The Circle

Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: BOLSTON/FLICKR.COM Unleash the b(r)easts: Nipple fascination is widely agreed upon, seldom talked about

As someone who shares her sex-driven articles with the entire Marist campus, I generally possess a very high level of comfort with discussing issues of sexuality, and use various sexual terms accordingly. However, there is one particular term that still gets my goat, one that I always feel silly bringing up: nipple. They may be the silliest looking human organs of all time; even the word itself sounds silly, like Skittles or poodles. It seems inevitable for the subject of nipples to yield a chorus of giggles (yet another silly word that sounds like nipples).

I think that many people shy away from acknowledging nipples for the same reason as I do, because of they may have starkly conflicting feelings about nipples (women's nipples, in particular). One minute we're drooling over Jennifer Aniston's pair, as seen on the forever-frigid set of Friends, and the next we're rioting and cursing our televisions over Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bow half-time showl. It's all quite a challenge to keep up with.

Curious as to how other people my age feel about this seemingly taboo issue, I ventured out to ask the opinions of Marist students. On whether or not conversing with a girl whose nipples are visibly erect would make him uncomfortable, sophomore Steve Danziger said, "It depends on the level of attraction you have for the girl, and the context of the conversation."

"If you're not attracted to her, or if it's in the context of a job interview or something, that's when it becomes uncomfortable. But it's good if I'm attracted to her, because then I'm that much closer to knowing what she'd look like naked." said Danziger.

The ladies I interrogated felt similarly. Sophomores Carolyn Augustyn, Brianna Kelly, and Katie Meena all agreed with Danziger, in that the level of familiarity that they have with the girl plays a big part in how they'd feel about seeing her nipples through her shirt. I asked them just how uncomfortable it would be with an unfamiliar girl.

"I might wonder why she's not wearing a bra, and I'd avoid staring at them, but it wouldn't really make me uncomfortable," said Kelly.

Augustyn said she would also be uncomfortable.

Continued...

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