Due to the immense sexualization of female breasts in everything from high school sex ed to mainstream media, many girls grow up thinking that their breasts are made to serve other people. Girls are taught to obsess over the size and look of their breasts, and if they aren’t as large and perky as the women in magazines and on television, many girls think they are ugly.
The truth about boobs is that they weren’t designed for the sole purpose of being aesthetically pleasing, and just like all our other body parts, they develop differently for every person. Apart from worrying about what cup size I was, I never thought much about what my breasts were doing until they started doing things that no one ever told me about.
Here are some of the things that puberty taught me about my breasts that every young girl needs to know.
1. They come in all shapes and sizes
Not all breasts are round or perky. Not all nipples are small and pink. I’ve had many friends who think their large, brown nipples make their breasts less feminine, and are constantly asking others to reassure them that they aren’t alone. Every girl’s breasts develop in their own way, and just because yours don’t look exactly like your friends do doesn’t mean they’re weird or ugly. Your breasts are unique just like the rest of you, and those small differences in shape, size, and color are something to be proud of.
2. Your breasts can get acne too
This may be the most horrifying truth I had to come to terms with during my adolescent years. When my face starting breaking out, I was annoyed but ready to handle it. I knew about the face washes, scrubs, and even the concealer I could use to help combat the little red bumps sprouting all over my forehead and cheeks.
When I found a bump on my breast however, I freaked. I thought I was dying. I had always been taught that a bump on your breast meant the worst, and no girls on my Disney Channel teen dramas ever had to cover up a boob zit on picture day. No one had ever told me to expect acne to pop up there, and it wasn’t until I got older that I realize this was a very common occurrence.
Acne, unfortunately, is something that can happen all over your body, and the sweat and dead skin that forms under and between your breasts is a perfect breeding ground for it. Thankfully there are plenty of body washes that can help you combat your body acne, and just to be clear, you’re not the only person who will be buying it.
3. They cannot defy gravity
As badly as many male animators and moviemakers may wish they could, the truth is that breasts simply cannot defy gravity. They’re affected by it just like everything else around us is. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched a scene on television and film and thought, “Her boobs are way to high for her to not being wearing bra.” Not everyone is born with perfectly perky breasts that sit in the same place regardless of what that person is wearing, and many girls in fact cannot do intense, braless cardio without getting hit in the face by their own breasts.
The negative effects of what I have just now coined as “boob gravity” are prevalent for many large breasted people, and seeing that inaccurately represented as a teenager made me insecure and embarrassed about the way my breasts moved and looked. So if you take your bra off and your breasts drop to the middle of your stomach, know that it’s totally normal, and don’t let any bikini clad Little Mermaids or strapless dress wearing Jessica Rabbits convince you otherwise.
What else do you wish you knew about breasts? Sound off in the comments!
Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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