The Perfect Fit: From Frumpy to Fabulous!

According to top lingerie sites, a whopping 80% to 85% of women are wearing the incorrect bra size! It is incredibly important to get the correct size bra, especially for those of us with larger than average size breasts. Ill-fitting bras can cause back and neck aches, poor posture, and cause our appearance to look frumpy. With the correct size bra, you can look like you lost ten pounds instantly with having your breasts in the correct spot and better posture!  The most common incorrect bra sizing habit is having a band that is too large and a cup that is too small.

*A band that is too big:  Much of the support of the bra comes from the band, so it needs to fit snuggly to do its job. When it is too big, you get the unflattering indents in your shoulders, your breasts tend to look as if they're letting gravity take over, and on your back, the band is riding up.

*Cups that are too small:  If you are wearing a t-shirt over your bra, and you can still see breast tissue hanging over the top of your bra, then the cup is too small. Your cups are also too small if you see part of your breasts hanging over the sides when you hold your arms up.

*Cups that are too big:  If they're bunching up in certain areas and giving you a strange shape, your cups are too large for you.

A large part of the problem is the stigma associated with cup sizes over a D cup. Your mind automatically goes over how few choices there must be at that size, how difficult it will be to find a bra, and where to find one that isn't a granny-style. Trust me, I've been there. But when you do find the correct size, it makes a world of difference to your body shape, how you feel in your own skin, and your confidence.

Another problem with finding the correct size is when you do want to get fitted, the first place both men and women tend to think of when they think of lingerie is... Victoria's Secret. This is the absolute LAST place you want to go to get fitted because their "experts" are sales people trying to fit you into their bras. I have heard horror stories from countless friends where the salespeople told them that they are a 38D or a 36DD, when their band size is truly a 34 or 32, and their cup size was much larger than what they carry. You need to go to a store that carries a variety of sizes. Victoria's Secret is not it! You should go to a Dillard's or Saks 5th Avenue. My personal favorite is Nordstrom. Nordstrom carries every size imaginable. If they do not have your size, they will order it for you. You will not leave there with an ill-fitting bra, and they will not pressure you to buy anything.

The type of bra is a factor as well. You have full cup, balconette, and plunge style bras. Every woman is different. All breasts have different shapes. For a fuller breast, then a full cup is most likely the right type of bra for you. For those of you with most of the fullness at the bottom of the breast, a balconette or plunge style is probably your best bet. A proper saleswoman will help you in this area to find not only the correct size, but the best style that works for you.

When you first have on the correct size, it might feel a bit uncomfortable and tight because you are not used to how a correct fitting can hold you. This, you will get used to, once you really take a look at yourself and realize how great you look! For examples, check out the pictures below. Here's to a brand new life of confidence! Happy bra shopping!!!  

Halle Berry's Breasts Confused the Host!

haha! The breasts have stolen the show once again! You've got to see this!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/145178/her_breasts_confused_him/

The BBS Origins

"You should write what you know!" has always been a saying that holds true. What do I know? Large breasts-- having them, living with them, the struggles, the perks, the woes of shopping for them. So here we have my new blog: Big Breasted Sisterhood or the BBS for short.

I'm going to tell you about myself, so you can fully understand this blog. When I entered the 6th grade at a brand new school, I already had my period, was shaving my legs, and had a D cup. This school is considered urban, and I was one of a few white kids.... one of four in the choir. I am already standing out because of my skin color and trust me, in middle school, kids start to notice things like that. And now, I'm packing D cups and standing 5'8, almost an entire foot above all of the boys and most of the girls. I started slouching, not just because of the strange pains I was having in my neck and back, but because I was trying to hide my chest. I wore sports bras to try to pin them down, which never really worked. I went to physical therapy for my neck and back pains. I could never talk to anyone about the strange embarrassment and pains I was having because no one could relate.... none of the girls that I was friends with and not my mother, who has been a B cup her whole life. I clearly inherited my father's side of the family's genes. Speaking of friends, I didn't have many back then. Girls are harsh, especially in middle school. There were rumors about me everywhere, that I stuffed my bra, that I was a 'slut,' although I'm sure no one knew what that meant. The slut rumor stayed with me when I entered high school, an especially cruel rumor at that age, that all began just because of my breast size and jealous little girls.

I eventually came out of my shell and was not so shy anymore as I grew older. Fast forward to my college years at Kent State University. There, I found girls who were like me-- average build with large breasts. I joked around when I would meet a new girl with large breasts that we were connected by the bonds of the BBS-- the Big Breasted Sisterhood.

I have struggled since college years to get my posture to where it needs to be after purposefully slouching for so many years. I discovered pilates and strengthened my back muscles to hold me up. I felt more confident that I had friends at my side that also had large chests, and pretty soon, we felt good about even showing them off a bit! When we went out, we wore low-cut tops and were not sorry about it! Other girls were jealous, just like in middle school, but this time, none of us cared. We felt good about ourselves and that was one hell of a wonderful reality change.

But reality always changes. My friends that were what I thought of as average build were a bit overweight, and over the years when their weights dropped, so did their breast size. Not me. As I got older, my breasts grew as my waistline shrinked. Now I'm a 32 F. Yes, I said F. Don't get too freaked out by this. They are not full, at least not on top. For many years, I wore a 36 DD, but that was always incorrect-- the band was way too big and I was spilling out of the cups. One fine day, when I got properly measured at Nordstrom, I walked out of there with a new life-- a better postured life, and a very expensive one-- $75 for a bra! I'll cover great places for bra shopping on a different day.

At 27, I don't look like I have THAT large of breasts anymore. In fact, when people guess my size, they guess C or D cup. I apparently look tiny in clothing, which is nice, I suppose, after so many years of looking big. I have been told that I "hide" them well. I definitely still wear low-cut tops when I go out in the evenings because dammit, I should flaunt what I've got! But apparently, people still don't understand the size until undressing. When I am first intimate with someone, it is always a shock. They are either really into them or not at all. There's never really an in-between. When they're not into them, it makes me feel awful about myself. One negative comment can fuel a fire in me. It is an insecure topic for me. I may act really cool and confident about them and laugh off any negative comments, but that one... that one little side comment can really effect me. I am a female afterall. We hold a lot of confidence, beauty, and insecurities in our breasts.

If you're wondering if I ever made more friends for the BBS, I have many. The group always grows, never declines. Once a BBS, always a BBS, because the BBS is for anyone who has known the struggles and the glorious perks of having large breasts! This group is for you!

As a happy note, I've added some pictures of celebrities that are definitely a part of the BBS.... the natural way! (I add "the natural way" only because these ladies will have some of the same issues that I go through with. You can certainly be a man-made BBS participant!)