<My claim, bold and thoughtless though it may seem, is that you CAN have
your
cake and play with it too.>

Rachel (and Elisheva) have given me food for thought.

Regarding research on other cultures. Perhaps they do not speak as freely
to researchers about sexuality as we do on lactnet? Yet harems and exotic
dancers and bustier-wearing, protrait-sitting, cleavage-wearing women of
old certainly used sexuality as an attention getter!

I grant that sexualization of the breast feeds gigantic profits to
certain industries. OTOH, there are some anatomists who regard the breast
as simply an envelope of skin that contains different elements at
different points in life. In the non-pregnant, non-lactating breast, one
of the main "content elements" is - FAT! But publicizing that might cut
into the profits!

Childbearing is an interlude in a woman's life. The nerve connections in
a woman's breast remain, capable of triggering the release of prolactin
and oxytocin with sufficient stimulation long after the glandular tissue
has undergone menopausal regression, with lobules and ducts all but
disappearing under the microscope.

While recent research has diverted the "pleasure hormone" label off of
prolactin and on to oxytocin, there are those that maintain a surge of
prolactin causes pleasant feelings all its own. Prolactin levels are
always higher at night. Why not add to the level if you have the chance
and a willing partner?

As Niles Newton pointed out, the presence of oxytocin at orgasm, birth
and breastfeeding imply a role with not only physical procreation but the
pleasure bonding  aspect likely to contribute to longevity of
mating/parenting.

Kathy D's reference to the sexualization of shoulders etc. made me
remember that during lactation, a comfortable backrub can stimulate MER.
As to the big toe/foot fetish, though, I can't conjure up the possibility
of hormone surges!

Another $.02 worth.

Jean
*********************
K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC
Dayton, Ohio

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