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Boobs: What's All The Fuss About?
Breasts are celebrated and scrutinised, fetishised and censored, worshipped and weaponised. As the saying goes: ‘Behind every great woman is a pair of boobs trying desperately to stay out of the conversation.’
For most of her life, unconcernedly flat-chested author and academic Dr Lisa Portolan had never really thought about her breasts, or boobs in general. But then she met Amanda Goff - aka former escort Samantha X - fellow author, journalist and owner of a huge pair of breasts. A friendship formed, then a working relationship ... and as the two women embarked on business dealings together, the monolithic power of mammary glands became glaringly apparent. All too often, men would ogle Amanda's chest in meetings, text her romantic/perverse messages, and try to get into her pants. The same men would focus their attention on Lisa's face, send her professional emails, and otherwise ignore her. Lisa was left pondering whether she should have her breasts augmented in order to become more visible, while Amanda wondered whether she should have hers reduced. But they both found themselves asking the same question: why all the fuss about boobs?
Lisa and Amanda don't pretend to have all the answers - they're not even sure how they feel about them most of the time. But that's precisely the point. Boobs is a smart, irreverent, wide-ranging and often hilarious conversation about the human and social-historical journey of breasts, richly illustrated with personal anecdotes and perspectives from coauthors at opposite ends of the bust spectrum. With its eclectic mix of chest-related topics - from our fixation with symmetry to the judgy debates about breastfeeding - Boobs celebrates our messy, often ridiculous and always complex relationship with these culturally charged appendages.
For most of her life, unconcernedly flat-chested author and academic Dr Lisa Portolan had never really thought about her breasts, or boobs in general. But then she met Amanda Goff - aka former escort Samantha X - fellow author, journalist and owner of a huge pair of breasts. A friendship formed, then a working relationship ... and as the two women embarked on business dealings together, the monolithic power of mammary glands became glaringly apparent. All too often, men would ogle Amanda's chest in meetings, text her romantic/perverse messages, and try to get into her pants. The same men would focus their attention on Lisa's face, send her professional emails, and otherwise ignore her. Lisa was left pondering whether she should have her breasts augmented in order to become more visible, while Amanda wondered whether she should have hers reduced. But they both found themselves asking the same question: why all the fuss about boobs?
Lisa and Amanda don't pretend to have all the answers - they're not even sure how they feel about them most of the time. But that's precisely the point. Boobs is a smart, irreverent, wide-ranging and often hilarious conversation about the human and social-historical journey of breasts, richly illustrated with personal anecdotes and perspectives from coauthors at opposite ends of the bust spectrum. With its eclectic mix of chest-related topics - from our fixation with symmetry to the judgy debates about breastfeeding - Boobs celebrates our messy, often ridiculous and always complex relationship with these culturally charged appendages.
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2025
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 14, 2025
Boobs are certainly a part of our Western culture. Amanda Goff and Dr Lisa Portolan lay out a bit of history and a lot of personal experience in discussing the impact of boobs in their lives. Interestingly a lot for Amanda, as she was once known as Samantha X, a well known Sydney escort with large augmented boobs, while Lisa hardly thought of them for most of her life, but as a relationship podcaster, became interested and friends with Amanda.
Sometimes interesting, sometimes aggravating (especially some clueless men), but part of all our lives to some extent. Library ebook.
Sometimes interesting, sometimes aggravating (especially some clueless men), but part of all our lives to some extent. Library ebook.
February 24, 2026
A friend bought this for me for my birthday - in our group chat we've got a few larger chests and a few smaller ones and we've had many conversations about how the size of our boobs impact our experiences in life and the various frustrations and triumphs, so I thought this would resonate. Unfortunately it had very little to really say aside from pithy comments about body positivity and a very rudimentary feminist examination of the implant industry. My group chat was having deeper conversations for real!
I also found this book really weird toward large chested people? This book seems to think you either have a flat chest or implants and gives basically no perspective from someone who has naturally large boobs. If it does consider women with naturally large boobs, it basically just says how awesome it must be to have men find you hot or makes some little statement about back pain then calls it a day
One of the perspectives is from a woman who had a large chest because she got the largest implants you can get in Australia. But I found as someone who has (naturally!) about the same size boobs her perspective didn't resonate with me at all. At times it was even borderline offensive? She talks about how she has to get big boobs to get male attention and how great it is - then when she eventually removes them about how she didn't like having "hooker boobs", how she felt her big boobs didn't make her "marriage material" and how the decision meant all her clothes looked better on her ect ect. I found her perspective just a bit weird - is telling girls who have naturally large boobs they look like hookers and clothes will fit better if they didn't have a large chest the move for this book allegedly about body positivity?
I think this book for me missed one of the most crucial things about growing up with large boobs which is the sexualisation from an early age and how constant and draining it becomes. This book barely covers that because the woman with a large chest deliberately got her implants with the hope of being sexualised more. So it just felt a bit off and didn't resonate with me at all. (I will say one chapter is from a woman who did grow up with big boobs and I liked her perspective but again the chapter ends with her just saying she wants them gone, so I sort of felt it kind of ended up not adding anything new to the conversation).
I sort of just felt at times this book perpetuated the very things it purported to be against.
Anyways I just basically felt this added sort of nothing to the points that already exist in my head. If you've thought about boobs for more than like ten minutes I don't know if there will be anything in this book which is fresh or interesting. There wasn't for me at least.
basically points made of the whole book summed up by this tweet:
I also found this book really weird toward large chested people? This book seems to think you either have a flat chest or implants and gives basically no perspective from someone who has naturally large boobs. If it does consider women with naturally large boobs, it basically just says how awesome it must be to have men find you hot or makes some little statement about back pain then calls it a day
One of the perspectives is from a woman who had a large chest because she got the largest implants you can get in Australia. But I found as someone who has (naturally!) about the same size boobs her perspective didn't resonate with me at all. At times it was even borderline offensive? She talks about how she has to get big boobs to get male attention and how great it is - then when she eventually removes them about how she didn't like having "hooker boobs", how she felt her big boobs didn't make her "marriage material" and how the decision meant all her clothes looked better on her ect ect. I found her perspective just a bit weird - is telling girls who have naturally large boobs they look like hookers and clothes will fit better if they didn't have a large chest the move for this book allegedly about body positivity?
I think this book for me missed one of the most crucial things about growing up with large boobs which is the sexualisation from an early age and how constant and draining it becomes. This book barely covers that because the woman with a large chest deliberately got her implants with the hope of being sexualised more. So it just felt a bit off and didn't resonate with me at all. (I will say one chapter is from a woman who did grow up with big boobs and I liked her perspective but again the chapter ends with her just saying she wants them gone, so I sort of felt it kind of ended up not adding anything new to the conversation).
I sort of just felt at times this book perpetuated the very things it purported to be against.
Anyways I just basically felt this added sort of nothing to the points that already exist in my head. If you've thought about boobs for more than like ten minutes I don't know if there will be anything in this book which is fresh or interesting. There wasn't for me at least.
basically points made of the whole book summed up by this tweet:
September 21, 2025
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Thank you Echo Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review
Boobs: What’s All the Fuss About? By Dr Lisa Portolan and Amanda Goff is equal parts witty, smart, and eye-opening. Portolan and Goff dive into everything from cultural obsession and body image to history, fashion, and even the science behind boobs — all with a sharp, funny, tone that keeps you engaged whilst being educated. It’s informative without ever feeling heavy, making you laugh one minute and think deeply the next.
Overall, this is clever, empowering read that proves boobs are about so much more than what meets the eye.
Bookstagram
Thank you Echo Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review
Boobs: What’s All the Fuss About? By Dr Lisa Portolan and Amanda Goff is equal parts witty, smart, and eye-opening. Portolan and Goff dive into everything from cultural obsession and body image to history, fashion, and even the science behind boobs — all with a sharp, funny, tone that keeps you engaged whilst being educated. It’s informative without ever feeling heavy, making you laugh one minute and think deeply the next.
Overall, this is clever, empowering read that proves boobs are about so much more than what meets the eye.
January 6, 2026
Disappointingly shallow book about important topic. The two author voices are indistinguishable from the other so I was wondering who was writing what. The only way I could tell was when one was writing about getting yet more breast enhancements. There was no logical structure to the book either- it didn’t seem to hang together at all.
The funny bits were actually quite funny but ultimately wearying as the insights weren’t ultimately that insightful.
The best bit was when Goff wrote about her old clients as an owner of an escort agency and how sex work was less about sex and more about wanting connection.
That’s when the book felt authentic instead of the shrill humor that the book was hoping to pass as wisdom.
It doesn’t.
The funny bits were actually quite funny but ultimately wearying as the insights weren’t ultimately that insightful.
The best bit was when Goff wrote about her old clients as an owner of an escort agency and how sex work was less about sex and more about wanting connection.
That’s when the book felt authentic instead of the shrill humor that the book was hoping to pass as wisdom.
It doesn’t.
January 19, 2026
Boobs What’s All The Fuss About? Is a book about boobs, the who, where, why, what and how are all in here and then some.
I really liked the short chapter format which made this an easy book to pick up, put down and then pick up again.
As someone who has thought about and researched boobs quite a bit, thank you breast cancer, I found that I even learnt a thing or too.
I found the chapters were a little disjointed and the book lacked flow. Whilst it was all very interesting, it just didn’t seem to go from one main topic to the next, rather mixing it all up. It was easy to work out the chapters that were solely written by Amanda, but again they didn’t really relate to what came before and after.
I really liked the short chapter format which made this an easy book to pick up, put down and then pick up again.
As someone who has thought about and researched boobs quite a bit, thank you breast cancer, I found that I even learnt a thing or too.
I found the chapters were a little disjointed and the book lacked flow. Whilst it was all very interesting, it just didn’t seem to go from one main topic to the next, rather mixing it all up. It was easy to work out the chapters that were solely written by Amanda, but again they didn’t really relate to what came before and after.
November 28, 2025
As a flat chested woman, growing up I used to constantly compare myself to others, wondering whether boys would still like me, was I good enough, was I a ‘normal’ woman? Thankfully, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve accepted and love my body the way it is and wouldn’t change a thing 🥰
This book tackles the societal and cultural expectations of women and boobs specifically, about the power they can wield and empowerment they give. It was a quick and easy read and a refreshing reminder that our bodies are our own and we get to choose how we love and accept them and what we do with them.
This book tackles the societal and cultural expectations of women and boobs specifically, about the power they can wield and empowerment they give. It was a quick and easy read and a refreshing reminder that our bodies are our own and we get to choose how we love and accept them and what we do with them.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews