Busting Out

Why all the fuss over women's breasts in America? Filmmakers Francine Strickwerda and Laurel Spellman Smith (and many of the women interviewed in the film) would like to know the answer. Despite the entrenched Western notion that women's breasts are a universal erotic zone, research indicates that only 13 of 190 global cultures currently eroticize the female breast. Historical antecedents reveal that the idealization of women's body parts is hardly breast-centric: in Japan, for instance, a small female foot—preferably three inches (!)—was once considered an aphrodisiac, while in other cultures, the focus may be a long neck or a large rear. Combining images of breasts in art, media, historical advertisements, and archival footage, together with interviews of couples, people on the street, breast cancer survivors, exotic dancers, a biological anthropologist, and a “shock jock” radio personality, among others, Strickwerda and Smith illustrate some of the silly, political, and negative aspects of America's eroticization of women's breasts. Among the latter are: fathers who can't handle their daughter's sexual development (and all the implicit family and societal dysfunction arising therein); the millions of young girls who fear their first bra; the hundreds of thousands who undergo breast enlargement (or reduction) surgery to fit a supposed ideal female body image; and those who suffer a loss of sexual identity after the removal of a breast to cancer. The filmmakers also present a compelling case for how our culture has compromised our collective health by casting a suspicious eye on breastfeeding—both as a public and private act—despite its unquestionable benefits for both baby and mother. Engaging, fun, informative, and thought-provoking, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)