This is Bob. Bob has bitch tits.
November 10, 2003 7:21 PM   Subscribe

Breasts on men — most people's only knowledge of this stems from Fight Club (his name was Robert Paulson), but Gynecomastia is a very real medical condition, often a side effect of Klienfelter Syndrome. This person's experiences with their gender identity (raised primarily as a girl, then switching to being publicly masculine when older) while growing up with Gynecomastia in a small town fascinated me. (First FPP!)
posted by djwudi (17 comments total)


 
There is, of course, the possibility that the experiences mentioned are a load of hooey.

However, the overall idea of the blurred line between masculine and feminine in this situation was what peaked my interest the most, even if the story has been embellished (fabricated?).

Damn, now I'm second-guessing my own post. ;)
posted by djwudi at 7:54 PM on November 10, 2003


That's the freakiest pair of breasts I've ever seen.
posted by Veritron at 7:58 PM on November 10, 2003


Breasts on men — most people's only knowledge of this stems from Fight Club



what, was there a poll by CNN on the subject of college freshman and their knowledge of man-tits? That's a complete load of crap, if you ask me. I would say that.... oh, roughly .0003% of the population received their knowledge of this situation from Fight Club. But hey, I could be wrong.


Besides, everyone knew an overweight boy with big boobs back in junior high, right? Hell, my cousin Jimmy used to charge a dollar to let the sixth graders feel him up.
posted by bradth27 at 8:29 PM on November 10, 2003


Actually, they look pretty normal to me. Although the guy needs a bra with a longer band - he says he's been fitted but in some of the picture you can see his flesh bulging above and below the band, and he complains of permanent grooves - signs it just doesn't fit properly.

This story has the ring of authenticity, but it is hard to believe at times. Unbelievable that he would have been allowed to attend an all-girl's school in a small town of the early eighties, and be welcome at girls' pajama parties. But it was fortunate for him though - his adolescence could have been hell, but it sounded like it was a happy time for him. In the early nineties I attended a high school in a small town, and jeez, even the guys I knew who were gay didn't dare come out and went through hell because everyone knew anyway.

It's a such a sad story. He does seem like such a gentle person, though not overly bright or well-educated, and he has spent his entire life being a fish out of water for something beyond his control. It makes one realize just how rigid gender lines can be, and how punishing society can be to those who cross the lines.
posted by orange swan at 8:33 PM on November 10, 2003


That and Gynecomastia has nothing to do with Bob's bitch tits.

He was a juicer.
posted by angry modem at 8:38 PM on November 10, 2003


Breasts on men — most people's only knowledge of this stems from Fight Club

Uh, there used to be this show called Seinfeld... the "mansiere"... the "bro".... anybody?

Anyway, more great discussion on gender fluidity could be found in this thread, if it didn't generate a CF error. Maaaaaatt!...
posted by soyjoy at 8:41 PM on November 10, 2003


Steriod abuse can cause gynecomastia, though.
posted by pemulis at 8:43 PM on November 10, 2003


Bob cried. Six months ago, his testicles were removed. Then hormone therapy. He developed bitch tits because his testosterone was too high and his body upped the estrogen. That was where my head fit -- into his sweating tits that hang enormous, the way we think of God's as big.
posted by John Shaft at 8:49 PM on November 10, 2003


I am Jack's Tripod bandwidth overload.

And forget Fight Club -- Oswald's man-boobs are where it's at.

And Klinefelter's is one theory underlying the intersexuality rumor surrounding Jamie Lee Curtis (but Snopes and I doubt it, especially after obvious hormone-driven changes).

And hey, don't forget male breast cancer, while we're at it. My 65-year-old father had a suspicious lump examined.
posted by dhartung at 10:24 PM on November 10, 2003


"Hell, my cousin Jimmy used to charge a dollar to let the sixth graders feel him up."

Best dollar you ever spent?
posted by spazzm at 12:50 AM on November 11, 2003


Don't forget this guy, who had them implanted for a year as a bet.
posted by johnny novak at 1:01 AM on November 11, 2003


Nice letter kalessin; thanks for your openness.
posted by tr33hggr at 7:38 AM on November 11, 2003


Interesting post. And interesting letter, kalessin. Thank you for sharing it.
posted by lobakgo at 9:08 AM on November 11, 2003


kalessin, I live in New Zealand, and am unaware of any such laws.

We do allow elective termination when there is obvious fetal abnormality, but we don't do routine amniocentesis, except in older mothers, so I don't see how Klinefelter's would be detected prenatally anyway.

Anyway, termination is only with the consent of the parents. We are not crazed eugenicists down here.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:22 AM on November 11, 2003


kalessin, I applaud your attitude. Thanks for digging that out.

I guess it hinges on what qualifies as a severe physical handicap. I for one, as a parent, could not reasonably see how intersex is a severe physical handicap per se.

Still, I must point out that it is a parental choice, not government policy.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:14 PM on November 11, 2003


Other Fun Reasons Men's Breasts Grow. Bad news: 10-20% stem from drug/alcohol abuse.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:56 PM on November 11, 2003


BTW, Matt (or Skippy, I guess) has now fixed this thread I referred to above. In case anyone had tried it earlier. There's some interesting related stuff in it.
posted by soyjoy at 1:48 PM on November 12, 2003


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