I had this experience on my recent bra shopping trip. As I was at the register ready to buy my new bra, the salesperson asked me if I had looked for a bra with padding. I laughed and said to her, "My goodness no! I'm already a double D, I don't think I need padding!" She smiled and said, "Well, it's actually because of how self-conscious women are of their nipples. They want to make sure they are never showing." Whoa. OK, I didn't even know that. I told her a funny story about my recent trip to India where I tried on a new silk salwar and couldn't help but notice that my nipples were very attentive to the material, and I just laughed and wondered how my very sweet and deferential tailor Shiva might be scandalized. But it never occurred to me to feel particularly ashamed or embarrassed - isn't that just a part of a woman's body?