Breast fetishism

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An image focusing on female breasts Perfect breasts (38765318371).jpg
An image focusing on female breasts

As a paraphilia,breast fetishism (also known as mastofact, breast partialism, or mazophilia) [1] is a sexual interest that focuses exclusively on the female breasts, and is a type of partialism. [2] The term breast fetishism is also used in the non-paraphilic sense, to refer to cultural attention to female breasts and the sexuality they represent.

Contents

Scientists hypothesize that non-paraphilic sexual attraction to breasts is the result of their function as a secondary sex characteristic. The breasts play roles in both sexual pleasure and reproduction. [3]

Some authors have discussed the modern widespread fascination with breasts among heterosexual males in Western societies, especially in the United States, within the context of sexual fetishism. [4] [5] [6]

Scientific explanation

Scientists hypothesize that non-paraphilic sexual attraction to breasts is the result of their function as a secondary sex characteristic. The breasts play roles in both sexual pleasure and reproduction. [3] Men typically find female breasts attractive [7] and this holds true for a variety of cultures. [8] [9] [10]

Zoologist and ethologist Desmond Morris theorizes that cleavage is a sexual signal that imitates the image of the cleft between the buttocks, which according to Morris in The Naked Ape is also unique to humans, other primates as a rule having much flatter buttocks. [11] Evolutionary psychologists theorize that humans' permanently enlarged breasts, in contrast to other primates' breasts, which only enlarge during ovulation, allows human females to "solicit [human] male attention and investment even when they are not really fertile". [12] Research has also shown that women with larger and more symmetrical breasts have higher levels of fertility. [13]

Sexual attraction to breasts is considered normal unless it is exclusive and is therefore a form of partialism. [2]

Society and culture

General

A woman wearing tight clothing displaying cleavage Cleavage in tight white shirt.jpg
A woman wearing tight clothing displaying cleavage

There is a widespread fascination with women's breasts, and especially their size. [14] Many people, both male and female, consider breasts an important female secondary sex characteristic. [15]

Modern female fashions which focus on tight clothing and the display of cleavage have been attributed to an increase in breast fetishism. [16] Display of cleavage with a low neckline is often regarded as a form of feminine flirting or seduction, as well as aesthetic or erotic. Most heterosexual men derive erotic pleasure from seeing a woman's breasts, [17] and some people derive pleasure in their female partner exposing cleavage. When cleavage is enhanced with a push-up bra or exposed by a low neckline, it may draw attention. [18] There are differences of opinion as to how much cleavage exposure is acceptable in public. [19] The extent to which a woman may expose her breasts depends on social and cultural context. Displaying cleavage or any part of female breast may be considered inappropriate or even prohibited by dress codes in some settings, such as workplaces, churches, and schools, while in some spaces showing as much cleavage as possible can be permissible or even encouraged. The exposure of nipples or areolae is almost always considered toplessness, considered by some to be immodest and in some instances as lewd or indecent behavior. [20] Art historian James Laver argued that the changing standards of revealing cleavage are more prominent in evening wear than in day wear in the Western world. [21]

Film producers such as Russ Meyer produced films which featured actresses with large breasts. Lorna (1964) was the first of his films where the lead actress, Lorna Maitland, was selected on the basis of breast size. Other large-breasted actresses used by Meyer include Kitten Natividad, Erica Gavin, Tura Satana, and Uschi Digard. Most were naturally large-breasted; Meyer occasionally cast women in their first trimesters of pregnancy to enhance their breast size even further. [22] Author and director William Rotsler said, "With Lorna Meyer established the formula that made him rich and famous, the formula of people filmed at top hate, top lust, top heavy." [23]

With regard to pornography, according to statistics from the websites Pornhub and YouPorn, preference for either breasts or the buttocks varies between countries and, on average, between world regions; the United States and most of Latin America and Africa is in the buttocks group, and most of Europe and much of Asia is in the breasts group. [24]

Alternative opinions

The term breast fetishism is also used within ethnographic and feminist contexts to describe a society with a culture devoted to breasts, usually as sexual objects. [16] [25] Some feminists have argued that incidents of breast fetishism have been found going back to the neolithic era, with the goddess shrines of Çatalhöyük (in modern Turkey). The archaeological excavations of the town in c. 1960 revealed the walls of the shrine(s) adorned with disembodied pairs of breasts that appeared to have "an existence of their own". Elizabeth Gould Davis argues that breasts (along with phalluses) were revered by the women of Çatalhöyük as instruments of motherhood, but it was after what she describes as a patriarchal revolution – when men had appropriated both phallus worship and "the breast fetish" for themselves – that these organs "acquired the erotic significance with which they are now endowed". [26]

Some authors from the United States have discussed attraction to female breasts within the context of sexual fetishism, and have stated that it is the American fetish-object of choice, [4] or that breast fetishism is predominantly found in the United States. [27] [5] [6] In Patterns of Sexual Behavior , a 1951 analysis of 191 traditional cultures, the researchers noted that stimulation of the female breast by the male before sex "seemed absent in all subhuman forms, although it is common among the members of many different human societies." [28]

Motorboating

A form of breast fetishism where a person places their face into the cleavage between a woman's breasts and moves it from side-to-side is known as motorboating. [29] [30] The person performing the act may also make the sound of a motorboat, from which the name is derived. [31] [32] This act can also be performed in reverse with the woman placing another person's face in between her breasts and moving them from side-to-side. [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paraphilia</span> Atypical sexual attraction

A paraphilia is an experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, places, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a legally consenting human partner. Paraphilias are contrasted with normophilic ("normal") sexual interests, although the definition of what makes a sexual interest normal or atypical remains controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual fetishism</span> Sexual arousal a person receives from an object or situation

Sexual fetishism or erotic fetishism is a sexual fixation on a nonliving object or body part. The object of interest is called the fetish; the person who has a fetish for that object is a fetishist. A sexual fetish may be regarded as a mental disorder if it causes significant psychosocial distress for the person or has detrimental effects on important areas of their life. Sexual arousal from a particular body part can be further classified as partialism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadomasochism</span> Sexual practice

Sadism and masochism, known collectively as sadomasochism or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known for his violent and libertine works and lifestyle, and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian author who described masochistic tendencies in his works. Sadomasochism is also a definitive feature of consensual BDSM relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foot fetishism</span> Sexual fascination with feet

Foot fetishism, also known as foot partialism or podophilia, is a pronounced sexual interest in feet. It is the most common form of sexual fetishism for otherwise non-sexual objects or body parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual fantasy</span> Class of mental image or pattern of thought

A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is an autoerotic mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy can be created by the person's imagination or memory, and may be triggered autonomously or by external stimulation such as erotic literature or pornography, a physical object, or sexual attraction to another person. Anything that may give rise to sexual arousal may also produce a sexual fantasy, and sexual arousal may in turn give rise to fantasies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammary intercourse</span> Non-penetrative sex act

Mammary intercourse is a sex act, performed as either foreplay or as non-penetrative sex, that involves the stimulation of a man's penis by a woman's breasts and vice versa. It involves placing the penis between a woman's breasts and moving the penis up and down to simulate sexual penetration and to create sexual pleasure.

Body worship is the practice of physically revering a part of another person's body, and is usually done as a submissive act in the context of BDSM. It is often an expression of erotic fetishism but it can also be used as part of service-oriented submission or sexual roleplay. It typically involves kissing, licking or sucking parts of a dominant's body such as the vulva, the penis, the buttocks, the feet, the breasts or the muscles. Body worship was included in the introductory classes on BDSM introduced in 2003 by the Society of Janus, the largest BDSM educational organisation in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erotic humiliation</span> Consensual use of humiliation in a sexual context

Erotic humiliation or sexual humiliation is a consensual psychological humiliation performed in order to produce erotic excitement or sexual arousal. This can be for either the person(s) being humiliated and demeaned or the person(s) humiliating, or both. It is sometimes performed before spectators, including through pornography and webcam modeling. It may be part of BDSM and other sexual roleplay, or accompanied by the sexual stimulation of the genitals of one or both parties in the activity.

Hair fetishism, also known as hair partialism and trichophilia, is a partialism in which a person sees hair – most commonly, head hair – as particularly erotic and sexually arousing. Arousal may occur from seeing or touching hair, whether head hair, armpit hair, chest hair or fur. Head-hair arousal may come from seeing or touching very long or short hair, wet hair, certain colors of hair or a particular hairstyle.

In human sexuality, kinkiness is the use of sexual practices, concepts or fantasies that are not conventional. The term derives from the idea of a "bend" in one's sexual behaviour, to contrast such behaviour with "straight" or "vanilla" sexual mores and proclivities. It is thus a colloquial term for non-normative sexual behaviour. The term "kink" has been claimed by some who practice sexual fetishism as a term or synonym for their practices, indicating a range of sexual and sexualistic practices from playful to sexual objectification and certain paraphilias. In the 21st century the term "kink", along with expressions like BDSM, leather and fetish, has become more commonly used than the term paraphilia. Some universities also feature student organizations focused on kinks, within the context of wider LGBTQ concerns.

Paraphilic infantilism, also known as adult baby, is a form of ageplay that involves role-playing a regression to an infant-like state. Like other forms of adult play, depending on the context and desires of the people involved paraphilic infantilism may be expressed as a non-sexual fetish, kink, or simply as a comforting platonic activity. People who practice adult baby play are often colloquially referred to as "adult babies", or "ABs".

Attraction to disability is a sexualised interest in the appearance, sensation and experience of disability. It may extend from normal human sexuality into a type of sexual fetishism. Sexologically, the pathological end of the attraction tends to be classified as a paraphilia. Other researchers have approached it as a form of identity disorder. The most common interests are towards amputations, prosthesis, and crutches. As a sexual fetish, attraction to disability is known as devotism, and those with the fetish are known as devotees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clothing fetish</span> Sexual fetish relating to particular type of clothing

Clothing fetishism or garment fetishism is a sexual fetish that revolves around a fixation upon a particular article or type of clothing, a particular fashion or uniform, or a person dressed in such a style.

Human sexuality covers a broad range of topics, including the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, philosophical, ethical, moral, theological, legal and spiritual or religious aspects of sex and human sexual behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human female sexuality</span> Physiology, identity and behavior

Human female sexuality encompasses a broad range of behaviors and processes, including female sexual identity and sexual behavior, the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, and spiritual or religious aspects of sexual activity. Various aspects and dimensions of female sexuality, as a part of human sexuality, have also been addressed by principles of ethics, morality, and theology. In almost any historical era and culture, the arts, including literary and visual arts, as well as popular culture, present a substantial portion of a given society's views on human sexuality, which includes both implicit (covert) and explicit (overt) aspects and manifestations of feminine sexuality and behavior.

An Asian fetish is a strong sexual or romantic preference for people of Asian descent or heritage. The term usually refers to women specifically of East or Southeast Asian descent, though this may also include those of South Asian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex in film</span> Sex in mainstream film

Sex in film, the presentation of aspects of sexuality in film, especially human sexuality, has been controversial since the development of the medium. Films which display or suggest sexual behavior have been criticized by religious groups or have been banned or censored by governments, although attitudes have changed much along the years and a more permissive social environment has developed in certain parts of the world, notably in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. In countries with a film rating system, films which contain explicit sex scenes typically receive a restricted classification. Nudity in film may be regarded as sexual or as non-sexual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural history of the buttocks</span> Human sexual psychology relating to the anatomical posterior

Cultural history of the buttocks has included various art forms as well as a sexualization of the buttocks which has occurred throughout history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipple stimulation</span> Human sexual practice

Nipple stimulation or breast stimulation is stimulation of the breast. Stimulation may be by breastfeeding, sexual activity, an indirect non-sexual response, or kissing the nipple. As part of sexual activity, the practice may be performed upon, or by, people of any gender or sexual orientation. It may occur with the use of fingers, orally, such as by sucking or licking, as well as by use of an object.

References

  1. ↑ Hickey, Eric W. (2003-07-22). Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. ISBN   978-0-7619-2437-1.
  2. 1 2 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders American Psychiatric Association - 5th edition (5th ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing. 2013. p. 701. ISBN   978-0-89042-555-8.
  3. 1 2 Lehmiller, Justin (2018). The Psychology of Human Sexuality (Second ed.). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. pp. 74–75. ISBN   978-1-119-16473-9.
  4. 1 2 Slade, Joseph W. (2000). Pornography and Sexual Representation: A Reference Guide . Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 402. ISBN   978-0-313-31520-6.
  5. 1 2 Miller, Laura (2006). Beauty Up: Exploring Contemporary Japanese Body Aesthetics. University of California Press. p. 74. ISBN   978-0-520-24509-9.
  6. 1 2 Latteier 1998
  7. ↑ Buss, David (2019). "Men's Long-Term Mating Strategies". Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind (Sixth ed.). Routledge. ISBN   978-0-429-59006-1.
  8. ↑ Jan Havlíček; Vít Třebický; Jaroslava Varella Valentova; Karel Kleisner; Robert Mbe Akoko; Jitka Fialová; Rosina Jash; Tomáš Kočnar; Kamila Janaina Pereira; Zuzana Štěrbová; Marco Antonio Correa Varella; Jana Vokurková; Ernest Vunan; S Craig Roberts (2017). "Men's preferences for women's breast size and shape in four cultures" (PDF). Evolution and Human Behavior. 38 (2): 217–226. Bibcode:2017EHumB..38..217H. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.10.002. hdl: 1893/24421 .
  9. ↑ Barnaby J Dixson; Paul L Vasey; Katayo Sagata; Nokuthaba Sibanda; Wayne L Linklater; Alan F Dixson (2011). "Men's preferences for women's breast morphology in New Zealand, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 40 (6): 1271–1279. doi:10.1007/s10508-010-9680-6. PMID   20862533. S2CID   34125295.
  10. ↑ Frank W. Marlowe (2004). "Mate preferences among Hadza hunter-gatherers" (PDF). Human Nature. 15 (4): 365–376. doi:10.1007/s12110-004-1014-8. PMID   26189412. S2CID   9584357.
  11. ↑ Desmond Morris. Manwatching. A Field Guide to Human Behavior. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1977. ISBN   0-8109-1310-0.
  12. ↑ Crawford, Charles; Krebs, Dennis (1998), "How Mate Choice Shaped Human Nature", Handbook of evolutionary psychology: ideas, issues, and applications, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p. 113, ISBN   978-0-8058-1666-2
  13. ↑ Etcoff, Nancy (2000). Survival Of The Prettiest: The Science Of Beauty. Anchor Books. p. 186. ISBN   0385479425.
  14. ↑ Yeung, Peter (29 Oct 2014). "The female artists reclaiming their bodies". Dazed. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2014. The fetishisation of women's bodies and their regular reduction to breasts is something that New York artist Cindy Hinant is acutely aware of
  15. ↑ secondary sex characteristics Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  16. 1 2 Glazier & Flowerday 2003 , p. 58
  17. ↑ Kinsey, Alfred C. et al. Sexual Behavior in the Human Male . Saunders, 1948.
  18. ↑ Ted Eisenberg and Joyce K. Eisenberg, The Scoop on Breasts: A Plastic Surgeon Busts the Myths, Incompra Press, 2012, ISBN   978-0-9857249-3-1
  19. ↑ Salmansohn, Karen (October 29, 2007). "The Power of Cleavage". The Huffington Post.
  20. ↑ Leder, Drew, ed. (1992). The Body in Medical Thought and Practice . Springer Science & Business Media. p. 223. ISBN   978-0-7923-1657-2.
  21. ↑ Carter, Michael, Fashion classics from Carlyle to Barthes , page 732, Berg Publishers, 2003, ISBN   1-85973-606-8
  22. ↑ Meyer, Russ (2000). A Clean Breast: The Life and Loves of Russ Meyer (3 volume set). (Under the pseudonym "Adolph Albion Schwartz"). El Rio, TX: Hauck Pub Co. ISBN   978-0-9621797-2-3.
  23. ↑ McDonough, Jimmy (2005). Big bosoms and square jaws: the biography of Russ Meyer, king of the sex film . London: Jonathan Cape. p. 138. ISBN   978-0-224-07250-2.
  24. ↑ Dickson, EJ (12 December 2014). "America prefers butts to boobs, says Pornhub study". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  25. ↑ Evans, Phil. (1989). Motivation and Emotion . Routledge. ISBN   0-415-01475-1, p. 34.
  26. ↑ The First Sex: The Breast Fetish (1971) by Davis, Elizabeth Gould. Penguin Books, p. 105.
  27. ↑ Morrison, D. E., & Holden, C. P. (1971). "The Burning Bra: The American Breast Fetish and Women's Liberation". In Deviance and Change, Manning, P.K. ed., Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall.
  28. ↑ Clellan S. Ford and Frank A. Beach (1965). Patterns of Sexual Behaviour. Internet Archive. p. 70.
  29. ↑ Reilly, Patrick (19 May 2022). "National Guard officer retires with full benefits after 'motorboating' subordinate". New York Post . Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  30. ↑ "Breast Cancer charity rejects $US7000 donation raised by men 'motorboating' their faces into women's breasts". news.com.au . News Corp Australia. 13 October 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  31. ↑ "70 Sex Terms You Should Know If You Don't Already". Women's Health . 22 September 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "'Motorboating For Breast Cancer' Twits Actually Did Something Amazing And Beautiful With The Money". HuffPost . 5 December 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  33. ↑ Surnow, Rose (17 November 2016). "Motorboating". Cosmopolitan . Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved 17 May 2023.

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