10 Worst States To Be a Woman

In a time of war and record unemployment, the GOP is sending a message: fertile women are the country’s number one enemy, and their freedoms must be quashed at all costs. State Republican (and some Democratic) legislators have introduced nearly 1,000 laws restricting women’s reproductive health access on the state level, and this is on top of decades of reproductive health policies that have made women second-class citizens in many states.

Here are 10 of the worst states to be a woman between puberty and menopause:

1. Mississippi. Mississippi has been such a bad state for women for so long it rarely even gets noticed in the news anymore. Legal and cultural harassment has reduced the number of abortion providers in the state to two, making the abortion rate in the state four times lower than the rest of the country. This doesn’t mean that women in Mississippi don’t need abortions; just that they go out of the state to get the services, making the actual abortion rate much closer to the national average. The demand is surely higher and not being met, as Mississippi is far from the place to go for decent sex education and birth control. Mississippi has the third highest teen birth rate in the country, the fifth highest maternal mortality rate, and fifth highest rate in STD transmissions. Because women can’t say no to childbearing easily, one in three Mississippi children live in poverty.

2. Texas. Thirty-five percent of women in their childbearing years are uninsured in Texas, making the need for subsidized family planning services especially strong in the state. Republican lawmakers responded to this need by slashing family planning funding, while leaving untouched the money the state spends on crisis pregnancy centers, even though these centers offer no real services women need. But even this isn’t enough for the Texas GOP. Republicans are currently concocting a scheme that would dismantle the entire state program dedicated to reproductive health care for low-income women. Just in case there was any doubt left in women’s minds that Texas Republicans hate them, Rick Perry will be signing an ultrasound requirement to get an abortion.

3. South Dakota. Anti-choicers in South Dakota tried to ban abortion in 2006, but the non-misogynist population turned up at the polls and beat the ban back. But searing hatred for ovulating women will not be thwarted so easily! The state then passed a law requiring women to wait 72 hours and subject themselves to a hectoring lecture at a crisis pregnancy center before they can get an abortion. Surprise! It turns out that no crisis pregnancy centers have applied to be official counseling centers. It makes sense, since by agreeing to do so, they’re allowing women to fulfill their paperwork requirements to get an abortion. Letting crisis pregnancy centers become an impassable obstacle to abortion has given misogynist legislators a way to deprive women of any ability to get an abortion while leaving abortion technically legal.

4. Indiana. Not to be outdone by South Dakota, Indiana has gone a step further and moved toward attacking both contraception and abortion access. Gov. Mitch Daniels recently signed a law banning abortions after 20 weeks, and cutting off all federal funding for family planning. Lawmakers claimed they only wanted to attack clinics that also provide abortions, but because of federal non-discrimination policy, the law basically means an end to all federal funding of contraception, as well as STD testing and treatment. Now women in Indiana who rely on Medicaid and Title X subsidies to afford contraception will have to come up with hundreds of dollars they don’t have for contraception, or go without and run the high risk of unwanted pregnancy. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that without these clinics, teen pregnancy would be 21 percent higher and there would be about 3,500 more abortions in the state a year.

5. Oklahoma. Oklahoma legislators looked at how Indiana Republicans are using the specter of abortion to cut off contraception and thinking of ways they can expand on that for brand-new ways to punish women for having working uteruses. Why stop at attacking women not giving birth, when you have women who have babies to punish, as well? With this in mind, the Oklahoma House passed a bill that would eliminate independent contractors from administering Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a federal program that distributes nutrition vouchers to low-income women with children. As usual, Planned Parenthood was cited as the reason, with the GOP claiming the organization is so evil that it’s better to starve babies than allow Planned Parenthood to receive government funding. In practice, the result is one more punishment inflicted on women, this time for having the nerve to have babies who need to eat.

6. Kansas. Kansas went from being a pretty bad place to be a woman to a hellhole rapidly, between the murder of Dr. George Tiller in 2009 and the recent election of devout misogynist Sam Brownback as governor. The murder emboldened the radical anti-choice movement, as it resulted in the closure of Tiller’s clinic and proved to them that terrorism does work. Because of this, anti-choicers in the area moved to terrorizing Dr. Mila Means, a Kansas family doctor who was discovered receiving training to provide abortion. So far, Dr. Means has been unable to find relief from the harassment campaign at her office and her home, and a federal judge refused to issue a restraining order against Angel Dilliard, an anti-choice fanatic who has been threatening Dr. Means’ life.

Despite the atmosphere of fear and violence, Gov. Brownback is giving the terrorists what they want by signing more abortion restrictions into law, and pushing to strip family planning funding from women who depend on it.

7. Minnesota. So much for “Minnesota nice.” The much-ballyooed unwillingness to be confrontational was shoved aside by Minnesota legislators who are all too willing to simply ignore court rulings that restrain misogynist legislation. Legislators sent a big F-you last week both to the supreme courts of the nation and their own state by passing two laws that have already been deemed illegal by the courts. One, a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, violates the Supreme Court’s ruling that abortions can only be banned after viability. The other, a law banning public funding of abortion, violates the Minnesota supreme court ruling that found that such a ban violates women’s right to equal treatment under the law. Minnesota Republicans may not confront you on most things, but they’re willing to take it to the mat to deprive women of basic equality.

8. Georgia. Last year, reproductive justice advocates beat back a bill that would require doctors to “screen” women of color having abortions for some kind of pressure to abort because of race. By inventing a non-existent problem (women of color aborting because of racism) legislators would have put doctors in a position where providing abortion to any woman of color could result in jail time, which could make the service only available to white women. The bill didn’t pass, but it did end up kicking off a nationwide frenzy of anti-choicers attacking the reproductive rights of women of color specifically while pretending to be concerned about racism.

In reality, Georgia is a terrible place for women of childbearing age, especially women of color. The state has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country, and maternal mortality disproportionately affects women of color. Real concern for the well-being of women of color would start with doing something about the maternal mortality rate, not feigning concern about their reasons for abortion.

9. Arizona. Race-based abortion restrictions may have failed in Georgia, but unfortunately, such a law recently passed in Arizona, a state that can’t even pretend that it’s not run by a bunch of wild-eyed racists. The “concern” for women of color aborting because of racism is laughable in a state where the legislature basically accused President Obama of not being a real citizen on no real evidence besides his appearance and in which it’s now the law for the police to harass Hispanic citizens for their papers. Of course, Arizona ignores the real problems facing women of its state -- 23 percent of women of child-bearing age are going without insurance coverage; the state has the third highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country; and 23 percent of Arizona children live in poverty. In light of all this, the safe assumption is race-based abortion laws are about making it that much harder for women of color to get abortions, which makes these laws not anti-racist, but just plain racist.

10. Louisiana. Louisiana has a ban on abortion on the books in case Roe v. Wade is overturned, as well as a host of other restrictions on abortion that have reduced the number of providers to seven in the state. Despite this, a Louisiana legislator has introduced a bill to ban abortion, apparently on the theory that if you pass the same illegal law over and over, it might just take. In addition, Gov. Jindal has indicated support for laws that would put additional restrictions in place for women of color seeking abortion, modeled on the abortion law in Arizona. As in Georgia, the concern for women of color is a centimeter deep; the state ranks 46th in maternal mortality and there’s no evidence that Republican legislators are lifting a finger to save the lives of women who do have their babies.

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Sugar Sues High Fructose Corn Syrup

It's about the lesser of two evils, isn't it? But when push comes to shove, how different is sugar from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)?


The Western Sugar Cooperative is claiming that the two are in fact very different. It recently filed suit against sugar refiners for misleading consumers in calling HFCS corn sugar, according to the Des Moines Register and as discussed on Food Politics. "The lawsuit names as defendants Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc., and other major corn syrup processors as well as the Corn Refiners Association."

So, is it fair to call HFCS sugar? Not according to the Western Sugar Cooperative.

"This suit is about false advertising, pure and simple," said Inder Mathur, president and CEO of Western Sugar Cooperative, the grower group that filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court along with the Michigan Sugar Co. and C&H Sugar Co. Inc. "If consumers are concerned about your product, then you should improve it or explain its benefits, not try to deceive people about its name or distort scientific facts."
Corn Refiners Petition to Be Called Corn Sugar

I wrote in March that the Corn Refiners Association had asked the FDA to change the name HFCS to corn sugar. The Corn Refiner's Association lobbied hard for the name change because more and more people are refusing to buy products containing HFCS. As a result, many food manufacturers have stopped using HFCS and, instead, have replaced it with sugar. The sky rocketing price of corn, which has shot up nearly 50 percent in the past couple of months, has also been a factor. But it turns out that an existing FDA regulation makes the name change difficult. Marion Nestle wrote on Huffington Post that the name was already taken:

    The Corn Refiners have just petitioned the FDA to be allowed to use the name "corn sugar" to apply to both glucose/dextrose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). But the existing definition seems to exclude HFCS. While HFCS is about half glucose, it is also about half fructose, and its manufacture from corn starch requires one more enzyme.


Here's the FDA regulation
.
But even still, HFCS has been using the name in its new advertising push, which is no small campaign. Corn Refiners spent nearly $30 million on advertising in 2008.

But how different are HFCS and sugar? Let's be clear: sugar and HFCS share the same biochemistry. Marion Nestle defines:

    Sucrose: a double sugar of 50% glucose and 50% fructose linked together HFCS: a syrup of about 45% glucose and 55% fructose, separated


However, HFCS goes through highly unnatural processing. The process starts off with corn kernels. The corn is spun at a high velocity and combined with three other enzymes: alpha-amylase, glucoamylase, and xylose isomerase, so that it forms a thick syrup that's way sweeter than sugar.

But in the end it's all about market share. Each group wants a bigger piece of the economic pie and as public perception of these ingredients evolves, so too does the name by which each group would like to be referred.

READ MORE - Sugar Sues High Fructose Corn Syrup

7 ways to be obnoxious while exercising

We all try to exercise in some capacity. Some choose to get fit in the great outdoors, while others enjoy the comfort of a weight room or gymnasium. Unfortunately, some people take their exercise too far in an attempt to impress the masses. Here are a few ways people become obnoxious while they’re breaking a sweat.

7 Wear Spandex
 

You should be a professional athlete with body fat index less than 8 % if you want to wear spandex. Or you need to have an unbelievably good looking body. Otherwise you just look ridiculous.

6 Make your workout a competition
 

The gym is a competition between me and my heart… and years of consuming delicious red meat, while simultaneously smoking Marlboro Reds and eating a lifetime of deep fried Twinkies in a single afternoon. I have no beef with you, fellow gym goer. This is not a competition between you and I to see who can elliptical bike to the top of Mt. Everest the fastest or to see who can be the first to break the sound barrier on the treadmill. If I wanted to compete while running, I’d run a 10 K or joined the Army, OK? I’m just here to burn some calories and admire the women who can properly rock spandex without causing my heart to make that popping sound that happens when you uncork a champagne bottle.

5 Be the person who sweats everywhere
 

Everyone hates following the Creature from the Black Lagoon when using Nautilus equipment. You lay down and immediately start to stick to the machine. Then the stench of a hundred sweat soaked human beings wafts into your nose and makes you seriously contemplate buying a Bowflex. Just bring a towel and wipe down the equipment after you are done. It’s not time consuming or difficult. Even for someone who is obviously some sort of swamp monster.

4 Wear shorts when it’s 20 below outside
 

We’ve all seen this guy. You are standing outside of somewhere freezing your ass off and complaining about not being able to feel your extremities and some nut goes running by in just shorts and a t-shirt. They think they look like a total bad ass when their bright pink cheeks and Asics breeze by us in 10 degree weather. They think we see them running and feel they’ve conquered Mother Nature’s icy grip. In actuality, we secretly hope they get locked out of their house in order to learn a lesson on choosing the proper ensemble to venture out into the cold with. I understand you’re hot when you exercise, but let’s be realistic, no one is sweating THAT much. Even Eskimos on the Discovery Channel wear a coat when they go out to wrangle wild yaks. You aren’t running on the sun, so maybe throw on a jacket and some pants next time you go jogging in the bitter cold. We aren’t going to think any less of you. It’s not proving you are tough, it’s proving that you are certifiably insane.

3 Doing laps when kids are playing in the pool
 

I know that kids get super annoying when around water of any sort, but most community pools are meant mostly for the amusement of children. Don’t go down to the neighborhood pool in the middle of a summer afternoon and expect to get a Michael Phelpsian workout. Let the kids have some fun. Sure, you have as much of a right to the pool as they do, but you have more options than they do. Like night swimming. Sans bathing suit. Ideally not next to a school zone.

2 Ride your bike in the middle of the street
 

Do you want to live in a body cast for the rest of your life? You couldn’t pick a more dangerous hobby in Los Angeles, except maybe mapping out what colors you could wear in South Central without getting shot. People there will purposely ride their bikes everywhere they shouldn’t. When I go around a sharp mountain curve, I’m not expecting to see Lance Armstong peddling away to his own imaginary bike race. Unless you have a bet with your doctor about lowering your heart rate, the only thing you are going to win by riding your bike in the middle of the road is “The Schwinn Memorial Award for Morons Run Over by a Tractor Trailer.” You’re telling me that you can’t find anyplace to ride a bike other than the middle of a busy road? Tax payer money builds parks especially for you to ride bikes in! Because the urge to hit a spandexed-up Schwinn jockey on a 12-speed who is backing traffic to a halt during rush hour is so intense that it’ll cause even the best hearted people to think about taking you ass over handlebars into the nearest guardrail. So for the Love of God, if you need to ride a bike, please do it somewhere that isn’t a heavily trafficked road designed specifically for automobiles.

1 Grunting
 

The sound of a rhinoceros that has just gone into labor with twins is never sexy. Especially when the sound is coming from a sleeveless human being trying to “maximize his pump” by doing 5 more reps on the squat thrust. Now, I understand that there will be grunting and words of encouragement shouted at any gym that you exercise in. That’s totally cool, because people need to be able to use some sort of release when benching or pushing themselves to the limit physically. But sending out shrieks of anger that sound like two rabid gorillas mating at the zoo is both disturbing and unnecessary. We all know that you’re working hard at getting that Men’s Fitness cover, but you gotta tone it down a bit. You’re at a 12, and I think we need you at about a 6. No, it has nothing to do with reps… please just tone down the grunting till you get back home.

READ MORE - 7 ways to be obnoxious while exercising

Men Think About Sleep & Food as Much as Sex

 

Men think about sex every seven seconds, right? Not according to a new study that finds men ponder sleep and food as much as they do sex.

The median number of thoughts about sex by college-age men was 18 times a day to women's 10 times a day, the study found. But the men also thought about food and sleep proportionately more.

"In other words, there was nothing special about sexual thoughts," study researcher Terri Fisher, a psychologist at The Ohio State University, Mansfield, told LiveScience. "Males thought more about any of the health-related thoughts compared to females, not just thoughts about sex." 

Sex on the brain

The "men think about sex every seven seconds" axiom is an urban legend, Fisher said. But there is little reliable research on how often men and women really do have sexual thoughts. Most studies have asked people to think back across their day or week and try to remember how many sex thoughts they had -- a method that doesn't always provide reliable results

Fisher and her colleagues instead asked 163 college women and 120 college men to carry around small golf-stroke tally counters. So they wouldn't be biased to think about sex, the students were told they'd be asked about health-related thoughts, Fisher said. Next, the researchers told 60 percent of the students to click the counter whenever they thought about sex. Others were instructed to tally their thoughts on food and sleep.

"The stereotype is that men think about sex constantly and women rarely [think about it]," Fisher said. But that's not what she and her colleagues found. There was a broad range in the number of sex thoughts, from several participants who recorded one thought a day, to a male participant who recorded 388 thoughts in a day. Factoring in the participant's sleep time, his 388 thoughts broke down to having a sexual thought every 158 seconds, Fisher said, still far fewer than the "every seven seconds" legend would suggest.

Sex, sleep and snacks

On average, Fisher wrote, the men in the study thought about sex slightly more than once each waking hour and women about half that. However, men paid no greater attention to sex than they did food and sleep, Fisher found. That difference could be a real one in which men are just more aware of their physical state at any given time, she said, or it could be that men are more comfortable clicking the tally counter to record their body-centric thoughts.

"There are stereotypes about women and sexuality and about women and food," Fisher said, and women who indicated on questionnaires that they cared more about what others thought about them were less likely to report food and sex-based thoughts. They were equally like to report their sleep-based thoughts, which aren't so subject to stereotypes, Fisher said. The finding suggests that women, but not men, are influenced by social desirability concerns in what they were thinking or what they would admit to thinking.

The study has limitations, including the fact that people tend not to have isolated thoughts. The data also doesn't show whether an individual thought is a one-second passing notion or a full-on 10-minute sexual fantasy. The study was limited to college students, but Fisher currently has research under way on adults ages 25 and up. She said she hopes to get to the truth of the sex difference stories that get passed around in popular culture.

"When people hear about some of these differences, I think sometimes they don't question it because it fits the stereotypes we have of men and women," Fisher said. "When you stop and take a closer look at the origins of some of these alleged differences, they sometimes have no empirical support."

READ MORE - Men Think About Sleep & Food as Much as Sex

Big Breasted British Babes Bemoan Their Udderly Behemoth Boobs

Rigby & Peller, the Queen’s underwear supplier, has launched the N-cup bra, the biggest size ever made in Britain. It’s certain to be a relief for thousands of women who have been squeezing their breasts into ill-fitting bras for years.

In the Fifties, the average woman fitted comfortably into a B-cup, but today underwear retailer Bravissimo estimates at least 60 per cent of women in a C-cup should be wearing a D-cup — or larger. The average size is closer to a 34E than the 36C we’re led to believe.

So, with the nation’s breasts swelling and a typical L-cup weighing more than a stone, we wondered what life is really like for those ‘blessed’ with a big chest. Here, five readers reveal whether their bigger breasts are an asset or an affliction...

Celebrating their curves (left to right): Annie, Sarah, Lisa, Elisa and Terri-Lee

'I REALLY ENVY ALL MY SMALL-CHESTED FRIENDS'

Annie Beaumont, 19, is a student at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle. Bra: 32LL. She says:

Annie Beaumont: 32LL

I'd give anything to look like my friends with their pert breasts. But instead I’m dreaming of a breast reduction on the NHS to decrease my chest by four sizes to a GG-cup.

Perhaps then I will get a good night’s sleep instead of spending hours struggling to get comfortable.

By the time I was 14 I was a G-cup. Unlike my friends, I’ve missed out on the joy of being able to wear trendy clothes such as slash-neck baggy tops. They just hang off my boobs and make me look enormous all over, but on my friends they look great.

I have to wear fitted, stretchy tops that mould to my shape.

Last summer, a group of us went on holiday to Jamaica and the other girls had lots of pretty bikinis, while I felt ordinary in a boring black swimsuit.

People rarely think about the emotional side of having a big cleavage or how it feels to be passed over in favour of your slimmer friends.

On nights out, my friends attract compliments for their looks or style, but all I ever get is ‘Oh, you’ve got huge boobs!’ as though they can’t think of anything else to say about me.

I’ve rarely known how it feels to have a man speak to me because he wanted to and not just because he was fascinated by the size of my breasts.

Other girls have beautiful lingerie sets, but I have no choice unless I invest in bespoke bras. But at £160, the price is prohibitive.

The only advantage I can see to having a chest this big is that I get served quickly in pubs and nightclubs.

 

My friend, who had H-cup breasts, had them reduced to an E-cup and she swears it’s the best thing she’s ever done. She no longer has aches and pains or problems buying fashionable clothes.

I’m on the waiting list for breast reduction surgery. It could take two years, but I know it’ll change my life.

'MY BREASTS ARE PART OF MY PERSONALITY'

Sarah Roberts, 36, recruits for a tool hire company and lives in Wigan. She is divorced with two children, Freya, 14, and Harry, 12. Bra: 36L. She says:

Sarah Roberts: 36L

Even though each of my breasts is bigger than my head and they always enter the room before I do, I love them.

What’s not to love about having a sexy, hour-glass figure and feeling ultra-feminine? No one ever describes me as Sarah with the dark hair, blue eyes or trademark red lipstick. I’m known as ‘Sarah with the big boobs’, but I adore that.

I dress appropriately for my age, but I always stand up straight, walk tall and wear low-cut tops and dresses to show off my ample bosom.

Nevertheless, finding the right size bra or swimwear can be a nightmare. Some styles show off far too much, while others flatten you. It’s hard to find something that simply gives you a nice shape.

Buying clothes isn’t easy either. Often I’ve bought dresses three sizes too big just so they’ll fit around my chest.

In the heat of the moment in a changing room I’ve even said I’m going to have a breast reduction. I’d never go through with it, though, because I love my boobs too much.

I know there are plenty of people who think that you get breasts this big only if you’re overweight. But I lost three stone last year and not a bit came off  my bust.

My mum is a B-cup, but my teenage daughter is already in a G-cup, so she’s obviously taking after me.

It’s so important for me to be positive about being curvy for her sake. She wants to be like her friends, who all have smaller chests, and I  can see that her womanly figure  will soon start attracting unwanted male attention.

The best thing I can do is instil in her a sense of confidence in her looks and help her to dress for her age so as not to draw attention to her chest.

Though it would be wonderful not to have constant backache and to see an end to the deep ridges in my shoulders from years of bra straps digging into my skin under the weight of my breasts, I wouldn’t ever have surgery to reduce my cleavage.

My boobs are part of my personality and I wouldn’t want to change that.

'IT CAN BE LONELY HAVING BREASTS THIS BIG'

Lisa Walker, 42, is a PA and lives in Warrington, Cheshire, with her husband Dave, 47, an auditor, and daughter Shelby, 16. Bra size: 32M. She says:

Lisa Walker: 32M

There's an art to living with breasts as big as mine and it’s not always been easy.

Looking at my chest, it’s hard to imagine that when I was 12 I longed for my breasts to grow so I could wear a bra like all my friends.

I should have been careful what I wished for because when I hit 14 my breasts appeared to develop overnight. In the space of just a few months, I went from nothing to a DD-cup — and that still wasn’t big enough. But back then, that was the largest bra you could buy.

People may expect that I loathed looking different to all my friends at school, but I loved the attention my huge boobs attracted. I’d always been a bit of a wilting wallflower, but suddenly I stood out from the crowd.

The boys nicknamed me Ben Nevis because of my chest, but it was all done in good humour so I wasn’t offended. I’ve never minded the attention my boobs have attracted — to me, they are part of my identity.

But as I’ve grown older I have encountered some problems. More than once I’ve been made to feel unwelcome at parties because of my cleavage.

Men tend to avoid me for fear of staring at my chest, and their wives spend the whole evening watching them like hawks. It can be a lonely having breasts this big.

People joke that it must be a long time since I’ve seen my feet — and they’re right. I’ve tripped over plenty of times because my large chest means that I can’t see where I’m walking!

The only real problem was spending years squashing myself into the wrong size bra. Ten years ago, I was so relieved to hear that Bravissimo sold a J-cup, but that was too small for me — even the launch of the  L-cup was a tight squeeze. 

The physical pain of carrying around the extra weight of large breasts is sometimes unbearable. I weighed them once by getting on my bathroom scales at home and asking my husband to support the weight of my breasts with his hands — I instantly lost 17lb. I have constant aches and pains in my back, shoulders and arms. Some days even my wrists hurt from having to adjust the position of my boobs.

That’s why a good-fitting bra can change your life.

'IT’S HARD TO BE TRENDY WITH A LARGE CLEAVAGE'

Elisa Ashdown, 25, works for a lingerie designer and lives in Cambridge. Bra: 32L. She says:

Elisa Ashdown: 32L

A well-fitting bra can be the best diet and breast lift rolled into one. When I first put on a L-cup bra, I was thrilled at the number of friends who asked if I’d lost weight because my breasts looked more pert and my waist was nipped in.

I’d been wearing a 44F bra, which was so big around my back that I could take it off over my head without undoing it.

When the K-cup was launched four years ago, I was fitted with a 34K. It was heaven in comparison and gave me a lovely shape.

I knew I needed something bigger, but despite scouring the internet there wasn’t anything on the market, not even in the U.S.

Bigger breasts run in my family — my mum’s a GG cup and my sister an E despite being very slim. This is obviously just how I’m meant to be.

I like to keep myself fit and go swimming and even running, though I need good support to keep my chest in place.

Sports bras used to be tricky, but they’re now available in a K-cup. I tend to wear one over my normal bra for extra support.

I’m young and want to be fashionable, but there have been many times when I’ve had to buy a size 20 top because of my breasts, which doesn’t do a lot for a girl’s self-confidence.

I used to be a tomboy and live in jeans, but in the past few years I’ve learned to embrace my hour-glass figure. In fact, my huge breasts seemed to have dictated my style.

I mostly wear pencil skirts and fitted, stretchy tops. Wide belts are my new best friends as they accentuate my slim waist and take attention away from my chest.

I’ve had a tough time accepting my shape. I even have the scars to prove it — ill-fitting bras cut the skin under my breasts and have left their marks.

'MY BOYFRIEND HATES THE ATTENTION I GET'

Terri-Lee Whitford, 20, is studying animal behaviour and psychology at Chester university.  Bra: 32L. She says:

Terri-Lee Whitford: 32L

There are two things that upset me about the size of my breasts. First, most men I meet take one look at me and assume I’m a very sexual person.

Even before I’ve introduced myself, I can practically hear their lewd thoughts. If you had to deal with that every day of your life, you’d feel as fed up as I do.

It also places a lot of pressure on my relationship with my boyfriend of 18 months. He hates all the attention I get. I never court it, but it happens all  the same.

And while men are busy assuming you are ‘liberal’, women tend to assume you must be greedy if your boobs are that big.

It’s so unfair. I’ll often see them nudging each other and staring in the street.

I go to the gym and lost a stone recently, but my cup size has remained the same. It’s got nothing to do with how much I eat.

My boobs started to develop when I was ten and by the following year I was wearing an underwired bra because I needed the support.

Since then I’ve been known as ‘the girl with the big boobs’.

I blame my Dad’s mum, who was part Italian and had a voluptuous figure. I certainly haven’t inherited my shape from my mum, who is only a C-cup.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to have small boobs, but I’m sure I wouldn’t feel as womanly.

The only drawback is that I have to plan clothes shopping — I can never buy anything at the last minute if I want it to fit well and look good.

Picture: DAN GOLDSMITH Clothes: Fenwick, LK Bennett & Bravissimo

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Why you should own a Star Wars shirt

May the 4th be with you, kid.  Indeed you are powerful.

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