What's in a breast: Ethics of the upper body

[Garbarsardar]

I posted a similar poll when I first joined TWC, and I would like to see if there is an opinion shift around here...
Below you will find 5 pictures of female breasts. Please state your reasons, and the conditions under you would find this depiction objectionable.

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

[Lusted]

Well i find none of them objectionable. The first and second are art and i have no problem with that, the third is related to culture and again i have no problem with it. Fourth also no problem. Fifth, no problem and i fail to see why so many people find it uncomfortable seeing people breast feeding.

[Legio XX Valeria Victrix]

Same here. Nudity is nudity. We are all nude sometimes. I don't see how people can take the human body and find it objectionable. None of these pictures suggest anything sexual, they are just nudity, plain and simple. Thus, not offensive in any way, to me at least.

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

no problems with any of them. Only one that could be possible doubtfull is 4 but that would depend on its context.

[Garbarsardar]

Mind you, when this poll was around at first, the initial reaction was "porn-shut it down..."

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

really? wow, can't see why that would be

[Justinian]

They all seem fine to me. #4 could be a little iffy because there seems to be no purpose to the nudity, but it's nothing I consider provocative.

[MaximiIian]

They all seem fine to me. #4 could be a little iffy because there seems to be no purpose to the nudity, but it's nothing I consider provocative.

Really? I'd say number five would be iffy, because, well, I don't want to see some baby sucking on a titty. #4 is the best of them all, I'd say; greatly proportioned titties.
I find none of them objectionable, though, so...

Since when did nudity need a reason?

My thoughts exactly.

[Tom Paine]

4, for the reason Justinian gave; is there a reason for the nudity? Seemingly not (this is based on what we can see, not what we can guess). The first, its a) art and b) hard to make out anyway; the second, its a central point of our culture, Greek statuary is; the third is a demonstration of how it is; and the fifth... well you can hardly see anything offensive in the fifth.

[Pallida Mors]

I have no problem with nudity, as its just the human body. However, I voted 5 only because I have an issue with that in a certain environment. When I was going to college and worked my way through school I was a server at a restaurant. On many different occasions various women would breast feed, even start the process right in front of me. With no attempts at being discrete. I think that in certain cultural situations nudity is generally not accepted. Why cant I go into restaurants with my shirt off, being a guy, sit down and eat? I wasn't offended by the nudity, just thought it was rude. I dont want to see her breast in public. If I did I'd goto a strip club. So, its not the picture, its the situation for me.

I agree though, that four doesnt have a purpose. Its seems as though out of 60's playboy or something of that nature.

[removeduser_487563287433]

What a delightfully eccentric thread!

I find none of the above pictures objectionable, but I do think picture one is very weird.

[Cluny the Scourge]

<Disclaimer: This topic has a great spam magnet potential. The first spamming post will lead to the immediate vaporization of the thread. I am asking any present moderator to completely eliminate, not just close, this topic in case of spam. >

There's a very good reason why the thread's spam-muscles are so sensuously well-toned, which is that it is pointless, i.e. is spam itself.

[Lusted]

But why is 5 unacceptable, women need to feed their babies, why should they only do it in private. We have all, well most of us, have been breast fed, why do some people find it unacceptable in public?

[RZZZA]

Umm...well the first pic of the woman, she has no nipple. I dont find that objectionable, just a little odd. Then the second pic, the girl has no arms. I dont know what happened to them, I dont know if the sculptor purposely left them out because he ran out of material or something, but its pretty noticable, and if he tried to get away with something I dont think it worked.

The other three seems to be real people and not art, and I find no problem with them.

edit-3rd pic...right breast disproportianal to the left breast, or is it just the angle?

[Legio XX Valeria Victrix]

3rd pic...right breast disproportianal to the left breast, or is it just the angle?

That's not that unusual. I think a lot of girls have slightly disproportionate breasts.

[RZZZA]

I think the stigma that comes from breastfeeding is mostly from the males, the guys dont want to see unusual liquids coming from the places that they eat at, and have fun with, and put in their mouths. Same reason why guys dont want to know when their girlfriends/wives are taking a leak or a dump. Thats what I think anyway.

edit-like, what if you go to lick your girlfriends nipple,and some milk comes out? You just stumbled into a whole freudian subconcious thing there, now you have to wrestle with the ideas of being so similar to an infant...its complicated.

[aleph]

Since when did nudity need a reason?

Then the second pic, the girl has no arms. I dont know what happened to them, I dont know if the sculptor purposely left them out because he ran out of material or something, but its pretty noticable, and if he tried to get away with something I dont think it worked.

Most of the time the arms just fall off after hundreds/thousands of years with poor storage, and they restore it by cutting the remnants of the arms off cleanly.

[RZZZA]

Garb, what do you mean the breast has no use in sex? Why do women like their breasts touched then? It IS a sexual thing, there ARE nerve endings in the nipples, and it is a erogenous zone.

edit-but nobody has explained why the woman in pic 1 has no nipple, is that supposed to symbolize something? Like famine or hunger or something?

[Garbarsardar]

Garb, what do you mean the breast has no use in sex? Why do women like their breasts touched then? It IS a sexual thing, there ARE nerve endings in the nipples, and it is a erogenous zone.

Nope, of sourse the breast is of considerable use is sex. I was just pointing out that there was a mechanism, part psychological-association with breast feeding- part social, that eleveted the breast to today's prominent position. The ear and the solar plexus and the fingers are all erogenous zones measuring by the number of nerves.

edit-but nobody has explained why the woman in pic 1 has no nipple, is that supposed to symbolize something? Like famine or hunger or something?

No, she is the Holy mother so it cannot have to do anything with famine. It is either a matter of style or adherence to the ethics of the era.

[aleph]

edit-but nobody has explained why the woman in pic 1 has no nipple, is that supposed to symbolize something? Like famine or hunger or something?

It would help if I could identify it but I've never seen it before. It looks to be a slightly confused mannerist work. My guess is that either:

a) The artist was instructed by the patron (these pictures didn't paint themselves you know) to emphasise the spirituality/otherworldliness of the virgin mary somehow, and halos being out of fashion at this time the artist went for removing the nipple. Note the lack of hair as well. There was a bevy of signs and iconography used over the centuries to denote that a human figure in a picture is divine (halos, floating/elongation, reverse perspective, etc.), and in the mannerist period everybody was trying something new. It didn't always work

b) The painting was censored (the nipple was painted over after production) by the Vatican which was becoming increasingly prude post-renaissance. They censored several parts of Michelangelo's frescoes (painting clothes over some figures and removing others) in the sistine chapel around this time too.