Vogue says boobs are 'over' but does it fly in the face of body positivity?

Step away from the chicken fillets, put down that cleavage contouring kit and chuck your Wonderbra in charity bin. Why? Because according to style bible British Vogue boobs are totally last season.

An article in the magazine’s December edition reveals that women are no longer baring their busts. Instead, we’re choosing to flash the flesh of our shoulders, stomachs and legs. The reason for our lady lump fatigue, it seems, has nothing to do with how we look and everything to do with the sexual, abusive or ‘creepy’ feedback women receive via social media.

“The cleavage – those magnificent mounds pushed together to display sexual empowerment, to seduce, to inspire lust or even just to show off – is over, or at least, taking a well-earned break,” the magazine declares. “The tits will not be out for the lads. Or for anyone else, for that matter.”

The news that magnificent cleavages are no longer in vogue may well have been welcomed by the small boobed ladies among us. Those that have spent years and likely £££s on various boob-boosting bras and techniques finally have confirmation that they can compete in the fashion-front with their curvier counterparts. Rejoice!

But if you really think about it, effectively declaring a certain body shape to be out of fashion is a bit of a slap in the face for body positivity. What about women who have naturally large boobs? Are they suddenly considered unfashionable because of the natural assets they were born with? Women can’t necessarily make their cleavage disappear because it’s suddenly out of style.

Smaller boobs have largely reigned supreme in the fashion and modelling world, but in recent years there have been calls to feature a range of different cup sizes, more representative of women’s boobs in the real world (The average bra size in the UK is a rather busty 36D after all). Isn’t it therefore somewhat of a contradiction to be striving for body diversity on the catwalks only to then declare larger lady lumps unacceptable in the style stakes?

And then there’s the implication that women should be covering up their breasts to stay on the right side of the style line. Many women like to show off their breasts, no matter their size, and surely it’s their right to do so. No one should feel pressure to cover up, and certainly because of a worry that they will be hit with the unfashionable stick.

Nor should they feel pressurised to hide their cleavage for fear of online abuse. Obviously no one wants to be on the receiving end of negative attention online, but surely it should be the responsibility of the social media moguls to tackle the trolls and ensure women have a safe space to express themselves however they choose?

Similarly, the fault should lie with the men, or indeed other women, posting comments that are deemed creepy, not with ladies displaying their assets if they wish to.

It’s likely Vogue weren’t intending to encourage all women to put away their push-up bras and keep their cleavages caged under turtle necks, but merely commenting on a trend their fashion editors had spotted.

The trouble is, cleavage isn’t actually a fahion trend, but a body part. And whether we’re a AA or a EE, we have to ‘wear’ our breasts whether they’re in, or out of favour.

Should we be hiding our cleavages? Let us know what you think @YahooStyleUK

Vogue Has Just Declared That This Body Part Is “Out Of Fashion”

Letter To An Unknown Troll