Demand for breast enhancements have been growing since the late ’90s

Since 1997, surgery for breast enlargement (including breast lifts) has grown by 257%, reaching 432,403 patients in America in 2005, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Scott Spear, professor and chief of plastic surgery at Georgetown University in Washington, says that women were undeterred by health concerns over silicone implants and the fact that it was not covered by insurance.

“Breast operations are just part of a larger picture,” he says. “All types of plastic surgery were on the upswing during that period of time, partly because a surge in the economy means that people can afford the operations.”

In those days, you got breast implants to make a statement adds Dr. Roxanne Guy, a plastic surgeon in Melbourne, Fla. “It was like getting a tattoo or pierced eyebrow; women felt more empowered,” she said.

However, Dr. Diana Zuckerman, a psychologist and board member of the National Women’s Health Network, was not convinced. “In many cases”, she said, “they reflect an urge to conform to an image of sexiness defined by magazines and lingerie catalogues full of models with implants”.

We have a pathological desire to improve our self-image

Although this trend in surgical enhancement has drastically dropped, even in modern times, we are still bound together by insecurity, with an almost pathological will to “improve” our own self-image, says author and political photographer Zed Nelson.

“The worldwide pursuit of body improvement has become like a new religion,” he says. “Perhaps in the future generation, we will see a point in history where the abnormal will become normal, or at least normalised.”

“Globalisation hasn’t just given us Starbucks in Beijing and shopping malls in Africa,” he said. “It is also creating an eerily homogenised look.”

With  digital alteration becoming so accessible, anyone can create pictures of what we should look like

Author, psychologist and relationship counsellor Alisa Miller agrees that in recent times, with the increased accessibility of digital alteration of images, it is easy to see alteration done by both the media and public in almost every picture to create an idealistic image of what we ought to look like.

“We see digital enhancements in every billboard to the point that we think women in their underwear have bodies made of sleek, taut, fiberglass without an inch of flesh to spare, luminous eyes, flawless skin, legs which go on forever and breasts which defy gravity.”

“Even with Facebook’s stringent rules regarding nudity in photographs there is hardly a girl profile out there where you will not see its owner in her smalls (or without) or low-cut tops leaning into the camera for that bird’s-eye look to a girl’s cleavage.”

In many western countries, breasts are considered taboo

Author Maria Miller writes that in many western countries, a woman’s breasts are a taboo; they are supposed to be hidden and it is because of this that we are so obsessed by them to a point that is unhealthy.

“If young girls and boys continually see this propaganda without a balancing view of natural naked breasts, it is no wonder that women start seriously worrying about the size and shape of their own breasts and that men become conditioned to see breasts purely as objects of sexual arousal and play that automatically ‘clicks’ their brains to the ‘turn-on’ mode”, she said.

Nudity does not equal sexuality

“Naturists from all over the world always emphasise how sexuality does not equal nudity. Nudity is not sexually stimulating if the atmosphere and attitudes are non-sexual.”

“We have a vicious cycle on our hands: the less acceptable it is for women to feel more open about their breasts, the less people get to see the image of real breasts. At the same time media everywhere constantly tout the perverted view of female breasts, which makes people view them as purely sexual,” says Maria.

What type of breasts are acceptable?

It seems that is not only whether to see or not to see breasts we have issues dealing with,  we also have distorted views on what kind of breasts should be publicly seen.

In early 2010, Australia outrightly banned pornography featuring women with small breasts and (putting my prudishness aside) female ejaculation, claiming that such images encourage pedophilia. “This law is not only obscene, it’s insulting,” says adult industry blog Ms Naughty. “Not only does this encourage women to have breast augmentations, it characterises men who think small boobs are sexy as ‘perverts’.”

Recently this month, US television networks Fox and ABC were also publicly criticised for resisting to air a lingerie ad featuring busty plus-sized women claiming they showed too much cleavage.

The label of the lingerie ad Lane Bryant wrote on their blog “while it’s no secret that Victoria’s Secret ‘The Nakeds’ ads are prancing around on major networks leaving little to the imagination, our sultry siren who shows sophisticated sass is somehow deemed inappropriate. Does this smack of a double standard? Yep. It does to us, too.”

Real breasts are becoming fashionable

Although in the past the fashion industry has not been the prime role model for advocating a healthy body image, trends show that the times are changing.

“Boyish figures and clothes that ignore the female figure have long been all the rage among high-fashion designers,” reports fashion and culture website Tressugar. This last season we saw some (relatively) voluptuous catwalkers with brands as high up as Prada flaunting the natural curves of women. Disney Films also made headlines when recently starting their casting for the next Pirates of the Caribbean instalment with casting calls requesting that applicants “must have real breasts” so that they look real when they jiggle (although whether they are trying to actually promote a natural ideal or just want more ‘jiggly’ breasts is still up for debate). Young women of France, traditionally renowned for their summer topless sunbathing, have  also taken a more modest turn shunning the idea of public nudity saying that “the practice has become common, and therefore less compelling as a fashion”.

From the curvaceous, to the natural to the prude, the fashions of the breasts are in deed changing in all directions. What may be appropriate in one culture is never to be sure to be ok in another. What is important though, is that we keep an open mind and no matter big, small, or curvy, breasts will always be a beautiful organ in the female body.

Do you think making public nudity acceptable will change the way we look at bodies? Would men will still find breasts attractive if its association with sexuality was removed? Do women even find it offensive that breasts are objectified and instead find it empowering that they have power over a man through their breasts?

Male grooming industry is estimated to grow up to $84.9 billion by 2014

Research by Reportlinker.com found that the market for men’s grooming products valued at $US19.7 billion worldwide in 2009, expected to grow up to $US28 billion by 2014. The report also notes that men tend to use grooming products that are ‘non-male-specific’ as well estimating their total consumption to skyrocket to somewhere between $61.3-$84.9 billion in the next five years.

Men wearing makeup? Evolution or unnatural?

One sector that is surprisingly showing growth is the men’s make up sector. While traditionally the make up cabinet has solely been reserved for women, both business and consumers are showing a fashionable rise in men embracing the world of makeup. From Johnny Depp’s captivating looks from Pirates of the Carribean to the decadently seductive Russell Brand, you only have to look to our celebrities to see the rise in men’s make up and beauty market.

Grooming not just for metrosexuals

This trend is not just for the appearance conscious metrosexuals, says make-up artist Nathan Johnson. With more of the Average Joe men ready to cross the gender divide, brands are happy to fill their needs with products specifically designed to meet men’s demands and make them feel comfortable while doing so.

Emasculation of men or a Liberal conspiracy?

UK Guardian’s Paul MacInnes compares men wearing makeup to the likes of ‘a toddler having a mortgage’. “It’s unnatural and likely to end in disaster,” he says.

But why is this change taking place? Some may see this as the eminent emasculation of men. However, Paul suggests that this is due to the liberal and consumerism movement of Labour governments.

“By presiding over an unprecedented period of economic growth which put money in people’s pockets and encouraged them to believe the good times would just keep on rolling, men took their eyes off the ball. They were encouraged to spend, to live, to dream – and when people start dreaming funny things happen. They start joining gyms, they start eating healthily, they start mentally reconstituting 1950s cigarette adverts showing beaming nuclear families, only it’s their mug on the poster. Only their mug looks a bit blotchy. So they reach for the blusher.”

The men’s market in an unsaturated niche

Whether this is actually true or not, the niche does exist, says Caroline Wilde, head of retail at brand consultancy Live & Breathe. “It’s an unfulfilled market. Nivea had some success so the market is there but it is not saturated like the female market.” Shower gels and deodorants tend to be a safe entry point to the men’s market to test your products, she adds. Although there is a market for face creams and other beauty products, it is more difficult to penetrate the market with those product lines.

Men don’t want to be associated with the ‘f-word’

“The problem with the word fashion is that most guys associate it with girls,” says Jay Fielden, editor of Men’s Vogue, who reportedly calls fashion the “f-word” to his staffers. “Here we talk about style, personal style.”

“The idea of fashion triggers off a response of ‘change,’ and men don’t like change,” says menswear designer John Varvatos for article in theBigMoney.com. “So menswear has to be about evolution, not revolution.”

“Modern men are much more sophisticated than some brands think they are and will ultimately see through this superficial approach” says Aniko Hill from The Kitchen Collaborative.

Making men feel comfortable

New Zealand based  men’s only spa and salon Manscape is trying a different approach as they try to push men to feel more comfortable with looking after themselves, claiming that is not just for girls.

Service Options

Haircut – A Manscape haircut is an experience you’ll look forward to every month! Sit back and enjoy a complimentary beer, O.J or coffee while your stylist works their magic. Your hair will be washed at the start and end to get rid of those annoying hairs. Your cut & style also includes a scalp and shoulder massage.

Eyebrows - Shape & tidy – there’s nothing girly about this! Stray hairs removed, hairs trimmed to leave your brows looking and sitting tidy.

Massage – Relax with a half or full hour Swedish (relaxation) style massage. Don’t knock it till you’ve had one and when you’ve had one you’ll want another!

Handy Work – (Man I cure) Nail soak & shape, cuticle removal, hand & arm massage and buff to a high shine. Finishing off with cuticle oil and hydrating hand cream.

Foot Maintenance - (Manly pedicure) Peppermint foot spa exfoliation. Toenails clipped & shaped, cuticles removed, foot & leg massage, finishing with cuticle oil to nourish and protect.

Groom Grooming – For you and your mates to relax, look and feel your best for the big day

Does this trend change what it means to be a man in todays society?

Like the female market, the men’s market is growing increasingly more complex and segmented. But does this era in appearance-awareness showing the beginning of the end of traditional masculinity? What effect will this have on what it means to be a man?