Tits Up
09 May 2024Synopsis
Boobs. Knockers. Jugs. Cans. Baps. Melons. Puppies. Fun bags. Bosoms. Hooters.
In the English language there are over 700 expressions for female mammary glands – the majority of which are mostly used by men. In Tits Up, bestselling author, sociologist and journalist Sarah Thornton asks how is it that we look at breasts so much, but reflect on them so little.
It was after Sarah underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery that she found herself considering how we think about breasts, and what that tells us about ourselves. Across five chapters, she encounters strippers, plastic surgeons, bra designers, modern witches, lactation experts and donors to breast milk banks to create the ultimate biography of humanity's most culturally important body part.
Surprising, sharp, tender and true, Tits Up explores how women’s chests shape our ideas of beauty, health, respect, self-esteem and equality. Blending real-life accounts with sociology, history, art and culture, and written with refreshing optimism and wit, Thornton has one overriding ambition to: liberate breasts from centuries of patriarchal prejudice.
Details
09 May 2024
9781035053896Reviews
A consciousness-raising romp around feminism via the rack.Philippa Perry
An excellent new book. . . Owners and admirers will not look at breasts in the same way again.The Economist
Will make any woman reconsider her body, and any man reconsider how he treats the bodies of the women in his lifeSunday Independent
[Thornton’s] impassioned polemic makes a convincing case that the derogatory way Western culture views tits…helps perpetuate the patriarchy…Tits Up asks readers to reimagine the bosom, no matter its size and shape, as a site of empowerment and even divinity.New York Times
