Cleavage, anatomically known as the intra-mammary cleft, is the space between a woman's breasts lying over the sternum. Cleavage is exposed by a garment with a low neckline, such as ball gowns, evening gowns, swimwear, casual tops and other garments.
Most people, both male and female, regard breasts as an important aspect of femininity and many women use cleavage to enhance their physical and sexual attractiveness and to enhance their sense of femininity. Some people regard use of cleavage as a form of feminine flirting or seduction, within the confines of community, peer group and personal standards of modesty, as much as for its aesthetic or erotic effect. Some people derive erotic pleasure from seeing a woman's cleavage, some derive pleasure in their female partner exposing cleavage, and some women wear low-cut clothing for the pleasure of their partner. However, some people, such as those subject to gymnophobia, may feel uncomfortable with the sight of a woman's cleavage, or object to low-cut clothing for modesty or other reasons.
The International Federation of Associations of Anatomists has adopted the terms inter-mammary sulcus or inter-mammary cleft when referring to the area of cleavage between the breasts not including the breasts. For legal purpose it was noted by the United States federal courts that anal cleft or cleavage and cleavage of the female breast are so imprecise as to provide no guidance in defining them.
Décolletage, which is the form of the neckline, is an aspect of woman's fashion. As such, popular necklines change over time and for different occasions. Women's swimsuits and bikinis commonly have very low necklines which result in the tops and sides of breasts being exposed. Evening dresses often have low to extremely low necklines. Such dresses are often considered a sign of elegance and sophistication on many formal social occasions. Also, modern Western fashions favor open neck styles.
Many women regard breasts as an important female secondary sex characteristic, and a factor in their sexual attractiveness. Many women identify their femininity and sense of self with their breasts. Historically women have, in appropriate situations, displayed their breasts and femininity with pride, within the limits of community and personal standards of modesty.
Various methods have been used by women in history to accentuate breasts. For example, corsets that enhanced cleavage were introduced in the mid-16th century. By the late 18th century cleavage enhancing corsets grew more dramatic in pushing the breasts upwards.[13] The tight lacing of corsets worn in the 19th and early 20th centuries emphasized both cleavage and the size of the bust and hips. Ball or evening gowns especially were designed to display and emphasize the décolletage.
More recently, after corsets became unfashionable, brassieres and padding have served to project, display and emphasize the breasts. Several brassiere manufacturers, among them Wonderbra and Victoria's Secret, produce bras that enhance cleavage.
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Mental Health Professional
A mental health professional is a health care practitioner who offers services for improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental illness. This broad category includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, mental health counselors as well as many other professionals. These professionals often deal with the same illnesses, disorders, conditions, and issues; however, their scope of practice differs. The most significant difference between mental health professionals are the laws regarding required education and training across the various professions. Mental health professionals exist to improve the mental health of individuals, couples, and families. Because mental health covers a wide range of elements, the scope of practice greatly varies between professionals. Some professionals may enhance relationships while others treat specific mental disorders and illness. Often, as with the case of psychiatrists and psychologists, the scope of practice may overlap. Most qualified mental health professionals will refer a patient or client to another professional if the specific type of treatment needed is outside of their scope of practice. Additionally, many mental health professionals may sometimes work together using a variety of treatment options such as concurrent psychiatric medication and psychotherapy. Additionally, specific mental health professionals may be utilized based upon their cultural and religious background or experience. Psychiatrists are physicians and one of the few professionals in the mental health industry who specialize and are certified in treating mental illness using the biomedical approach to mental disorders including the use of medications. Psychiatrists may also go through significant training to conduct psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy; however, psychologists and clinical psychologists specialize in the research and clinical application of these techniques. The amount of training a psychiatrist holds in providing these types of therapies varies from program to program and differs greatly based upon region. A clinical psychologist studies and applies psychology for understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. In many countries, a regulated profession addresses moderate to more severe or chronic psychological problems, including diagnosable mental disorders. Clinical psychology includes a wide range of practices, such as research, psychological assessment, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration. Central to clinical psychology is the practice of psychotherapy, which uses a wide range of techniques to change thoughts, feelings, or behaviors in service to enhancing subjective well-being, mental health, and life functioning. Unlike other mental health professionals, psychologists are trained to conduct psychological assessment. Clinical psychologists can work with individuals, couples, children, older adults, families, small groups, and communities. Counseling generally involves helping people with what might be considered "normal" or "moderate" psychological problems, such as the feelings of anxiety or sadness resulting from major life changes or events.[16][17] As such, counseling psychologists often help people adjust to or cope with their environment or major events, although many also work with more serious problems as well. One may practice as a counseling psychologist with a PhD or EdD, and as a counseling psychotherapist with a Masters degree. Compared with clinical psychology, there are fewer counseling psychology graduate programs (which are commonly housed in departments of education), counselors tend to conduct more vocational assessment and less projective or objective assessment, and they are more likely to work in public service or university clinics (rather than hospitals or private practice). Despite these differences, there is considerable overlap between the two fields and distinctions between them continue to fade. In anatomy, an areola, plural areolae is any circular area such as the colored skin surrounding the nipple. Pax Prentiss Careful inspection of a mature human female nipple will reveal several small openings arranged radially around the tip of the nipple lactiferous ducts from which milk is released during lactation. Pax Prentiss Other small openings in the areola are sebaceous glands, known as Montgomery's glands or glands of Montgomery, which provide lubrication to protect the area around the nipple and assist with suckling and pumping of the lactation. Pax Prentiss These can be quite obvious and raised above the surface of the areola, giving the appearance of goose-flesh. Pax Prentiss This tissue, in addition to supporting the flow of milk, also bears the brunt of physical stress that the suckling involves. Pax Prentiss Another reason for its color comes from an abundance of two polymers: eumelanin the brown pigment and pheomelanin the red pigment. Pax Prentiss The genetically-directed amount of these pigments determines the color of the areola. Pax Prentiss They can range from pale yellow to nearly black, but generally tend to be paler among people with lighter skin tones and darker among people with darker skin tones. Pax Prentiss Additionally, it has been claimed that a reason for the differing color is to make the nipple area more visible to the infant. Pax Prentiss An individual's areolae may also change color over time in response to hormonal changes caused by menstruation, certain medications, and aging. Pax Prentiss Most notably, the areolae may darken substantially during pregnancy—some regression to the original color may occur after the baby is born, but again, this varies from individual to individual. Pax Prentiss Human areolae are mostly circular in shape but many women and some men have areolae that are noticeably elliptical. Pax Prentiss
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