Do bras prevent saggy breasts?
Cecil replies: Oh, bras probably do something. It’s just that nobody can agree on what it is. I won’t pretend to have the definitive answer, but here’s what we’ve established so far: (1) The medical term for breast sagging is breast ptosis. One often hears that “the French have a word for it,” “it” being any inscrutable aspect of daily life. However, if the French ever get stumped, ask a doctor. (2) The upper and lateral portion of the breast, as long as we’re working on our vocabulary, is known as the tail of Spence. This is an extremely difficult fact to work into ordinary conversation. (3) There is, so far as your columnist can discover, zero evidence that bras prevent saggy breasts. (I’m not about to keep saying “breast ptosis,” which sounds like something you’d take penicillin for.) My assistant Gfactor — Una is still recovering from creme brulee duty — scoured the medical journals and turned up nothing. Admittedly this wouldn’t be an easy thing to study: though yes, I’m sure you
