Stacked: A 32DDD Reports from the Front [Hardcover]

Susan Seligson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2007

What is it about breasts—or if, you prefer, bazoombas, melons, Dolly Partons, or breastasauri—that inspires such fascination? No one is even sure why women have breasts when not pregnant or nursing, but start a conversation about them, Susan Seligson discovered, and every woman, man, child, and drag queen has something to say. In Stacked, this intrepid 32DDD writer takes us on a journey through a culture where breasts have come to stand for all that is woman. Seligson introduces us to the proud owners of the world’s largest augmented breasts; crusaders for the right to parade bare-chested in public; and women pining for larger breasts or smaller ones, who may resort to surgery or stranger fixes (breast-enhancing gum? giant suction cups?) to get the breasts of their dreams. She relates the history of the bra and takes us on a quest for the perfect one. She explores the thinking of surgeons who do hundreds of breast implants a year, academics suspicious of our changing standards of femininity, and the editor of Busty Beauties magazine. And she writes throughout with the wisdom and humor of a woman who knows what it is to wield body parts so powerful they can make men crash cars.

Susan Seligson is a journalist and the author of Going with the Grain; she has also coauthored four children’s books with her husband, cartoonist Howie Schneider. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, Salon.com, Atlantic Monthly, Redbook, the Boston Globe Magazine, Outside, and Allure, among others, and currently writes an award-winning humor column for the Provincetown Banner. She lives in North Truro, MA.

What is it about breasts that inspires such fascination? No one is even sure why women have breasts when not pregnant or nursing, but start a conversation about them, Susan Seligson discovered, and every woman, man, child, and drag queen has something to say. In Stacked, this intrepid 32DDD writer takes us on a journey through a culture where breasts have come to stand for all that is woman. Seligson introduces us to the proud owners of the world’s largest augmented breasts; crusaders for the right to parade bare-chested in public; and women pining for larger breasts or smaller ones, who may resort to surgery or stranger fixes to get the breasts of their dreams. She relates the history of the bra and embarks on a quest for the perfect one. She explores the thinking of surgeons who do hundreds of breast implants a year, academics suspicious of our changing standards of femininity, and the editor of Busty Beauties magazine. And she writes throughout with the wisdom and humor of a woman who knows what it is to wield body parts so powerful they can make men crash cars.

"A good-natured examination of the breast question . . . Stacked is on the side of right—a celebration, neither prudish or depraved, of ‘female orbs’ in all their hypnotic glory."—Ada Calhoun, New York Times Book Review

"A petite woman naturally endowed with large breasts, humor writer Susan Seligson had only to look down to find the subject of her next book. Why, she wondered, do men and women fetishize the female anatomy? In Stacked, Seligson . . . has written an entertaining treatise on America's breast obsession."—The Boston Globe

"On location in L.A., [Seligson] manages to be both sympathetic and funny in profiles of the creator of Busty Beauties and of plastic surgeon Robert Rey, cable TV’s Dr. 90210. Her pilgrimage to Las Vegas in search of 156MMM dancer Maxi Mounds has an entertaining Waiting for Godot quality, and it’s informative to boot: Who knew that polyprolene string was the implant material of choice for the ‘macro-boob sorority’.”—The New York Observer

"'Everybody loves to talk about boobs' . . . though few do so with the humor, poignancy, smarts and insight Seligson mixes artfully throughout chapters that examine the importance of the breast in our culture."—Springfield Republican

"I always thought beautiful breasts were there just to behold and hold, but Susan Seligson set me straight.  Breasts are there to write about.  I don’t know how adolescents will take to Stacked, but we Golden Agers are here to take the turns on the trip she offers."—Norman Mailer  

"Like an artful comedienne, journalist Seligson, a self-avowedly well-endowed woman, wittily recounts her experiences as she anecdotally examines 'what breasts mean to their bearers as well as their beholders.' Assessing an abundant lexicon of breast slang, Seligson ponders the role of breasts as the marker of femininity, conversing with women of all ages about how their breast size affects their daily life and self-image. Quizzing experts on the evolutionary role of breasts for human sexual attraction, she surveys the history of the brassiere before purchasing 'the perfect bra' at a renowned Manhattan retailer. Seligson's candid observations are hilarious as she visits a workaholic editor for Busty Beauties magazine and searches for the Guinness-record-holder for breast size, one Maxi Mounds, at an exotic dancing event. Questioning the global phenomenon of breast augmentation, Seligson reveals industry scams and discusses the psychology, ethics and cultural implications of implant consumerism with leading plastic surgeons and media scholars. Concluding with cross-dressers and their removable breasts, the author proclaims herself at peace with herself as 'a person who happens to be stacked.' Seligson's earthy merriment and compassionate humor triumph."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

"Seligson . . . finds the humanity in just about all of her interview subjects."—Kirkus Reviews

 

"As she makes clear in the title, journalist Seligson is a woman with size 32DDD breasts and a sense of humor. She sets out to discover whether life is really better for women with larger breasts. Seligson interviews women with various-sized breasts, women who have had breast augmentation or reduction, women with record setting-sized breasts, transvestites with removable breasts, and plastic surgeons who create breasts. She considers slang terms for breasts, the challenges of finding good bras for large breasts, the question of why breasts seem to play such a large role in our society, and more. Though she also addresses some serious issues, such as the physical damage and trauma surgery can cause and the higher suicide rate among women who have had breast augmentation, Seligson's tone is generally light."—Debra Moore, Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Like an artful comedienne, journalist Seligson (Going with the Grain), a self-avowedly well-endowed woman, wittily recounts her experiences as she anecdotally examines "what breasts mean to their bearers as well as their beholders." Assessing an abundant lexicon of breast slang, Seligson ponders the role of breasts as the marker of femininity, conversing with women of all ages about how their breast size affects their daily life and self-image. Quizzing experts on the evolutionary role of breasts for human sexual attraction, she surveys the history of the brassiere before purchasing "the perfect bra" at a renowned Manhattan retailer. Seligson's candid observations are hilarious as she visits a workaholic editor for Busty Beauties magazine and searches for the Guinness-record-holder for breast size, one Maxi Mounds, at an exotic dancing event. Questioning the global phenomenon of breast augmentation, Seligson reveals industry scams and discusses the psychology, ethics and cultural implications of implant consumerism with leading plastic surgeons and media scholars. Concluding with cross-dressers and their removable breasts, the author proclaims herself at peace with herself as "a person who happens to be stacked." Seligson's earthy merriment and compassionate humor triumph as she surefootedly tours a subject bound to elicit strong feelings ranging from adulation to derision. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Susan Seligson is a journalist and the author of Going with the Grain; she has also coauthored four children’s books with her husband, cartoonist Howie Schneider. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, Salon.com, Atlantic Monthly, Redbook, the Boston Globe Magazine, Outside, and Allure, among others, and currently writes an award-winning humor column for the Provincetown Banner. She lives in North Truro, MA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596911174
• ISBN-13: 978-1596911178
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,055,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Interesting!, February 28, 2007

By 

Austin S. Collins (Geneva, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stacked: A 32DDD Reports from the Front (Hardcover)

Seligson writes in a brisk, clear and often funny style. Her subject matter needs no hype; it hypes itself. Few other body parts, if any, are so politically and sexually charged. So instead of engaging in the kind of lurid, titillating sensationalism that might tempt other authors, she instead approaches her subject with a respectful, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth and often gently self-deprecating tone that allows both the poignancy and the frequent silliness of the topic shine through. She treats the undertaking with loving, brutal frankness. The book covers ambitious ground: gender identity, cultural standards of beauty, the paradox of male and female attitudes towards breasts, the moral, ethical and medical questions swirling around elective cosmetic surgery, equal rights, pornography and of course the tender issue of what comprises a normal healthy self-image. She skims over this familiar territory with surprising neutrality, exploring the characters she meets along the way in much more depth than she explores the underlying puzzles and competing arguments. This is more of the story of a journey than an essay, which is refreshing. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive and scholarly survey of all the areas listed above. It simply relates how one woman has made peace with her body and the love-hate relationship she has with it -- and also what she has learned from the many, many others she has met as she sought out their input on something that we will never, ever get tired of looking at or reading about. She mentions at one point that every man she ever told about this project asked the same question: "will there be pictures?" You are probably wondering the same thing. Answer: yes and no. There is one picture, but it is not in the book. And I'm not talking about the headshot on the hardcover jacket. In order to find this picture, you will have to delve deep into the text. If you read the whole book carefully, you will discover where to find the one image that everyone, male or female, will be curious to see.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Knock(er) Out!, March 18, 2007

By 

C. Hamilton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stacked: A 32DDD Reports from the Front (Hardcover)

When I got this book in my grubby little hands I thought, "Great! A book on two of my top five favorite subjects!" I could direct my focus entirely on breasts -- even in a public -- and appear to be improving my mind. The only problem with this plan is that an intellectual with his nose buried in a book rarely laughs out loud, and certainly not as much as I did.
By the end of the section that categorizes all of the slang terms for breasts, you might think Seligson has decided to skip any serious discussion of the topic. But instead she uses her sense of humor to deflate the hype and mystery that accompanies the subject, exposing it in broad daylight for an objective yet sardonic look. Through a series of interviews and anecdotes, I learned more about breasts, and the fascinating people on which they grow or have been installed. In the book, Seligson interviews a long list of unlikely characters -- the 90201 plastic surgeon, a former Hustler editor, the moribund attendees of a stripper's convention, and even a supposedly straight man with implants. These people -- and Seligson's affectionate take on them -- are what stands out when the book is finished. As the title of one of the chapters points out, "The face is up here, pal." If there's a book that can impart this valuable lesson, then "Stacked" is it. At least until the next well-packed blouse comes into view.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too bad I can't rate this book 6 stars, March 14, 2007

By 

Steve Charney (Woodstock, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stacked: A 32DDD Reports from the Front (Hardcover)

Susan Seligson writes like silk. Smooth.. and funny. There is a serious side to Seligson's book, Sure, she's a first rate journalist, but she's also a top notch humorist and most of the book is laugh outloud funny. Her timing is immaculate.
As silly as many of the real life characters she writes about are, she always gives them her respect to be outrageous as they follow their crazy dreams (like Maxi Mounds, who has the largest breast implants in the world). Because Seligson is self-effacing herself, you love her and her pursuit of everything boob-like.
And when all was said and done, besides being tickled, I learned a lot of stuff about breasts from a woman's point of view. Bravo!