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Breasts that look obviously fake are becoming increasingly appealing to women who undergo augmentation surgery, according to a new study which shows many women feel artificial breasts connect them to celebrity culture and defy the ageing process.  

Dr Debra Gimlin, from the University of Aberdeen, has led a small-scale study of US women which has explored the growing normalisation of cosmetic surgery and the cultural emphasis on self-transformation.

The research has found that over time there has been an increasing tendency for women to describe obviously augmented breasts as ‘beautiful’. This emerging ‘aesthetics of artificiality’ is counter to the original goal of cosmetic surgery - namely for the body to appear natural.

The research will be highlighted at an event, ‘Obviously augmented breasts: the new fascination with inauthenticity’, in Aberdeen, as part of the annual Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science.

“There is a growing cultural emphasis on continual self-transformation, on physical perfection and the increasing normalisation of cosmetic modification,” says Dr Gimlin, a sociologist and head of the School of Social Science.

“The cultural significance of breasts that are ‘too good to be real’ is that there are now popular cultural images circulating that tell women that fake-looking breasts are better than natural-looking ones. This is because they attach the 'wearer' to celebrity culture and deny the ageing process, in which breasts by definition become less firm. Obviously fake breasts don't get saggy over time.”

The normalisation of cosmetic surgery and the idealised feminine body it produces have attracted considerable attention, especially from feminist academics. Consumers and physicians alike have long described the goal of aesthetic surgery as an ‘improved’ but still ‘natural-looking’ body. Research in this area is extensive and nuanced, but one common finding is that women who have undergone cosmetic surgery often explain their desire for it in terms of looking like their ‘true’ selves. They want to look like the person they believe they are, such as younger, more feminine and fitter.

However, Dr Gimlin’s research has identified an exception to this finding. Her study was based on two rounds of interviews with a total of 65 American women who had undergone cosmetic surgery - 25 in the 1990s and 40 in the 2000s. While none of the women from the 1990s wanted fake-looking breasts, a group of women in the later US sample did want their breasts to look too good to be ‘real’. One respondent expressed the desire for breasts that looked ‘voluptuous’- and that she would have failed in her goal if someone were to describe them as looking ‘natural’.

These women explained their desire for ‘inauthentic’ breasts in various ways, according to Dr Gimlin. Some were proud their breasts reflected an ability to pay for expensive surgery, although in fact it was men who often paid. “This was different from facelifts or liposuction, which women never told me proudly that their husbands or boyfriends paid for,” says Dr Gimlin. “It does makes sense though, because men don't lay claim to women's thin thighs or wrinkle-free faces like they do to their large breasts.”

Dr Gimlin says this desire for ‘fake’ reflects a change in cultural norms in the US where cosmetic surgery is now much more commonplace than in the past, and where women are effectively blamed for not working hard enough or investing enough energy in staving off the ageing process.

The study will be presented at a Festival of Social Science event on 7 November, at Aberdeen Central Library. It is aimed at the general public.

Notes for editors

1. Event: Obviously Augmented Breasts: The New Fascination With Inauthenticity
   Organiser: Dr Debra Gimlin
   Date: 7 November 2015 14.00-15.00
   Venue: Committee Room, Aberdeen Central Library, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GW
   Audience: general public.
2. The Festival of Social Science is run by the Economic and Social Research Council and takes place 7-14 November 2015. With events from some of the country’s leading social scientists, the Festival celebrates the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives - both now and in the future. This year’s Festival of Social Science has over 200 creative and exciting events across the UK to encourage businesses, charities, government agencies, schools and college students to discuss, discover and debate topical social science issues. Press releases detailing some of the varied events and a full list of the programme are available at the Festival website. You can now follow updates from the Festival on Twitter using #esrcfestival.
3. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and also funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective. The ESRC also works collaboratively with six other UK research councils and Innovate UK to fund cross-disciplinary research and innovation addressing major societal challenges. The ESRC is an independent organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1965, and funded mainly by the Government. In 2015 it celebrates its 50th anniversary.