Teenage me grew up thinking that normal boobs weren’t what I had.   Mine were too small and shaped oddly.  Often, in my younger years I had thought about having surgery to change them.  This carried on into my young adult years.  It affected how I felt about myself, my body and even affected my self-esteem.  My body didn’t look how I thought it should, therefore I didn’t want to show it off.  Walking from the shower to my bedroom to grab my clothes, I’d make sure I stayed covered up.  The media had me believing that my breasts should look a certain way.  Breasts were supposed to match, be perky, be big but not too big, even my areolas were supposed to be a certain color.  As I got older, I nursed my children, I’ve gained and lost weight.  All of these things have affected the way my breasts look.

 

I finally started to realize that there is no norm!

However, through shooting boudoir and through being open with other women I’ve learned that it isn’t just me that felt this way about my body.  So so many women have these same insecurities about their breasts as well.    I now know that there really is NO norm when it comes to breasts.   They come in all shapes, sizes and colors!    So, I set forth to write a blog post about this and show you all that there is NO norm.  I want you all to stop comparing and learn to love yourselves as you are!   All breasts are so different.

 

I’m so proud of all the women that have sent me images of their chest.   These women come from all over the country and they were all brave in sending me these images.  What I didn’t expect while doing this project, however, was all the little stories I got to hear from the women themselves.  It’s been so cool to hear personal stories from these ladies about their breasts.

 

Here’s some brief mini stories about some of these breasts:

  • 46-year-old mother of 5 that has nursed all of her children and had a 60lb weight loss.
  • A brave woman shared her recent surgery, 6 days post op of breast reduction and lift.
  • One of these women had a significant portion of her left breast and nipple removed when she was 21. She’s now in her late 30s.  One breast is real, one is an implant.
  • A 58-year-old woman has lost 107lbs after having gastric bypass.
  • One of these women is very pregnant and has swollen pregnancy breasts.
  • Another woman has had a mastectomy and reconstruction due to increased risk of cancer.
  • The woman above’s sweet momma has stage 4 breast cancer and therefore a full mastectomy. No reconstruction.
  • One of these women has a third nipple.
  • One of these women had severe bruising due to post reconstruction surgery.
  • These women range in age from 20-60.
  • Some of these women have had children, some have not.
  • Many of these women have had changes in their weight.
  • All were brave enough to share their photos.

 

Feel free to take a look at all of these breasts.   Stare if you need to.   Get it through your heads there is no normal.   We are all different.  These are all everyday women.  These boobs belong to moms, sisters, best friends.    Each of these women has a story.  Therefore, all of these breasts are going to be different.

 

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Because I find facts interesting, I wanted to leave you all with some random breast and nipple facts.   Here you go!

Random breast and nipple facts:

  • Nipples are as unique as fingerprints.
  • Nipples can poke in and out. Inverted nipples are normal.
  • The nipple has its own sweat glands
  • Breasts are sisters, not twins
  • Breasts are not the same size. In fact, one breast is usually about one fifth larger than the other.
  • There are 4 types of nipples: protruding, flat, puffy and inverted. All are normal.
  • The average boob weighs between 1-2 pounds
  • It’s normal to have bumps around your areola. They are called Montgomery Glands.

 

I believe that most breasts are normal and I truly believe we need to start normalizing women’s bodies.  You should also be aware of and watch for changes in your own breasts.   If you are ever questioning whether something is normal, please talk to your doctor!   They will tell you if something is right or not.  Don’t ignore changes in your breasts.

While you are here, stop by to read our blog post about women’s bellies too!   Let’s normalize our bodies.  Click HERE  to read more.