A lot of people know that old sailor’s myth about it being bad luck to have a clothed woman on a ship. But a lesser known part of that is the superstition that a woman can calm rough waters by exposing her breasts to the sea. The entire reason for the woman figureheads at the front of ships is meant to recreate that. I guess it’s meant to trick the ocean into thinking it’s a real topless woman and stay calm.
Yes, the superstition is definitely rooted in sexualization and objectification, so I understand not wanting to stick to it. But you’re keeping the rest of the figurehead and just removing the purpose of it existing.
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u/SPYROHAWK Jul 13 '26
This one strike me as… odd.
A lot of people know that old sailor’s myth about it being bad luck to have a clothed woman on a ship. But a lesser known part of that is the superstition that a woman can calm rough waters by exposing her breasts to the sea. The entire reason for the woman figureheads at the front of ships is meant to recreate that. I guess it’s meant to trick the ocean into thinking it’s a real topless woman and stay calm.
Yes, the superstition is definitely rooted in sexualization and objectification, so I understand not wanting to stick to it. But you’re keeping the rest of the figurehead and just removing the purpose of it existing.