7 out of 10 Breasts Can't Be Wrong
How the findings of a 2020 study illuminated a complex truth that drove us to reimagine breast health entirely.
In early 2020 as we were just starting to ideate on a company dedicated to breasts, we came across a groundbreaking study, the Breast Size Satisfaction Survey (BSSS) led by social psychologist Professor Viren Swami.
One statistic stopped us in our tracks: a staggering 70.7% of women are dissatisfied with their breast size.
The BSSS, conducted across 40 nations and involving over 18,500 women, represents the largest-ever global study of women's feelings about their breast size. With participants from 61 research sites spanning multiple continents, cultures, and demographics, its findings paint a compelling picture of a universal challenge.
A Dangerous Truth
Here's where the data gets personal: breast size dissatisfaction isn't just about aesthetics or vanity. The BSSS revealed that women who are unhappy with their breast size are significantly less likely to perform regular self-exams or seek medical attention when needed. We get how it’s possible to feel so alienated from a part of your body that you'd rather ignore it. Sometimes its not about how they look, but how they make you feel–what they might remind you of that you’d rather forget, what’s been put upon you through societal expectations, trauma, what you might find if you look closer. We realized that the implications are more than unfortunate—they’re potentially life-threatening. And it's exactly why we believed Complex Creatures had to exist.
Isn’t it Ironic?
In a culture obsessed with breasts, we've somehow lost the ability to actually talk about them as the functional, dynamic body parts they are. It's time to reframe and reclaim that conversation.
Think of breast self-awareness as a form of radical self-acceptance. Not the drippy IG affirmations but a genuine practice of getting to know your body on your own terms. Your breasts have a story to tell – about your hormonal cycles, your health, your sexuality, your lived experience. It’s time we started listening.
The Mind-Body Connection
The BSSS research is clear: how we feel about our breasts is intimately connected to our psychological well-being. But here's the twist—developing breast awareness can actually improve that relationship. It's a beautiful feedback loop: the more you know your breasts, the more comfortable you become with them. The more comfortable you become, the better you care for them.
Get Hands On
We want to elevate the conversation from skin deep to soul connection. Some practical steps toward breast awareness and dare we say, liberation:
Transform your monthly self-exam from a clinical chore into an act of self-knowledge
Track your breast changes with the same attention you might give to your emotional or mental patterns
Invest in support that serves your body, not society's expectations
Incorporate gentle breast massage into your wellness routine
Acknowledge what your breasts do rather than obsessing over how they look
An Act of Reclamation
The issue isn't our diversity of breast sizes—it's that we've let dissatisfaction potentially compromise our health. Breasts are unique organs that are as much a part of your overall health as your mind or your heart. They deserve attention and care.
Breast awareness isn't just about cancer detection, though that's crucial. It's about reclaiming ownership of our bodies from an ever-changing culture telling us how they should look, feel, and be. It's about writing our own narrative.
This is why Complex Creatures exists: to transform the way we think about and care for our breasts. Because when 70.7% of women are dissatisfied with their breasts, the problem isn't with our bodies—it's with our relationship to them.
In a world that profits from self-doubt and poor health, loving our breasts and chests becomes an act of revolution.