A BLOWUP OVER BREASTS

Isms Recently, Dallas Morning News columnist STEVE BLOWlearned the hard way that even for a columnist, opinions about the female anatomy are strictly taboo. And those taboos are enforced by the Association of Women Journalists, many of whom work at the News.

Blow got himself into a World of Her when he attempted to document the shameless advertising blitz used by local topless clubs, which he termed “’breast wars.” Blow observed that one vastly over-endowed (80-MMM-26-32) dancer reminded him of the bass drum player in his high school band and was “more of a curiosity, kind of like people who grow giant vegetables.”

What really landed Blow in deepest doo-doo was this: “I know it’s a matter of personal taste, but I’ve got to confess that these mammoth mammaries are not my cup of tea. Come to think of it, a cup of tea is just about my cup of tea.”

Wrong move. Steve. The next thing Blow knew, he was the whipping boy of 15 or 20 distaff staffers.

Says GAYLE REAVES, an officer in AWJ: “We objected to the whole thing. At any rate, we told him we didn’t think it did what he wanted to do. If the point was to make fun of people who arc fixated (on breasts], it didn’t come off that way.”

Blow acknowledges that the Sensitivity Squad made “some good points,” but he worries about the climate of opinion: “We”re already so careful not to offend that it crosses the line into being timid and tepid. The point that was made over and over again was, how would I like a column to be written about my male genitalia? My answer was, if I was already running ads about it in the sports section, I probably wouldn’t much mind.”