It’s no secret that women’s breasts trigger a sexual response in men, particularly among western civilization. Evolution has selected this trait as an indicator of sexuality. Although indicitave of multiple characteristics, breast development indefinitely displays that a woman has gone through puberty and is fertile.
These mechanisms built themselves up, and were selected for over hundreds of thousands of years. In the twentieth century, we add plastic surgery into the reproduction equation.
Our hindbrain, the unconscious and most ancient part of our mind is attracted to the fake breasts. The fore-brain, and most conscious part of our mind is also attracted to them.
What happens when the male wonders whether or not they are ‘real or fake’. It creates cognitive dissonance.
Somewhere in our brain, there is a conflicting opinion. The fake breasts are signaling strong reproductive fitness, yet part of our mind knows that it’s not a true indicator. The traits that they are promoted would not actually be passed on to the offspring.
Bateman’s principle describes how In primates, women are the choosier sex. One would expect men would try and ‘cheat’ their fitness with plastic surgery. However, the prevalence of plastic surgery incidents in women far outnumbers men (92%, unverified, 2008). This relates to a sociological concept, rather than an evolutionary one. Society’s overall view on beauty and how we guage it today is totally different than what it used to be.
As a result of this, “real or fake” decision making processes could trigger something totally different for men. I think if you asked most men the magic question, they would say “I don’t care if they’re real or fake.”
I postulate that the dissonace is created for an instant, and then skewed towards the idea that fake breasts are still just as attractive. Dissonance in this form, much like in music, creates a memorable or more lasting experience which is further perpetuated by modern day society’s view on body image.
In other words, society’s view on beauty in combination with cosmetic surgery triggers drives more powerful response than they would be able to create on their own.
I’ve noticed a higher prevalence of women with fake breasts in upscale nightclubs, compared to more underground ones. Perhaps women with fake breasts are looking to attract a different kind of mate, in a different socio-economic status.