What women think of their breasts

* One in four women consider their breasts an important physical asset
* Almost 8 in 10 women regard their eyes as more beautiful, however
* One in five women consider their bosom one of their worst features
* Only a tiny number of women deem their breasts “sexy”
* Six in 10 women have no problem with topless sunbathing
* At least one in every two women would, if money were no object, consider breast cosmetic surgery
* One in two women believe “there’s a time and place” for women to display plunging cleavages in public.
* Most women own at least six bras
* Nine out of 10 women like having their breasts fondled.

We asked Australian women, both flat chested and buxom and everything in-between, to reveal their opinions about their bosom buddies and we were surprised by the candour expressed. Asked, for example, to describe what they saw when they looked at their breasts in the mirror, a truthful “droopy!” was the overwhelmingly response.

Not surprisingly, women with D-cup breasts or larger were more inclined to complain about sag, while those women who’d never had children (or wore an A-cup bra size) expressed the least concern about droop. Only 14 per cent of the 500 women polled declared their breasts to be “just right”.

Which is perhaps why more than 60 percent of our poll respondents expressed an interest in breast cosmetic surgery, whether for its own sake or for health reasons. Specifically, a breast lift was most often cited as the cosmetic procedure of choice. Even women under 30 and women who had not had children expressed an interest in this procedure (36% and 42% respectively) while breast implants were a serious cosmetic lure for women with A and B-cup size breasts (81 and 52% respectively).

The interest in cosmetic surgery notwithstanding, four in every 10 women (or 39% of respondents) remain opposed to the idea of cosmetic surgery. These may the same women (30% of women polled) who label breast implants as “Yuk, not a good look”. Other more polite respondents (36%) believe implants are “Okay for her, but not for me” while another group (15%) are so disinterested they can’t spot an implant in the first place. The younger and more flat chested a respondent is however, the more likely she is to admire breast implants. D-cup envy, perhaps?

Chart 1
I consider my breasts:
Droopy 39
Too big 20
Unattractive 19
Too heavy 17
Too small 15
Unbalanced 14
Just right/perfect 14
Don’t have strong feelings 20

Chart 2
Which cosmetic procedures would you consider?
Breast lift 46
Breast reduction 23
Breast implants 21
Breast reconstruction 11

Chart 3
Your response to breast implants is...
“They look good” 19
“Okay for her, but not for me” 36
“Yuk, not a good look” 30
“I can’t pick them” 15