cute, boobs are just a part of the package (fitted shirts, etc). I've had to become comfortable with that. That's all I'm saying, and I think being comfortable with that is a huge part of self-confidence.
keekee77
So true! While I was breastfeeding, I went from a 34B to . . I don't even know what, but my breasts seemed to start at my neck and go all the way to my back (felt like it anyway). I couldn't believe the change in the way I was treated - by men and women. With men, it was as if gargantuan tits made me exempt from decency, courtesy and manners. And women! They were the worst. They would hate my guts on sight. I felt fat. I felt objectified and basically reduced to nothing but a walking set of tits.
I was glad to be free of them after both children weened. It was a good experience that has kept me from ever longing after large breasts so for that, I am grateful.
eat5vegetables
Well said. You should have written this column rather than McCain.
mspat1
I had the same experience in grade school and beyond and men still talk to my chest at 60 years old. I am over the issues with what other people think or say and like you have considered and discarded the idea of reduction surgery. But,for all of those people who think we're just whining, how about never being able to find a beautiful, lacy, sexy bra in your size, or a swim suit top, or a dress, because if the bottoms fit, the top is a joke? Bra fitters always want to sell me "minimizer" bras and I have to keep telling them I don't want to be minimized, I want something beautiful and sexy that fits and keeps my breasts up where they belong, not a bra that is too large around the chest and allows my breasts to slip out the bottom. And the MONEY we have to pay to even get close to something fitting even if not beautiful!!! How could a small scrap or three of fabric(s) worth probably less than a dollar or two go for over $60 and much, much more? I am grateful to be healthy and otherwise slim, but being really busty is not all some think it is, and the glorification of those with what looks to be so painfully large and obviously artificial breasts simply befuddles me. I can't understand why something like augmentation, which really only makes it easier for the world to objectify a woman, would be worth the pains and risks. But I'd still like someone to begin making affordable and beautiful clothing for us busty women!
Sempronia
I'm in my 20s and in the same boat, but I have noticed lately that shopping has gotten easier, both for bras and for shirts. I usually end up watching "What Not to Wear" at the gym, and the show actually does have good tips for how to dress a large bust in an attractive, classy manner. Also, the last time I went to Nordstrom's, there was a display entirely taken up by DDs-HHs of cute bras with pinstripes and lace; I was nearly derailed from my original purpose of buying sports bras (got another Freya -- I really like those).
There was a New York Times article some months ago saying that the average bra size for American women is now 34 DD. Clearly someone corporate finally sat up an listened.
dreaday19
Semp - seriously? where? Would LOVE to know good stores for us women.
I have always wondered, cause my boobs were a big hit 12 years ago in college, whether it was maturity that changed that, or whether it was the masses of implants that made it less of a novelty.
Sempronia
dreary--
i'm on the low end of big (more than a DD...), so i think i'm still fitting into some "normal" clothing sizes. nevertheless, as i said, i find nordstrom does well with undergarments, if you can't find one of those little local lingerie stores (which, if you haven't found one, you should).
most of my shopping, alas, consists of well-honed coping skills: i really like anthropologie, although i can only afford to go once a year; this past year, i got help from a stylist who was also on the busty side, and found me a terrific structured jacket, as well as a blouse that ties under the bust. the last few times i went department store shopping, i had pretty good luck with dresses that tied just under my natural bust (i want to say lord and taylor, and bcbg). alas, i'm not consistent -- a lot of what i have is a collection of things from outlet malls, fairs, tiny shops and department stores; having a weird size makes you a collector because if something fits, you want to buy it. still, things have changed since i was an 8th-grade D-cup who couldn't fit into anything at contempo casuals, and shopping requires less patience and more restraint than it used to.
on a more helpful note, if you want to get a real working tank top or even bandeau top, there's a british site, bravissimo.com, that specializes in clothing (even dresses) and swimwear made to accommodate cup size. they also do bras, but you'd better be sure of your size first, since return is a little trickier than in the us. still, they are polite and responsive with questions, and i like the swimsuit i bought from them.
lizmckenzie55
I have large breasts and have always been curvy, and while immature boys/guys may have made rude comments (which is just a symptom of their own insecurities), once I graduated to the world of real men, I found many, many like a woman who is not just skin and bones with a little silicone here and there. Also, I am comfortable with my body, however imperfect some may view it.
goffbum
You go girl, this guy love's women any way there shaped........
Granite
You've lost your mind.
No one (other than Spenser Pratt) has hailed Heidi Montag for anything--ever.
In the size 0 fashion world Christina is Hendricks is fat--in reality she's just normal.
And Jessica Simpson has the triple crown--dumb, blonde, and busty. Mostly she's famous for being dumb.
wolverine1987
Christina Hendricks is awesome, that is all.
jaydeekay
I agree with all my... uh... heart.
Yeah, my heart.
aspen420
amen sista!
i'd like to know who this so-called stylist is who called christina a "big girl." she looks pretty normal to me, and that dress looked ravishing on her at the golden globes. a simple little size zero model would have drown in it.
as for heidi montag, please everyone, just stop talking about this waste of oxygen, please? please. if we don't talk about her, she will eventually wither away into nonexistance - kinda like jessica simpson :o)
dooreen
I know a long time ago, there was a woman who had the surgery done, and we were sitting around, and she said what is new, and I said not much, and then she lifted up her shirt and said these are new, and it was like she was treating them like a fashion accessory. She would actually ask a person to feel them. It was really weird.
If they had been "real" they would have been more personal and I don't think she would have lifted up her shirt and showed people them as if they were a new pair of shoes.
dooreen
What I always wonder is who really gets those pen-- enlargements, that are always described in spam headings. I don't know anyone in real life who has had one.
You never see spam about breast implants, but lots of people get them.
I just think the word fashion and fascist are so close in the English dictionary for a good reason.
ittybittykitty
Too true
AlanD2
America is obsessed with breasts? America is obsessed with sex, period.
jaydeekay
If not for sex life wouldn't exist. It is the most important thing in the world.
whipmawhopma
Indeed, it is the very engine of life. The love of money might be the root of all evil, but the love of money (or food, or nuclear weapons, or even soccer) is driven by sex in some fashion or another.
dooreen
:)
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Lolamar
SO true...so much sexual obsession and at the same time so much sexual disfunction.
magentagreenx
i think the whole heidi montag thing was more of a 'what the hell did she just do?' kind of thing, than a celebration or acceptance of it. and really, who has a problem with jessica simpson's cleavage? no one who would truly appreciate it in the first place, that's who.
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Eldergothfather
Possibly because, even as dumb as a post as both of them are, Jessica is the least likely to garner any 'huzzah's from men, (unless they are hard-up - and then of all blondes available why would Mont-hag be even considered?). It seems here that you are the only one actually concerned with either one of their breasts. Personally brunettes and redheads are much more fascinating...
djanimaequeen
Amen!
lastchance
Arn't both these "bimbos" are Religious lunatics ?
The Religious World entering the World of sexual exploitation for $$$$$$$$ ?
Tenley
The only problem with this piece, which raises valid questions despite itself, is that did anyone really hail the Heidi Montag piece in People? I don't recall a bunch of headlines celebrating her 10 plastic surgeries. I recall her being the butt of a bunch of jokes, including in headlines, for that cover and story. (I know it's easy to rewrite history but COME ON, we're talking, what, a week ago?)
DakLak
I can't understand why women mutilate their bodies to satisfy a man. They are nuts.
They should think of a 'low, swinging' future as their muscles grow tired of carrying such a load.
Smaller is better than these disfigurements. Only in America.
Skot01
DakLak, I think you missed the point of the article, which stated women with natural large breasts should not be criticized while surgically-augmented women are praised. Women should never "mutilate their bodies to satisfy a man" (do you have issues?). The few women I know that had breast enlargements did so because they wanted to (in fact, in one case I know a lesbian who wanted to surprise her long-time partner). After 12 years with wife, I continue to be infatuated with her God-given, natural born curves, and I take issue with the way that the media and the fashion industry continue to promote bone-skinny twigs as the norm. God bless you natural-sized women!
dooreen
Hooray! Someone was able to explain the point of the article :).
wareagle82
it's not about satisfying a man, it's about the woman herself. There are plenty of women of all sizes who would never go under the knife because they are comfortable in their own skin, and with their own skin. Others seek to improve areas they see as lacking or to ward off the advances of aging or who knows what else. But, to "satisfy a man" is way down the list. Try and meet some women; you might be a better perspective.
whipmawhopma
DakLak - no offense, but what wareagle82 said.
greatshoes
How could you miss this one. Large breast are only accepted when they are adorned by skinny women. Implants are usually needed on skinny women. However hurtful it may be......skinny large breasted women are appreciated. Larger women or women with curves just don't cut it in the eyes of our culture or in the world of fashion.
kswimmy
Yeah, it's a good point from all of you. It's a conversation that could have been had without whats-her-name entirely. The topic of how Simpson and Hendricks are treated by the media in this area was a good enough jumping-off point for the subject. Seriously, why are writers still talking about this Montag girl? I expect it from an MTV type of crowd I guess, but come on.
jaydeekay
America has become "an MTV type of crowd."
kswimmy
That's so sad. Man, I must be getting old.
jaydeekay
I remember when the 'M' in 'MTV' stood for 'Music.'
Aramingo
Given the vacuous nature of the programming there, Empty-V is more like it.
whipmawhopma
Aramingo - Exactly.
djanimaequeen
jaydeekay, I remember those times as well. However fleeting they were.
libertyville
This Heidi Montag, whoever she is, looks like a Photoshop model. This avatar being is pretty to the eye, but not something you would want to rub and cuddle with.
djanimaequeen
I know. Isaw a clip of her interview and her eyes wern't blinking at the same time. She looked inhuman. I don't see the point of surgery that makes you drool and your eyes blink at different intervals. Very unsexy.
gavottes
Hailed?
Whom did you speak to about Heidi?
Most of the talking heads on the boob tube feel sorry for her, and are recommending counseling for the girl.
Snertly
ha! /boob/ tube!
aaronsirbaihu
I'm a guy. I don't care about women's breast size. To quote Mudhoney:
"Just coz you got it you think everyone wants you. So what? Keep it outta my face!"
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
SansSouci572
Agreed, I have not heard anyone hail Montag, quite the opposite. What I noticed was a shared alarm, a cringe, a repulsion. She is a poster child of pathetic, to do this to herself, to pay to become an object instead of a person. Its like cutting yourself, only worse...
I think Meghan is feeling defensive after being attacked.
I also don't understand why women think men like this, this blow-up doll look. The men I know like whatever you happen to have. Maybe I just don't meet those kinds of men, as I don't have those kinds of boobs.
(Boob tube, haha. Yeah, it actually is a boob tube, or it was in the 90's. Montage just paid for something that is out of style. Whoops!)
lastchance
"The men I know like whatever you happen to have".
Could the men you know just be smooth talking liars ?
As they say flattery can get you "anywhere" ?
Thank you.
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