There’s a meme going around Facebook of women posting the color of their bras to encourage breast cancer awareness and self-exams. Breast cancer awareness? I vote yes. Regular self-exams? I vote yes. Cute, fun, viral memes to encourage both of the above? In principle, I have no objection. And maybe it’s just the old curmudgeonly books I’ve been reading lately, but this particular meme raises a red flag for me.
Ladies, you do know that all of your male friends can see your status updates, right? And you do know that all of your young male friends know the size of your breasts, right? (Yes, we have noticed, and yes, we do remember.) And you do know that most such men have keen visual imaginations, right? And you do know that for many, knowing what the meme means, it’s an uncontrollable instinctive to immediately construct in their heads an image of you wearing a bra of the color you posted, right? So you do realize that, at least from the point of view of your visually-minded brethren, there is little practical difference between this meme and the kind of exhibitionism most of you would balk at — say, posting a picture of you wearing only your bra — right?
As an observer of culture and a current reader of Libido Dominandi, I also feel compelled to add: And you do realize that, as a cultural force, female exhibitionism encourages men to demand more of you sexually while offering less of themselves relationally, right?
I only want to know about the bra worn by one woman: my wife. And I don’t particularly want any of you whippersnappers to know anything about it, thank you very much.
I know, I know. “Shut up, you misogynistic cancer-loving killjoy.” I’m done now, I just needed to get it off my (proverbial) chest.
