It's graduation time in U.S. secondary schools, and many young women are
getting breast implants as their graduation gift. Read a good story
about this phenomenon at
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1861/context/cover/
Or see a cartoon at
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1459/
I subscribe to Womensenews--if these links don't work for
non-subscribers. Let me know.
Chris Mulford, RN, IBCLC
LLL Leader Reserve
working for WIC in South Jersey (Eastern USA)
Co-coordinator, Women & Work Task Force, WABA
By the way, Womensenews has done some nice pieces on breastfeeding too.
I sent them a comment on the implant story, which I'll share with you:
<<Dear Friends,
I enjoyed your story on the health risks of breast implants. It was
timely and hard-hitting. As a person whose job is to teach women about
breastfeeding, though, I have to note an omission. The author wrote how
our culture's obsession with the appearance of the breasts puts women's
long-term health at risk, without mentioning how our culture's failure
to teach young women (and young men) about breast function encourages
them to focus on appearance alone.
But breasts are there for more than looking good. Breasts are sexually
responsive. This ought to get the young folks' attention for the
present. And then, breasts play a central role in childbearing by
nurturing and soothing babies and triggering maternal responses. Surely
young people have a right to hear this information, not once but many
times, as they go through their schooling and as they make decisions
with life-long impact. Granted, implant surgeons do attempt to preserve
breast function, and many women with implants have breastfed just fine.
I am only pointing out that breast function should not be forgotten when
we debate the pros and cons of altering breast appearance.
A quick analogy: I am sure that a young man's self-image would be
boosted if silicone were used to add a few centimeters to his penis
length or girth, and I'm sure that plastic surgeons have the skills to
do it. Why hasn't the idea caught on? Maybe it's because our culture
teaches men to value penile responsiveness and functionality over
appearance. Why aren't we teaching young women the same lesson about
their breasts?
Chris Mulford, RN, IBCLC
Swarthmore PA>>
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