October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and as the calls for health checks come in, there’s one more thing we should do – get up close and personal with our BFFs. So we rounded up some girls and got them to share what they felt about their “girls”.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and as the calls for health checks come in, there’s one more thing we should do – get up close and personal with our BFFs. So we rounded up some girls and got them to share what they felt about their “girls”.
Growing Up Is Scary
Puberty is a crazy thing – one day we’re running around topless, the next, our mum forces us to start wearing training bras everywhere.
“Growing up, I was really embarrassed about my lack of breasts when my friends had them. Then my growth spurt finally kicked in - and then some. It left me a little selfconscious of my rather substantial rack. From then on, everything slightly low-cut looks salacious, it hurts when I run, it’s hard to find cute bras… the list of cons go on. I still wish they were slightly smaller, but they are what they are. It took me a while to learn to live with them and love them, and that’s what’s most important.” Natalie Pang, 27, Special Projects Writer.
“My boobs starting growing when I was 10 and at that time, I felt like it made my body look weird and lumpy. I’ve since grown to embrace and love my lady lumps.” Caroline Lim, 27, Events Coordinator.
“Being a teenage girl isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Growing breasts was simultaneously amazing and horrifying. Suddenly, you had to start wearing training bras that itched like the fleas of 1,000 camels. Your chest felt like it was going to break in half every time Aunt Flo rolled around and you became acutely aware that they were too small or too big or not quite the same size as each other. As strange as the experience was, I’m glad I have them. They do not define me as a woman but, to paraphrase Fergie, I do love my (nearly non-existent) lady lumps.” Vanessa Vanderstraaten, 27, FLY Entertainment Artiste.
Same Same, But Different
Big or small, inverted nipples or not, our boobs are just that – ours. And no one can (or should) shame us for it.
“I love them, but at the same time, I wish they were slightly smaller because, hello, underboob sweat! Also, when I do sports, I have to worry about whether my sports bra is able to provide adequate support, especially when it’s for activities like running or muay thai. You would think a sports bra can cover every activity, but when one almost gets a nip slip during yoga, it’s time to do some research. Plus, reading articles about how your boobs will sag even more when you run regularly makes you want to squeeze those babies into a tighter bra.” Fey Cho, 29, Manager.
“I think it’s really cool that every girl has their own unique pair of breasts. Of course, sometimes I wish my breasts were more ‘perfect’, but I’m happy in my own skin because this is me, and there’s so much more to a girl than her physical looks.” Victoria Sim, 21, Undergraduate.
“Big, small, long, round, pear... Like a thumbprint, no two women will have exactly the same chest. And that, to me, is so empowering. I was always shy growing up, as I think many girls are, and then I grew to embrace that it’s such a dynamic part of me as a young woman.” Elizabeth Lazan, FLY Entertainment Artiste.
“Growing up, I was ‘one of the boys’. And it always made me so insecure when they talked about other girls’ boobs, saying things like “pancake nipples” or “she’s so flat, she looks like a boy”. It made me question which category I fit under and was unsure whether or not I was normal. Now I am completely comfortable with my boobs, and I know that everyone has a unique pair – and that is what’s normal. Paige Tyler, 22, Undergraduate.
Love Me Like You Do
Do we need reasons to love and embrace our boobs? Um, not really.
“I never had boobs growing up – I thought they would grow eventually. Now that I’m older, I realise that my boobs are never coming to the party. I also realise that small boobs also need all the support, and regret not paying more attention to them so I would have small but perky boobs!” Elizabeth Lee, 31, Sales Executive.
“I never really thought about my breasts or what they meant to me till now. I just gave birth and I’m breastfeeding. All of a sudden, my breasts have a function: to sustain my precious baby. This made me realise how important my breasts are to me as a woman, and as a mum.” Tracy Tan, FLY Entertainment Artiste.
“It’s taken me 12 years, but here I am: confident enough not to avoid my full-length mirror as I enter my room after a shower. They’re two handfuls but if they looked any different, they wouldn’t be mine. And they wouldn’t be mine to love.” Shabbna Feroz Khan, 21, Undergraduate.
