Ask a big, busted woman wearing a comfortable, correctly fitting bra if she cares about her cup size, and she’ll probably laugh. When you have a bust that needs daily support being in the right size bra is essential. So why are so many women afraid to feel the joy of a correctly fitting bra simply because that bra has a cup size over a D?
The fear of being a D+ cup size stems from a lack of education around bras. We’ve been brought up to believe that A-D are the regulation bust sizes – anything above that is excessive, unnecessary and probably pornographic. This dogma is so ingrained in society that it’s almost impossible to find D+ bras on the high street (Victoria’s Secret, La Senza etc. all stop at a DD). What does that say to you when you’re a busty teenager trying to shop for your 30G boobs? “You’re a freak, you don’t fit in, you need to conform.”
In an effort to keep the status quo but accommodate some of these unforeseen big, busted gals, bra manufacturers began making DD then DDD bras. Now I don’t know who thought having a bra size called triple D was easier than saying F cup, but that guy was smoking something funky. Why was it such a problem to use the rest of the alphabet? The introduction of DD and DDD sizes came in the 1950s when boobs were still something to keep under lock and key. I can only assume that to call these oversized bazoomas E and F would have caused men to spontaneously combust, so it was just safer to stay in the D-zone. Women have been brain-washed into thinking that big boobs are for wanton women and that stigma stays with us today.
I’m afraid some women are not helping in quashing this man-made stereotype either (the letter system was introduced by a man). The number of times women have commented how fake my boobs are to her husband in not so hushed tones never fails to amaze me. I was particularly saddened the other day when I read on a forum a 19-year-old asking for help finding bras in a G cup. The comments ranged from catty to downright offensive, and I can only assume that those women lack a great deal of self-confidence so have to bring others down.
It’s time for us to reclaim the rest of the alphabet and recognize that cup letters are proportional to our body size. I think the photo below from Brittany at Thin and Curvy, shows that your band size has everything to do with proportionality.
Being proud of your body and knowing how to dress it well starts with wearing the right bra size. It is quite literally the foundation of your style and confidence.
