Whatever you call them, boobs are pretty great. They're soft yet firm, bouncy, jiggly, and under a certain set of conditions, can produce fuel for periphery micro-humans.
So, let's start off by talking about development, anatomy, and function. Human breasts are unique in that they are the only organ not present at birth - they develop instead during puberty, in response to rising levels of estrogen which direct fat deposits to the breasts and cause the milk ducts to grow. This is also the stage in which the nipple and areola (the dark area of skin around the nipple) enlarge. After menstruation begins, the breasts enter a second stage of development in response to progesterone, which results in maturation of the milk glands (or lobules). The breast doesn't grow as much during this second stage as in the first, but is important later to make lactation possible.
Image courtesy of dentalarticles.com
1. Chest Wall, which separates the chest cavity (containing all the important organs) from the muscle layer above it.
2. Pectoral muscle aka "pecs." This thick, fan shaped muscle makes up the bulk of the chest muscle in males and sits right under the breast in females.
3. Lobules are hollow cavities which are lined with milk-secreting cells. Each lobule has a duct which connects to the opening in the nipple.
4. Nipple, the opening through which breast milk is delivered.
5. Areola, the circular area of colored skin surrounding the nipple.
6. Lactiferous ducts carry milk from the lobules to the nipple.
7. Fatty tissue that develops during puberty.
8. Skin layer which keeps all this awesome machinery from showing through.
The primary function of the breasts, as you can probably figure from the diagram above, is to produce milk for infants. Human beings are mammals, a name which derives from the mammary gland - another name for all the milk-producing lobules present in the breast tissue.
The secondary function of the breasts it to be fabulous and sexy.
Oh River, you sexy thing.
But seriously. Research suggests that women with larger breasts were viewed as more fertile and more capable of providing enough milk to produce healthy, strong offspring. Additionally, the large deposits of fatty tissue in the breasts were essential for helping the human fetus develop its awesomely powerful brain. So your boobs put the FUN in FUNCTIONAL.
Now, if the only breasts you've ever seen have been in movies, porn, and textbooks, you probably think there is only one type of "normal" breast - perky, round, sits high up on the chest, with pretty pink nipples and areolas about the size of a quarter.
NOPE.
Boobs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and nipples and areolas can be any color from pink to purple to brown to black, and areolas can be so tiny they're invisible or they can cover the majority of the breast. One breast may be bigger than the other, or they may sit low on the chest wall or hang down. Nipples can be large and erect or small and flat. And y'know what? THESE ARE ALL NORMAL.
You may have been told by others, or have told yourself, that your boobs are weird or ugly or unattractive. But they're not. They're boobs, and they vary in shape and size and coloration the same as any other body part. Breasts change in size and shape through your lifetime, varying with changes in weight, hormones levels, your menstrual cycle, and of course if you choose to get pregnant and/or breastfeed.
The following images are from a wonderful website called the Normal Breast Gallery and show just a small sample of the variations in normal, healthy, beautiful breasts out there. If you feel self-conscious about your breasts, I strongly encourage you to browse through that gallery and pay attention the enormous variety of forms out there and read the stories of other women and their struggles with body acceptance.
I truly believe that there is no such thing as an ugly boob. Of course, if your breasts are large enough that they cause you pain or discomfort, in which case you may which to speak to your doctor about breast reduction surgery. The self esteem of many women is intricately tied to their bodies, and breasts play a large role in this, so I feel it's very important to work on appreciating your breasts no matter their size, color, or shape. If you find that you cannot feel sexy or confident or feminine with your current breasts, there are many options for breast augmentation (enlargement, reshaping, etc) that you can discuss with your doctor. If you have a partner or a friend that says negative things about your breasts (or any part of your body), they probably don't deserve the privilege of seeing them. There is really only one thing your or anyone else should ever say to your breasts:
Watch this until you believe it.
Seriously.
Next week: external genital anatomy including the mons pubis, pubic hair, and labia. The clitoris and hymen will have their own posts.
