Saturday, June 21, 2014

Body Politic

Oh, y'all are in for a weird post here today. I've been working on my angle and, truly, I'm not sure I've nailed it.

Let me set the stage: You may know me as that girl who talks a blue streak about everything well-fitting bras, particularly for women of my general shape - hourglass, proportionately large-busted, narrow and short - having breasts which are projected and narrow at the root (chest wall).

You'd have to be living under a rock a new reader not to know me as that woman who's spent the last 3 years going through lots of biochemical and physiological changes, changes which are representing themselves internally and externally.

On the day-to-day basis, I'm a person who plans her outfit around matching, well-fitted, gorgeous lingerie. And when I get home, the first thing I do is take off the lingerie and put on the lounge clothes.
  • Full disclosure: I do not wear a bra to walk around my house.
  • Potentially Scandalous disclosure: I often do not wear a bra when I'm doing yoga (at home) - if that yoga practice is of the totally non-impact, supported variety.
People, this isn't about judgement though lots of my friends have judged me for this behaviour for years. They say things like: OMG, How can you stand to be all "natural" like that and Aren't you worried about sagging etc.

The answer, till recently, has been: Not particularly.

Here's the thing. The projected boobs, conceptually, really do have the sexy edge. They're the ones most lauded in youth when they're large and high and full. They're the ones with the fetishized cache, objectified in the mainstream. They produce cleavage the way the other breast shapes do not. Their eminent shape denotes fertility like none other (even if it's a red herring). All the high street bra brands spend fortunes (and earn them) trying to simulate the full, projected look (albeit in limited sizing options).

Having this type of breast-shape, particularly in a voluptuous size, comes with some perks (ha) and with lots of considerations.

For much of my life I've been wearing bras, for @12 hours a day, to support my breasts optimally and, when I get home I do not want to feel those bras anymore.

For a long time that hasn't been so much of an issue. But, as I've complained endlessly about mentioned on occasion, over the last 3 years, I notice that my breasts are not as high or as full as they once were. (Happy side note: Don't freak out, young 'uns! This is not observable when I'm wearing any one of my excellent bras.)

Here's the other thing: Projected breasts of all proportions (but specifically those that are voluptuous) do not have the edge in age. Y'all know those wide-set, shallow breasts (on wide frames) that look 2 cup sizes smaller than they actually are? The ones that can never achieve cleavage (not that I'm an advocate of cleavage, fwiw)? The ones with the wide roots? Those are the boobs that tend to age gracefully, not that it's a given, because most of the breast tissue is attached to the integral framework of the body.

Think about it. The projected boob is cantilevered. The ratio of breast depth to root width (the part of the breast tissue attached to the body) determines the likelihood of sag over time. Of course, many other factors play a role: Has that breast fed a child? Has it been well supported over its lifetime? Is it inclined, by genetics, to sag? How are the breasts positioned on the torso, to begin with? (Some are naturally low set, some are high set.) Does the breast tend toward stretch marks? Has its owner gained and lost a lot of weight many times over the years? etc.

But I'm here to tell you young ladies with the sexiest projected breasts in your social set: Gather ye rosebuds. And wear freakin' good bras from the minute you understand what that means, no matter the cost. Because, even if you aren't predisposed to sagging, gravity is going to take over. It's simple physics.

I've gone all political - and vaguely scientific - it would seem.  So I think it's best to wait till next time to talk about mitigation strategies. Cuz you know I have them. So no one needs to panic.

In the meanwhile, here are a couple of questions: Do you actually understand the shape of your breasts? (Chances are, if you're wearing a bra that fits, it's because you do. Either that, or you got lucky.) Do you notice changes in the shape of your breasts over time? (This is directed towards the the young ladies as well as those of a certain age, btw.) Let's talk!

19 comments:

  1. I just notice in the fuller/less full category, but yes it does make a difference. My bras are well fitted (for the most part, though a 28 is peer pretty hard to come b where I'm aty). I'm not sure l understand the finer aspects of breast type though.

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    1. 28 is all too hard to come by, I know from my reading.

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  2. My breast shape could best be described as 'socks with grapefruits in the toes). They were never ever perky; I wonder if it would have made any difference if I was allowed to wear a bra when I was smaller busted?
    I find I'm not a big fan of most of the European bra cuts - they're just a lot more conical than my natural shape. Luckily for me, the current fashion in North American bras is a rounder shape. And it's now possible to find bras in my size (36DDD or 38DD) in a lot of different styles.

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    1. Ha! Something tells me there's a sexier way to describe them :-) I do like the more conical shapes (but my breast tissue is very adaptable).

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  3. For most of my adult life, I was a 34B, which is pretty easy to fit. A few years ago, as the result of a radical change in my diet (to address on-going health issues), I lost a lot of my body fat and went down to a 32B. Much harder to find and most bras in size 32 are padded which I don't care for. However, having to shop at lingerie shops means that my bras are well-fitted and the padding gives me some definition in knits and other drapey fabrics.

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    1. The Little Bra Company (http://www.thelittlebracompany.com/bras/new.html) might be a good resource for you.

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  4. I wear a b cup on a large boned frame. I have wide shoulders and a largish rib cage which necessitates a small fba. I've been lucky after pregnancy and breastfeeding to have emerged with relative perkiness amd they are not big enough to worry about wearing a bra at home in the evenings. I don't have too many problems getting bras to fit but I have a hankering to make my own!

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    1. I find it fascinating that the FBA has everything to do with width, not projection. That's why the standard FBA really doesn't work for me. And, by all means, make your own. With your shape, you should not have difficulty making one that fits and supports.

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  5. I have those classic wide-rooted, shallow breasts you describe. ;) it took me ages to figure out why all the 34Bs I tried had cups that were both way too deep, and too narow. I do much better with the 33Cs and 30Ds, I think not necessarily because the wire is different, but because the extra tension on the band pulls them wider---which also flattens the cup. Win for me!

    As for bra wearing---I was mostly against it for a long time. (For me!) it seemed superfluous. Even while nursing, as soon as I could ditch the nursing pads I ditched the maternity bras, too. I only really started wearing them after I started sewing seriously. You could blame it on reaching that point in my late 20s where the first hints that you're not immortal start to appear, but I actually think it has more to do with sewing (and wearing) more wovens, and my own limited dart-shaping skills. A sturdy bra stood up to my less-than optimal fitting attempts, rather than molding itself into pointy/unflattering shapes. And a nice wedge of padding moves me from SBA territory into the bust-size-fitting sweet-spot. Leaving me more time to focus on my other fitting issues. ;) now, I'm only just edging toward my mid-thirties so there are a lot of changes to come, but I doubt that sagging will be a huge issue. There's not that much to sag, and it's well-rooted across a broad area.

    As for your body changes---would you really trade those years of comfort and bra-free relaxation for a fraction more lift now, especially when, as you said, it's not detectable while wearing a bra? While I'm sure gravity does play a roll, I doubt highly that even the most pampered breast will make it through life unchanged. I'd say enjoy your bras when you wear them, and enjoy your bra-free time for all it's worth, too! ;)

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    1. You raise a lot of valid points. I mean, gravity hits when it does. And genetics play a huge role. Mind you, I come from a family of seemingly ageless people (lucky me) and I've still been wearing sunblock 30+ for years :-) Of course, sunblock isn't uncomfortable!

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  6. Before children, my boobs were perfect 34B (though likely I was in a way too big band, since I was about 60 lbs lighter back then) in the mound shape that is desirable in America, but too firm for molded cups to ever fit quite right. I never really worried about it though, being the president of the IBTC and all. ;-) Two kids and 10 years later, they are still roughly the same shape, though a vastly different size. They aren't quite as firm after this last baby, but I actually think I prefer them this way, they were too firm before.

    I have a mix of genetic factors that I'm not sure how they will play out. My dad's side is full of extremely well-endowed women who are shorter and plumper, and my mom's side is all over the map. Theoretically, if I take after my mom's side, I should be golden--my grandma has a great figure, with a youthful face that makes her look at least 20 years younger than she is, and my mother is the same way. I tend towards them in facial features (and I got the slim legs), but I've inherited my father's side towards short and plump (I didn't get the boobs though, thankfully!! My aunt had a pretty major reduction and is still a 36GG!) I do wish my boobs made good cleavage though, mine may touch in the middle at the absolute root, but then they immediately make a turn towards the outside...it takes a lot to keep them together, and I think it makes them look smaller than they are. Goodness knows the looks of disbelief/rolling eyes I get when I tell the sales clerks what size I'm looking for.

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    1. It really is all genetic - and who knows how the genes will fall, in the end. I feel for the shallow-breasted when it comes to asking for sizes in stores. Everyone assumes you need a smaller cup size than you do. And wider wires (generally). But really, all the breast shapes (except the most mainstream for the slopers being manufactured) have it rough.

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  7. I was a very small breasted young woman who didn't wear bras regularly till after college. Now after three children (nursed twins while wearing 40DD), one thing I am doing is making sure my daughters, who do not have my build, have proper bras. For comfort and for body positive feelings. One daughter is 32D at age 14. Hard to find proper bras and very easy for her to buy something at Target that literally mars her back and shoulders. I want both my daughters to feel comfortable, whatever that means to them as I was comfortable when I was their age. Like literally comfortable. For them, this seems to be wearing a bra 24 hours a day and hey I have other things to bug them about so whatever. Me, I have gone from a a youth of 32B to a current 36D. Wouldn't trade all those years of everything (comfort, nursing and nursing and nursing) for anything perky now. Yes, to each thing there is a season......

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    1. Aren't you a fab mum for making sure your daughters have comfort and well-fitting bras. I buy for my daughter online (she has the same cup volume but smaller underbust than your 14 yo) and it works very well. And on eBay I get good prices. M wears bras that fit her beautifully and, as a result, her breasts are happy - and so is she. She really lucked out genetically, fwiw. She's got the boobs of the century and, happily, she knows it!

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  8. Interesting discussion - my mother has similar shape to you K.Line and now in her late '70's still looks amazing in clothes when wearing bras but cannot not wear a bra. In fact she is making "sleeping bras" to accommodate the girls as lying down is now a problem.

    I on the other hand are broad and flat but now in my 50's have not the sag or droop either in or out of a bra (18DD) I always now have to do a FBA but didn't have to in earlier years. Bras can be a challenge to fit but am about to have a go making my own.

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    1. J: I'm very happy to hear that your mother still looks amazing in clothing (when wearing her gorgeous bras). That is very comforting to hear! Wait till you read about my new approach to lingerie...

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  9. I finally understand my shape, though it took a long time! I am one of those wider/shallower people and wore a too-small cup/too large band for a really long time because I thought any wrinkles in the cup was a matter of size and not it being the wrong shape. (I also thought a la Victoria's Secret marketing that a good bra fit meant tons of cleavage and "busting out".) Before I started making my own I wore wireless bras exclusively because at least that way I didn't have to worry about an underwire rubbing or squeezing me to death. Now that I found my correct size (usually a 32C) I don't mind underwires. I can easily go braless but I prefer the projection and shaping a good underwire bra provides. I'm 29 and never been pregnant so I haven't noticed too much in the way of changes. They are larger than when I was a teenager, but I'm also a good 15 pounds heavier than when I was 16 ;).

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    1. It's apparent that you have come to understand your shape because that bra you recently made fits you beautifully. The shallow-breasted ladies - esp. the ones with small breasts to begin with - are so often shocked to discover that they aren't a 34AA. Matrix bra sizing has eroded our ability to discern what a small bra size actually looks like. 32C is very petite. And yet, some ladies think it's huge because of how the media distorts things :-)

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  10. Have you heard of this study whose conclusions are that bra wearing in young women actually causes sagging? http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259073.php

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