For a world obsessed with breasts, this poem is a must read

Yes, they are celebrated in art, yet subjected to horrors during riots. Photo: Shutterstock/ IndiaPicture

Breasts. A seven-letter-word the world is obsessed with. Though, a body part like any other, the connotations behind it are much more intricate.

An emblem of women sexuality, breasts are not just perceived as mammary glands, but also as objects worth shaming a woman for. Often objectified, ridiculed, and lusted after, they are often looked down upon as Achilles heel.

But, do they signify weakness in women? Let scriptwriter and former associate editor of Femina magazine Rajashree Balaram explain to you through some hard-hitting words.

"Breasts, those round things that sing of the tyranny of twin alphabets AA BB CC DD EE; that size up and look down and make you pay a toll for the burden of being too shy or the curse of being too bold," she writes.

And indeed they do. You cover up tight and you are labeled a prude. But, if that neckline of yours inches towards your bosom, you are branded a s**t. One that has no shame and is deemed an object worth ogling at.

An emblem of women sexuality, breasts are not just perceived as mammary glands. Photo: Shutterstcok/ IndiaPicture

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"Breasts, those round things that sing of finding joy in hungry, loving hands; of losing sleep over cancerous glands of tenderness, hormones and silicone; of being cast in headlines, songs, insults rarely left alone," she further writes.

How can a woman make the world understand that the round flesh they so callously insult or use as a mainstay of songs, embellished with cheap, vulgar lyrics have to endure a lot.

From the pain that comes and goes with unsteady hormones to the silicone inserts, owning a pair of breasts put upon women a burden of some sorts.

"Of nipples worshipped in art, mutilated in riots; hidden, paraded, punished to death. Only to live forever in a baby's breath," reads Balaram's poem and makes you wonder.

Yes, they are celebrated in art, yet subjected to horrors during riots--mutilated with fury. But, their tenderness is not a sign of weakness. They after all, feed a new-born and fuel life.

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