I live in a city with a lot of boob jobs.  They are not only extremely common, but they are also extremely obvious.  Anyone not from California, Florida or AZ (and maybe Texas) will often find themselves visiting here and wondering how it is that women so casually display so much of the decollete area.  Of course, we are less than 6 hours drive from San Diego, LA and Las Vegas, and cosmetic surgery and body glamour is the style.  Women spend a lot of time and money on honing their bodies, and display them for rewards.  

For those of us who were born to be naturally endowed, the desire to display is not on par with those who paid for their trophy boobs.  If I had put 5 grand into them, I'd want people to see.  However, having them early put a different imprint in my mind of what is considered acceptable and desirable attention.  I am amazed at how many times people assume that I want to show them off to get things.  I am mystified at how often clothes that are designed for bigger women still insist on having a rack space that barely covers half of the expected chesticles of an average woman.  

Recently, I blogged about going out to a goth bar, and one of the eye popping realities for me is how many women prop up and display their boobages on the platters of corsets, push up bras and extremely low cut dresses as a sign of their personality.  I have a hard time leaving the house in anything that shows more than a mere suggestion of indentation.   Fashion being what it is, and the desire for flattering clothes, I find myself struggling to wear pleasing to the eye but not inviting to the libido outfits.  All my years as a massage therapist, we got to wear the uniform of polo shirt and khakis, something I was grateful for.  It neutered the playing field, and removed the possibility of accidentally giving a side boob shot from a low slung tank top.  Now, as a physician, I just don't need to have my stuff fly forward while I am listening to your heart and lungs.  Even learning physical medicine, some adjustments must be made differently for the large breasted among us, and delivered differently by the well endowed practitioner.  Always, always, always, try to keep your boobs off of the patient. 

The addition of a camisole is almost always necessary anymore for many of the current style of shirts.  The v and x plunge too low, or the waist band sits too high, right under the nipple, unless one is trying to display their tatas.  Which, it turns out, is expected now.  Crew necks and turtlenecks just really aren't going to fly in this climate, nor are they flattering most of the time.   My sweetie loves it when I wear anything that shows off a little more than my clavicle, but I find myself flinching if I can see too much in the mirror.  The reality of the real boob, compared to imitation, is that they are not static to the chest, upright and immobile, holding clothes up for draping.  Instead, they are mobile, gravity generating creatures, that fill out and reshape any clothes they are in, following the movement of my arms and rotation of my torso.  Smooth fabrics migrate and must constantly be readjusted.  

After 30 years of ownership, I can laugh this off a little.  Also, they now have amazing sportsbras that probably had design help from NASA.  I have lost over 35 pounds in the last few years, and the only change in my chest size is in my ribcage.  Many of my smaller boned sisters have expressed envy, but I discourage them from that line of thinking.  You can always take out the chicken cutlet from your push up bra when you want, and you will never suffer the humiliation of your shirt buttons bursting open when you cough.  Thankfully, there are all sorts of new stretchy knit fabrics in the world, making life a little less irksome for me, and allowing me better posture.   Now, if only they could figure out how to make a proper strapless bra for us, I could even consider venturing into the tube top world.

(Boobles courtesy of google's cleavage image collection.  all photos should represent free range birds.  Offense may be taken off line and given a bottle).