Thank you for this article. I understand why some women do it, even if I feel they don't need it, but some women just go too far and it is not a pretty thing.

Woman here. This is an interesting perspective. Really, I mean that.

I only have one close friend who has bought a pair, and she is happily married with three kids. I don’t know that your theory -- that women do this for general male approval -- flies in her case. Her husband was ambivalent pre-surgery, but he's all thumbs up now.

I have told Dear Husband that I think I will buy myself a pair for my 40th (but really - who wants D anything. A "C" is nice for me, thanks). His reaction was to tell me that little boobs are in -- "just ask the guys" -- a comment which totally had me incensed. As a happily married woman, why would I care to know if Beer Buddy likes my boobs?

This exchange resonates with your theme - that we do it all for you, The Men. Will a few looks from strangers make me feel sexier? Perhaps. But that's MY benefit, not a gift to the clod that ogled me. Honestly, the looks I get now just creep me out, so it might be a relief to know what they're staring at.

Let's test your premise: Why does a happily married man in his early 40s buy a sporty convertible? Is it for the babes? Or because it makes him feel good to have ANYONE ogle him in his car (I'm so cool!)? Why does any man buy Rogaine/Minoxidil/Propecia? Is it because men are enslaved by years of pandering to the desires of fickle women in a desperate attempt to couple? As if.

Aren't we all just vain creatures in the end? So what's the problem?

I find it funny that the procedure is referred to as a “breast augmentation” and the popular size is a “full C”. - Why not just admit that you’re getting a boob job and want D’s.

Woman, er, Lady here. YES! I just passed my one year anniversary of having my C cup implants removed. I never felt like they fit with my athletic (tennis/yoga) figure and hated the way men looked at me. I was a butt girl all of a sudden I had guys talking to my chest. It drove me crazy. I spent $10k in total for both surgeries. Any woman that is reading this, let me tell you that I've experienced both sides - you're giving up fashion for trashin. Low cut clothing is not just cute anymore but you're putting out goods - that works now but will you really want them when you're 70? Do you want other women & yeah, men, rolling their eyes at you as you become 'one of those girls?' The risks are real, I lost sensation from implant pressure on a nerve. I was thrilled to have sensation & my body back - sex with my husband improved 10 fold after the surgery because of it. Would men trade their penis sensation for size? Ladies, just get to the gym and you'll gain the body and confidence. What's sexier than that?

I have to applaud women like Kiera Knightly for standing up for the world of flat chested women. She is living proof that you can still be sexy even without massive mammaries. The fact that she is so comfortable with her body THE WAY IT IS is an inspiration.

So no, you don't have to have big boobs to be attractive and if people know they're fake, what's so attractive about that anyway?

I have alot of friends with breast implants, and if people are really honest(like my gfs are), you aren't doing it for "self esteem." You are doing it for some attention. NOthing is wrong with that. All women do it to differing degrees. But cut the crap and STOP calling it a way to "get" self esteem. YOu only get self esteem from achievement. A doctor "giving" you new breast is not an achievement. Me putting on lingerie is not an achievement. It's only through hard work and seeing the fruits of your hard work that you truly raise your self esteem.

Make no mistake-women get breast augmentation for men. BUT, they also get it for other women. This isn't just about getting male attention alot of the time. It's about being the biggest tittied girl in the room. I have a cousin who got double D's and if I could count the times she observes she has bigger boobs than some girl who is pretty, I'd have some cash.

This is about male attention-BUT ALSO female COMPETITION.

Lizaloo-your comparisons don't match. A man wanting a sports car is conforming to standards, but standards that other men put up. Hair? Both men and women want to hold onto hair-it's a cherished trait physically for both sexes.

But wanting breasts that resemble comic book characters drawn by men who are still living at home with mama and not getting alot of dates-that's a curious desire. If men wanted to look like He-man, then THAT would be an equal comparison.

What you are missing is that in our culture, men desire women, while women actively desire to be desired. It's an inverted sense of sexuality, to simply want to be desired instead of thinking of your own desires. And the fact that "Queer Eye For theSTraight Guy" even had to be invented explains the huge problem are society has with sex and allurement in general.

Americans need to lighten up honestly and stop being so neurotic.

The reality is that the breast augmentation trend is past it's prime. Porn ushered in the big tittied age, and it's ushering it back out with alot of small breasted jailbait girls nowadays.

And honestly? Once the 40 year old soccer moms start sporting the double DD's under their jcpenny sweatsuits, that's the sign of the death of a trend. Once a trend is reaching the 40 year old moms, that means a new trend will have to replace it ASAP.

And who's the new icon for the small breasted, jailbait look? Hayden P. from "heros"-attention soccer moms, get ready to take your double D's out in about three years cause they are going to be the equivalent of a tramp stamp on the back.

halojones you're funny! I'm at a point in my life where I don't want to look like a 20 year old - I'm happy to be the 30-something that I am and am happy with the body I am working for, thank you very much. You're right, 'they're' a cliche - it's a trend gone too far. My surgeon told me that he has seen a significant increase of implant removals in the past 24 months and confered that the trend is definitely to be smaller. By the way, those that say it's about attention - that and $4 can buy you a latte. I remember walking up Madison Ave in NYC - a street crowded with shoppers and me in a plain old t-shirt. Mr F***in' New Jersey walks toward me and yells out for everyone to hear and see that he's talking to me'You've got some great implants Baby, they're beautiful, I mean that, you're doctor did a hellova job'.

Awesome.

These are GREAT! I am laughing my ass off. Very witty folk here.

I had breast implants for a little while-(a couple of weeks)
What came over me(hormones?), I am not quite sure. After breastfeeding and feeling like my body was worn and unappealing, I reached for them (only B cups, might I mention) and knew immediately that I had crossed over intio a world that I did not want to belong to. I begged my surgeon to remove them and ultimately had to wait 2 weeks. I feel so much sexier with my tiny little breasts, they are really me.
I looked like a porn star in my bikini (if you ask for a B, it is much bigger) but felt hideous.

Natural bodies are beautiful bodies, if we just care for them.

Boob jobs are expensive -- about $6,000 a shot, and they have to be replaced every 7-10 years. Then, they have to be checked every 2-3 years with MRI exams, which cost about $2,000. None of this is covered by insurance, so if you get them in your twenties, you're looking at, oh, more than $40,000 over a lifetime. And what if you have complications (50% chance)? Treatment isn't covered by insurance either. Read more about this at the Beauty and the Breast blog.

Check out what happened to me. myimplantstory.com - i was a fitness model and got very sick from implants. this was a great article. it would be nice to be able to contact the writer!

I agree I see fake boobs all over. I think that the media has us thinking that these things are so safe that women are just going out and getting them just like you'd go and get your nails done!!!!

I think these women should really do their research before going under the knife. There are not only complications to this type of surgery but illnesses that can result as well. Illnesses like autoimmune related and fibromyalgia just to hit the tip of the iceberg.

I for one would rather have my natural breasts than risk that any health issues. However, with that being said, I wish I would have felt this way 10 years ago. The media was all in a rage saying that saline implants were the safe alternative because of a moratorium on silicone gel implants. Anything to sell a set of fake boobs but at what expense? MINE!!!!

It was a hard lesson learned for me and I'm still trying to recover from the effects of all the toxins these implants have. 37 to be exact!

So ladies, really think long and hard before doing something so drastic. I suggest going and purchasing a Victoria Secret Gel bra instead. They are wonderful!!!!

You can see the stories of many other women that jumped on the boob band wagon as well. Go to breastimplantsupport.org. There are many, many sick women out there!

Well for all of you that have fake boobs, we applaud you...they look great for the most part, though we have seen many botched and misshapen boobs by hack doctors who have no aesthetic sense. My wife has them and they look and feel great, saline to boot, they feel perfectly real because we take care of them, no hardening of the sack here. We have some of our best friends who have them and they feel and look great, yes we get to play with them! More fun that way...besides the natural stuff always sufferes when you get older ladies...at least with the implants they, if done correctly, look great!

Men and women have been conditioned by advertisers, Marketing and PR firms to accept women as objects including the butchering of their own bodies to meet the illusionary edificies of marketed(corporatised) sexuality.

38D here... born with white blonde hair (now chemically induced), Mensa qualified (never joined)

wit and tit are not inversely proportional!

and silicon in breast implants is not liquid sand... sand is SiO2... known as silica, composed a silicon molecule and two oxygen molecules.... silicon is silicon... not silca.... do your research!

I got the "safe" saline implants, before a year and 3 months were up, I suffered Auto Immuned Symptoms, chronic fatigue and 34 other symptoms. Death is more like it... There is no safe implant, full of chemicals.. Our world is toxic enough without implants of any kind. I never enjoyed mine, nor did anyone play with them, I was just to sick from the "Mold" growing in my "safe" salt water, as though my body was a nasty salt water fish tank that was not cleaned, nor filtered properly... Implants of any kind, I will pass, Love yourself for Yourself... Fake is Out and Natural is the way to be... The thought of a Man sucking on my Moldy breast.. No Thanks
Common sense tells all nothing made by Man is totally fool proof, only God is perfect...
FDA is aware, Money is the root of all evil...
Read the adverse events on Breast implant on the FDA site, you will be surprised.. Caution you have to be a genius to find medwatch reports this site, or now what to type in to do so... Proper informed Consent? NOT
Breast Implants what a joke and a disgrace to our Lord and Savior, Man could never make anything but Money, not perfect body and health.. Our bodies are so smart they all reject upon getting any type of implant, this is called capsule surrounding an implant... That forms when our bodies are given a foreign object, our auto immnune attacks the implant, to protect our God Perfect bodies. Common Sense Natural is the best way we could ever stay... Any type of cosmetic, plastic surgery is just not for myself, not for anyone, however most of society trust our lovely, faithful, drug pushing, money making, crooked as Hell, FDA..

Read for yourself on our FDA website, check out adverse events, type in breast implant, silicone or saline, read in Horror... There is complaints daily and our lovely, trustworthy, drug pushing, implant approving, crooked as Hell, FDA, is the disgrace to our country...Informed Consent? NOT!
Man could never create any device that is fool proof totally. When we get an implant of any kind in our bodies, our bodies are so smart that our auto immune system immediately attacks the implant, creating a capsule or tissue to protect our bodies from that implant...Common Sense will tell you that any product made in a manufacture or warehouse can be defective, as mine were.. Read other Adverse events, including penile implant and gastric lapbands. Our world is not perfect unless God created it, don't mess with it unless it is life threatning and you need such a device in your body... I was Pro Implant that is why I got mine, now alot smarter, wiser and the best thing natural.

hey ToxicSalines...boo hoo..."I got implants didn't like them, and now I am a big cry baby"...PULEEEZ...why did you get them in the first place?? There must have been a reason? Auto immune syndrome has never been linked with implants persay...you just had a reaction to any foriegn body in your system and are just more sensitive...Glad you are natural again...I have too much to look at already. Witwithtits...come on lets play!

I also put Implants in my Gymnast body a few years ago. I'd asked the Doctgor for a Moderate C-cup, but came out with D's.....definitely NOT what I wanted.

They didn't look bad - they just didn't look "right" on me.

Probably the worst part was I was a complete idiot -- I had no idea getting implants was like turning on a sign for men to openly make comments about my body (two friends DID warn me I'd get the kind of attention I probably didn't want, but I deluded myself on that potential issue as well).

I remember when I got out of my car at a rest stop one day, and some guy yelled across the parking lot as I walked by "God Bless America!". UGH.

Those kind of comments left me feeling like trashy......it was VERY different than a guy checking me out b/c they thought I looked good in jeans because I work out all the time.....it was disrespectful (I was a complete dope for not anticipating those reactions, too.....duhhhhhh).

Anyhow, I had my implants removed a little over 2 1/2 years ago, and I feel A LOT better about the way I look and feel. Interestingly, I just feel more comfortable with small B-cups than with D's.

I have to admit, I really did do it to try and be "perfect"(always a brilliant motivator, right?). After my mistake (it was a mistake for ME, I'm not saying it is for everyone!), I'm thrilled my breasts went back to how they looked before surgery - I definitely consider myself lucky!

Fake tits

It depends on the woman how she pulls them off. If it changes her attitude to where she now believes she is God's gift to mankind then no do not get them. But a well done set on the woman who knows that it only enhances her and the inside still will be the best part then - heck yes get a set. It is all the cheap poorly ones that are so tight over stuffed need to go, but when implaced by a certified doctor and set a little softer then let me see ...

I live in Vegas and my boyfriend and I always have a good laugh when we go just about anywhere, including the grocery store, and most of the women of various ages have huge, fake boobs. They can't put them away! Even though the men do look I feel more embarassed for them than envious. Why would you want that type of attention?

This bumper sticker says it best:
Your body is beautiful, it's your self esteem that needs implants.

WOW, its true. my wife set up an appointment at FINESTIMPLANTS.com

Its a crazy world we live in

(Natural) E-cup, here.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When you're 5'4", about 100 lbs, and have a pair of natural E-cups, the flat girls just aren't going to take your advice to heart.

I can only imagine being completely flat-chested, and how the taunting would be embarassing. Society probably tells these women they aren't "feminine" enough, too. (I don't know. Haven't been there. Haven't done that.)

But I will say this to all you A-C cup gals...

There isn't a day that goes by I don't wish I had B-cup breasts.

I HAVE to wear a bra, every day, under every garment. I can't wear strapless or spaghetti straps. Halters are a gamble, and only possible with just the right halter-convertible bra. (And try finding an E-cup convertible bra.)

The "experts" say 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size. Well, no wonder, when I haven't been to a single department store that even stocks E-cup bras, much less 30E!!! (I can sometimes get away with a 32DD, but stores rarely carry these, and even then they have one style. Like it or...ahem...lump it.)

Oprah did a show, once, with a bra fitting boutique. Few women were standard A, B, C, or D cups. Many were E, F, G, or bigger. Again, if stores don't carry your bra size, you're going to wedge your way into whatever they've got. I'm probably pretty unusual, in the sense that, during university, I used to work in the lingerie department, so I know how to calculate my exact bra size.

At 30E, I can't just roll out of bed and go for a run. I have to strap the girls down with expensive sports bras that rivals infant swaddling. Even then, it's "uncomfortable" to run. How's that for ya'? Uncomfortable to participate in a perfectly, natural, human gait? Yeah...gotta love big (natural) breasts.

I already have (what I hope won't be permanent) grooves over my shoulders, where my bra straps go. It's painful. I find myself pulling my bra straps off to the side, just before the point where they'd fall off my shoulder, just to avoid worsening the grooves even more.

Thankfully, I don't have the accompanying back pain...yet.

Bathing suits? Ha! They seem to be meant for women with breast implants, whose breasts pretty much stay in one place, whether or not they're wearing a bra/bikini top at all.

Real breasts need support. Without it, they sag a bit. They move. They bounce. (Am I turning your fellas on, or do you think I'm old, and fat, and this kind of talk is all a bit unnerving?)

I think my breasts are in terrific shape for my age, precisely because I'm so cautious about ensuring proper support at all times. (I.E. compared to other women my age, I have minimal "flop".) (Eeeeewww! Did I just write "flop"?!? Gross!)

But seriously, I've considered breast reduction surgery. A, B or even a C cup sounds just about right, to me. It'll probably never happen, though. I don't think my husband could handle all the scarring that surgery leaves behind.

I love the concept of the "Perfect 10." (i.e. no plastic surgery)

I suppose, if I had to make a case for the fake boobs, all the encapsulation and whatnot means finding a supportive bra isn't such a big deal. Those fake things pretty much stay put, no matter what position you're in, it seems. Wardrobe choices seem much less limited than with large, but natural, breasts.

I have no strong opinions, one way or the other. Just a cautionary note to be careful what you wish for. Big breasts aren't all they're pumped-up to be.