smacked in the face by my own assumptions

[molly_o]

The magazine I edit is publishing an article on breast cancer. As submitted, one sentence read: "Research has shown that women with "dense" breasts are more likely to develop breast cancer than women with less dense breasts (meaning their breasts contain more fat tissue)." A couple editors (I was one of'em) queried the sentence, because it was not absolutely clear *which* breasts contained more fat tissue -- the dense breasts or the less dense ones.

Eventually, it was edited to read, "Research has shown that women with "dense" breasts (i.e., whose breasts contain more fat tissue) are more likely to develop breast cancer than women with less dense breasts." This version is less ambiguous, but also WRONG -- because it's the glandular tissue (the non-fatty tissue) that makes breasts dense; breasts with more fat tissue are *less* dense.

Now, the correct was meaning implied by the original phrasing -- the parenthetical explanation came immediately after "less dense breasts." Also, it makes sense if you think about it: fat is more buoyant, which would suggest it's less dense. So how come we settled on the exact opposite meaning? Because it seemed counterintuitive that fattier breasts would also be healthier breasts -- because we share an unconscious assumption that fat = bad, and fat = unhealthy.

My feminist card ought to be taken away.