First off, I’m just so tickled that a genuine scholar of cool (Thornton’s dissertation, later published as Club Culture, studied coolness hierarchies) has chosen to pursue a theory of the “liberated rack.” Breasts are complex signifiers, which makes it complicated to have them, whether you came by them naturally or had them surgically implanted, enhanced, diminished, removed, or replaced.
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I enjoyed this book so much, not only for Thornton’s fearlessly creative questions and authentic curiosity, but for the pure entertainment value of hearing from the women who sell erotic dance, design the most complicated undergarments on the market, and delve into our “treasured chests” both literally as plastic surgeons and, during pagan goddess festivals, as metaphor offering the possibility of women’s empowerment.
I can’t say I’m crazy about the cover image, two pink stoplights on a blue background, with concentric small yellow nip circles and, for some reason, differently colored areolae, cherry-red and deep orange. But would I be completely comfortable with a more realism-based alternative image? According to Thornton, hardly any of us are happy with the rack we’re handed. We need more books like Tits Up to encourage nuanced discussion of our bodies and body positivity.
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