Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

I discovered I'm packing a one-two punch recently when reading an online discussion about the relationship between a woman's IQ and the size of her breasts.

The discussion was triggered by a post citing a US study which showed that the bigger a woman's breasts are, the higher her IQ is.

After reading the post, I smiled smugly, glad in the knowledge that I can be proud not only of my sexy breasts but the wisdom they represent.

The study gives me a snappy comeback to a popular saying that is widely accepted by Chinese people - "big breasts no brains." In China, buxom women are often considered to be dippy. Actually, no one has offered solid proof to confirm this saying, but I'd like to attribute it to the bias of men.

When they are dating or talking to me, I can feel men's attention subconsciously drift downwards toward my chest, as my words float past their ears. Therefore, even if I was saying something witty, they would hardly notice.

Scientific or not, the "big breasts no brains" slogan has often been used as a weapon against me and my well-endowed sisters by some women with breasts the size of sour grapes.

Many times, when I have tried to reassure my A-cup friends that men care about more than just boobies, they have retorted, "Never mind. Bigger boobs, fewer brains," to release their festering envy.

Now, this new US study serves as a slap to their jealous faces, by providing a scientific basis to claim that the higher level of female hormones that large breasted women are endowed with might result in better development of their intelligence.

Luckily, I am a C cup. Therefore, according to the US study, I am smart enough to say the results of the study are nothing to gloat about.

When my body started to mature in my tweens, I deliberately slouched to hide the curve of my breasts. I had no sense of sexiness. Instead, I was desperate to obscure the change happening to my body and the unwanted attention it might bring. As a consequence, I have walked with a slight slouch since then.

After I entered university, the girls I was living with started paying a lot of attention to bras and clothing that emphasized and highlighted their curves. I followed the trend. Large breasts make women attractive - we all took this for granted.

My feelings about my breasts and my body, from shame to pride, have been controlled by other people's opinions. This trend is becoming even stronger now that breast are supposedly a sign of intelligence.

In my opinion, the intelligence of a woman should be embodied by her independent thought and self-confidence. A confident woman can bring an ordinary outfit to life, and a lack of confidence will make a gorgeous outfit forgettable.

Don't worry about the size of your breasts. Confidence in your own body will make you attractive, not the size of your bust. Believe it or not, you will just appear foolish if you think large breasts represent either intelligence or stupidity.  

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.