The Barbie Mystique: Satisfaction with Breast Size and Shape across the Lifespan

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The prevalence of breast augmentation and breast lift surgery suggests that many women are dissatisfied with their breasts. This study analyzed women's and men's views about breast size and shape among 52,227 heterosexual adults, ages 18-65, who responded to an online survey. Although most women (70%) were dissatisfied with the size or shape of their breasts, most men (56%) were satisfied with their partner's breasts. Younger and thinner women worried that their breasts were too small; older and heavier women were more concerned with breast droopiness. Women who were dissatisfied with their breasts were more likely to report lower body satisfaction and to express concern about wearing a bathing suit in public. Further, dissatisfied women were also less willing to undress in front of their partner and were more likely to conceal their breasts from their partner during sex. These findings suggest that dissatisfaction with breasts is widespread among adult women. KEYWORDS. Body image, breasts, men, women, physical attractivenessTremendous pressure is placed on women to attain the ideal body. The popular Barbie doll, with her slender body, narrow hips, and large breasts, epitomizes this ideal. The proportions represented by Barbie are, however, so extreme that only one of every 100,000 women possesses Barbie's body type (Norton, Olds, Olive, & Dank, 1996). The pervasiveness of the busty ideal has led some researchers to posit that women's concerns about their breast size and shape can affect their self-esteem, feelings of attractiveness, and sense of femininity. For example, Millsted and Frith (2003, p. 455 [and] as synonymous with femininity." Despite the assumed importance of breast size and shape to women's views of their bodies, surprisingly little research has systematically examined how women's breast satisfaction might influence women's overall body satisfaction in populations beyond college students and breast augmentation patients. Further, information about men's actual satisfaction with their real-life partner's breasts is largely absent from research conducted to date. Women's Attitudes Toward Their Own BreastsFeminists and others have frequently claimed that the media and many men treat women as

Sexual Body Image and Its Correlates: A Population-Based Study of Finnish Women and Men

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Situations connected with perceived loss of femininity: menopause and mastectomy – changes in perceiving oneself as a woman

“…Jednym z atrybutów kobiecości są również piersi [9], a ich utrata np. w przypadku raka piersi jest olbrzymim doświadczeniem psychicznym [10][11][12][13].…”

The UCLA Body Project II: Breast and Body Dissatisfaction among African, Asian, European, and Hispanic American College Women

“…The omission of minorities is important, not simply because they make up a large and growing segment of the population, but because there is increasing evidence that dissatisfaction with specific body features varies among ethnic groups (Frederick et al 2007b;Jung et al 2007). This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of body and breast dissatisfaction in a sample of African, Asian, European, and Hispanic American college women using a series of self-report body image measures.…”