What Women Really Think About Cosmetic Surgery, Body Image and Flaunting

According to a survey conducted for leading publication HealthSmart, one in two Australia women are open to having breast cosmetic surgery, and a similar proportion believe there’s a “time and place” for women to display plunging cleavages in public.

HealthSmart has published an exclusive poll, revealing what women think of this defining feature of the female form, and the subject of plenty of debate, politicking and fashion trends across the generations.

“We asked Australian women – flat-chested, buxom and everything in between – to reveal their opinions on this important personal topic, and were surprised by their candour,” notes HealthSmart senior health editor survey reviewer Josephine Brouard.

The survey ‘What We Think About Breasts’ is appearing exclusively in HealthSmart and was conducted by a leading market research company, which polled a representative sample of 500 Australian women (aged 18 to 64) about a wide array of breast-related issues:

• One in four women consider breasts to be one of their best physical assets, while one-in-five consider it one of their worst assets: 39% considered their breasts ‘droopy’; 20% too big; 19% unattractive; 17% too heavy; 15% too small; 12% unbalanced. A mere 14% declared their breasts “just right”.

• More than 60% expressed an interest in breast cosmetic surgery, whether for its own sake or for health reasons.

• Most women own seven bras and spend $136 a year on these essential items. The average cup size is somewhere between a C and a D.

• For women with big breasts, playing sport is an issue. Roughly 60% of E-cups reported that their breasts stopped them from running (or wearing strapless dresses).

The report examines the development of the bra in modern culture. The first ‘sports bras’ were used by Minoan women in 1700BC to participate in the popular practice of bull leaping. Napoleon Bonaparte’s empress, Josephine, made her own contribution and during WWI the corset made way for bras (saving enough metal to build two battleships in the process!). Bras and breasts have gone on to define fashion across the generations. They have also been closely linked to politics and social change, including the bra-burning rallies of feminists in the 60s and 70s.

The report also carries special reports on the latest gene advancements in breast cancer research, expert advice on breast health, common myths about breastfeeding, and what male experts (cosmetic surgeon, sport science, sculptor) think about breasts.

Full survey results appear in the latest issue of HealthSmart.

AAP