Arena · Season 1 · Episode 342

The Tip of the Iceberg

Friday, January 27

Breasts/bosoms/bust/boobs/bristols/knockers... we live in a breast-obsessed society and 'tits' are by no means the preserve of the tabloids; the symbolism of the breast is expressed in film, fashion and filth. From body beautiful to breast bondage these twin peaks have become a fountainhead of contradictions. The film looks at the ways in which the bosom is idealised and the means by which it is trivialised and denigrated. In her lifetime a woman will see her breasts transformed from sexual to maternal and perhaps, ultimately, dispensable objects. It is dealing with breast cancer that is 'the tip of the iceberg' for women, who have grown up feeling ambivalent and estranged from part of their own bodies. Contributors to the film include Barbara Windsor, Jane Russell, Marina Warner, Sheila Kitzinger, American poet Andre Lorde, Vivienne Westwood, Anna Raeburn and Russ Meyer. Feature: page 48