The D Cup and Up list is getting quite international–the last two celebrities were from the UK (Katherine Tate and Amanda Redman), and today’s celebrities are from Latin America–Sofia Vergara from Colombia, and Salma Hayek from Mexico. I’ve mentioned both Sofia and Salma on Hourglassy before, but they caught my eye this month because Sofia is featured in the April InStyle and Salma in the May Lucky.
Here are my favorite quotes and/or discoveries from the Sofia Vergara interview:
“Citing Sophia Loren as a role model–sexy but always appropriately dressed for her age–the famously voluptuous Vergara now opts to show off either her cleavage or her legs, but not both. ‘Believe me,’ she says, ‘I can look cheesy very easily.'”
Comment: Great advice! It’s like lipstick or eyeshadow–makeup artists always advise choosing just one feature to highlight.
“As a woman who usually has size 4 dresses altered for her size 2 waist and can rarely find a bra that fits, she has tried to create a line that flatters all shapes and sizes.”
Comment: Where to begin with a statement like this? First, Sofia needs to contribute her photo to the Bra Band Project tout de suite! Second, if you “like” the InStyle Facebook page and watch the video of the photo shoot, you will notice that they provide no back shots of the dress in the photo above. It wouldn’t surprise me if the waist isn’t cinched with giant binder clips. Her tailor didn’t get to alter this one. Finally, in one of the magazine shots, she is wearing a gorgeous blue lace bodysuit by Chantelle. You know Chantelle doesn’t make a bodysuit in Sofia Vergara’s size! That’s probably way she’s sitting down with a coat above it in the photo. If only lingerie companies would make body suits above an F cup.
As for Salma Hayek, the necklines in these dresses are gorgeous for large bosoms.
Nothing boob-specific caught my eye in the Hayek interview, but you can read it here if you’re interested. I was actually inspired by her story of how a terrible case of acne almost derailed her when she was first trying to make it in the United States, and I also liked her Fashion Plan B:
What you need is one black dress I call Plan B. It doesn’t have to be fabulous, it just looks good, covers up the problems and is neutral enough for dinner, business, a date, a funeral. You don’t overwear it, you don’t overwash it, because the Plan B is gold.
Both women embody “boob ownership” to me, which raises another question on this topic: Does baring cleavage prove that a woman owns her boobs? More on that in another post, but I would welcome your thoughts in the comments before then.
I would love to know what bra size they are both wearing now… In Modern Family Sophia always looks amazing and her clothes fit to a T. I wonder if she’s figured out proper fit or if her tailor alters her bra bands too?
She must realize by now that she’s no 34DD.
I think that baring cleavage does show boob ownership. They’re not ashamed of having boobs, as hiding them would seem to indicate. Cleavage isn’t a shameful thing to have.
And I love how they look both classy and sexy in those photos. They seem proud of their bodies, as all women should be.
I don’t think hiding means shame either. It can merely be a respectful measure, and an understanding of what is appropriate for certain situations. Cleavage isn’t necessarily shameful but it can be inappropriate.
Many schools have teacher dress codes that do not allow for cleavage, as do a number of professional work places. For my field, while we may not necessarily see the public regularly we must still dress to reflect the values that the public expect from our institution- this can certainly be eccentric but must also be constrained. It seems to the rule of thumb for many congregations that cleavage is not appropriate for church/synagogue/temple, especially in conservative communities/religions.
You can still dress to flatter your shape even if your chest is covered up.
I understand your concerns about propriety. However, I believe the issue runs a bit deeper.
We are taught these standards by the society we live in, but I think it’s absurd for a natural part of our bodies to be deemed “inappropriate”. Why is it inappropriate?
In Saudi Arabia, women are covered from head to toe, except for their eyes, because revealing more is considered “inappropriate”. In the west, we recognize how absurd that is, to make a woman dress in such a way.
We know that in certain ancient peoples and even native tribes that exist to this day, it’s not uncommon for women to walk around topless, and their fellow tribesmen (both men and women) don’t even blink an eye.
These two examples show how drastically different our views of how a woman’s body should be clothed, vary from culture to culture. When compared side-by-side, it makes me question why our society views cleavage in such a way.
I do think it has to do with shame when women are looked down upon, even called derogatory names, for “showing too much skin”. When a part of our bodies is “inappropriate” for certain situations, isn’t that implying that there’s something innately “bad” about it?
Sorry for the long response, this is just something I feel strongly about.
Katie and Curves Uncovered, you are both articulating two sides of this subject that I debate in my mind.
Curves Uncovered, even though toplessness doesn’t even raise eyebrows in some tribes, the reality is that mere cleavage is mesmerizing to a lot of men in Western countries. Some women are able to use this to their advantage. They’re comfortable with the attention and know how to keep things moving towards their goal. Others find it easier to cover up in order to keep the focus on what they’re trying to accomplish.
There’s no question that the women in the first camp own their boobs, but they are a very rarefied group of women. There are a lot of women who think they belong in that group who don’t really know how to balance classy and sexy.
Since I belong more in the second camp, I like to think that cleavage isn’t the only badge of ownership.
Thanks for your thoughts on this, Curves Uncovered. I’m still working through whether hiding boobs = shame. Of course a word like “hiding” certainly leans that way.
And I like your point about CLASSY and sexy. They don’t have to be exclusive of each other.
By the way, I enjoyed looking at your blog just now and am looking forward to reading more from you.
I like to think that going through the effort of findng good fit is a sign of ownership, acceptance, and pride. I often don’t let cleavage to show, but i do get my clothes to hug my curves, and show them off. Wearing a tight fit with bold colors, prints, or accessories is my way of showing confidence without showing the dreaded “cleavage” (not dreaded by me, but perhaps by any random person I may have to meet) who is not comfortable with it.
There is no way on this earth that Sofia is a 34DD, I’m a 34DD and her boobs look WAY bigger than mine!
“Showing cleavage” means something different to different people. I don’t think it is a sign of “boob ownership”, but I also don’t think that it *isn’t*. It is a single aspect of appearance about which one really can’t make an accurate generalization.
For example, there are women who show cleavage because it is what someone else (like a partner) wants or expects of them, regardless of their own comfort. That’s obviously not a sign of their own empowerment wrt their breasts.
That last point is amazing, Ms. Pris. Interestingly, though, sometimes it’s doing something for someone else that breaks you out of your comfort zone and can perhaps LEAD to “ownership”.