“The Chinese might have invented gunpowder and the noodle, but the West had invented cleavage, with profound if underappreciated implications. A man gazing on semi-exposed breasts was not only engaging in simple lasciviousness, he was also meditating, even if unawares, on the visual embodiment of the verb “to cleave, ” which meant both to cut apart and to put together. A woman’s cleavage perfectly illustrated this double and contradictory meaning, the breasts two separate entities with one identity. The double meaning was also present in how cleavage separated a woman from a man and yet drew him to her with the irresistible force of sliding down a slippery slope. Men had no equivalent, except, perhaps, for the only kind of male cleavage most women truly cared for, the opening and closing of a well-stuffed billfold. But whereas women could look at us as much as they wanted, and we would appreciate it, we were damned if we looked and hardly less damned if we didn’t. A woman with extraordinary cleavage would reasonably be insulted by a man whose eyes could resist the plunge, so, just to be polite, I cast a tasteful glance while reaching for another cigarette. In between those marvelous breasts bumped a gold crucifix on a gold chain, and for once I wished I were a true Christian so I could be nailed to that cross.”
the West had invented cleavage, with profound if underappreciated implications.
A man gazing on semi-exposed breasts was not only engaging in simple
lasciviousness, he was also meditating, even if unawares, on the visual
embodiment of the verb “to cleave,
” which meant both to cut apart and to put
together. A woman’s cleavage perfectly illustrated this double and contradictory
meaning, the breasts two separate entities with one identity. The double meaning
was also present in how cleavage separated a woman from a man and yet drew
him to her with the irresistible force of sliding down a slippery slope. Men had
no equivalent, except, perhaps, for the only kind of male cleavage most women
truly cared for, the opening and closing of a well-stuffed billfold. But whereas
women could look at us as much as they wanted, and we would appreciate it, we
were damned if we looked and hardly less damned if we didn’t. A woman with
extraordinary cleavage would reasonably be insulted by a man whose eyes could
resist the plunge, so, just to be polite, I cast a tasteful glance while reaching for
another cigarette. In between those marvelous breasts bumped a gold crucifix on
a gold chain, and for once I wished I were a true Christian so I could be nailed to
that cross.”