I’m 17 and I’m a bra-a-holic.
The trouble is, I also happen to require a 28J bra – this does not help when I want to buy pretty, age-appropriate bras! The choice seems to be white over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders resembling a load of scaffolding, or super-sexy please-let-me-sleep-with-you contraptions. I would give pretty much anything to be able to walk into Topshop like my friends and buy a bra. But I can’t. When I go out to Oxford Street, my friends spend hours in ‘normal’ high street shops buying armfuls of cheap clothing and bras that somehow they know will fit, even without trying them on. Yes, I’ve measured them. They are genuinely a 32A and a 30C. I am not. So, because they’re lovely people, they agree to get dragged to Bravissimo/Pepperberry with me, in the hope that I might find a nice bra or even a top that goes over my chest (shock horror!) Shopping trips are sometimes a bit of a nightmare, because nothing will go over my boobs. I’m a size 8 on the bottom, but often have to go up to up to a 14 or even a 16 to get a top to go anywhere near fitting over the top of my J-for-Jinormous chest.
I remember buying my first bra with my mum, aged 11, in M&S. It was a super-girly, non-wired pink frilly crop top, and it was a 30A. I felt seriously grown-up. At 12, I was in 32A bras, from cool, teen-appropriate shops like Topshop and New Look, and at 13 I was still wearing the same size, and I wished my boobs would hurry up and grow! At 14, I despaired because I’d lost weight and gone back down to a 30A, leading me to stuff my bra with enough chicken fillets to open a branch of McDonalds. But at 15, I had a sudden growth spurt and discovered I needed a 30F bra. This was the point when I realised that my clothes were not going to fit nicely over my chest, and so I spent a year or so living in men’s t-shirts, with the occasional Pepperberry top when I could afford it.
I’m now in sixth form college, so I can wear stretchy t-shirts or Pepperberry tops, but in secondary school, the compulsory uniform involved wearing a white button-up shirt. Busty ladies will know that regulation white school shirts from John Lewis are not friends with large chests. So, instead of the £3 regulation shirts, I went to Pepperberry and bought some for £30 each. This was all very well, until my male head of year asked me, “Why are you not wearing the regulation school shirts? That one is not part of our school uniform!” The response “Sorry Sir, my boobs are too big” got me a detention, and he got months of dirty looks from me and my Pepperberry-clad chest.
By 16, I was wearing a 28G bra. Yes, I’d lost weight and gained a cup size. Bummer. Men would come up to me in the street and ask if me boobs were real, and occasionally reach over for a quick grab-and-run. I also got a bit of stick at school, because according to a group of stroppy, unruly teenagers, having big boobs made me a ‘slut’. The fact that I was a virgin and had never had a boyfriend was apparently not relevant.
At 17, I’ve moved to another school to escape the bullying, and am buying 28J bras. My current favourites are the Bravissimo ‘Bettie Mae’ and the Curvy Kate ‘Showgirl’ range – although the designs are slightly moving into the you’re-way-to-young-to-pull-this-off category. Despite all the challenges they bring, I actually quite like my boobs. Coupled with a larger-than-life bum and a fairly little waist, I have quite a nice hourglass figure (albeit one with a few extra minutes). The one thing I’m really grateful for is that I have the necessary boob-knowledge to put me in the right size bra – I think my chest is quite thankful for that as well! The reason I know about bra sizing is partly down to my Mum, who introduced me to Bravissimo at the age of 15, and partly down to blogs like Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, who teach great bra fitting and body confidence. I’ve come to realise that just because my size isn’t stocked in Victoria’s Secret, Topshop, or Primark, I’m not a freak. Or a slut. I am a 17 year old girl, and I just happen to have size 28J boobs.
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust 
Loved this, I’m a 34E and have had boobs this size since I was 14, now being 17, 5 ft tall, I am always teased, even by best friends about my large boobs, I always think that I was the one who was unlucky, never being able to buy just normal clothes or ‘normal’ bras, but I think women pay thousands too have these and God gave them to me for free, now who’s the lucky one 🙂
I am a petite Asian woman with 24GG/H breasts (well, theoretically, because there are no 24-band bras yet), and what I’ve read from blogs by busty people living in the U.S. and the U.K. surprise me. I’ve always thought that the men over there would be more used to seeing women with big breasts. I personally don’t know any busty people here who have been groped by random strangers because of their big boobs. But, yes, we busty women here get stared at, get verbally harassed, and are made fun of. 😦 But if the day comes when some random harasser gropes me — heaven forgive me — I would get very mad and probably throw rocks at him. If I were wearing a good sports bra, I’d also chase him down the street screaming blue murder.
We curvy women are not “normal” — we’re gorgeous! I am happy that you are proud of what you have. 🙂
YOU ARE NOT a slut you ARE a gorgeous girl with a cracking figure if your ever in Blackpool come see me i,ve been a bra and corsetry fitter for 15 years and i LOVE my job what you must rememebr is the job the Bra has to do so the bigger the cup the more support it has to give so they can end up bulky but a good supporting everyday bra really comfy giving good shape treat it as a uniform then your pretty gorgeous girlie ones for night/weekend . we cater for up the K cup and what we dont have we can get as long as its made. google us and check out the reviews .. Body Talk Lingerie Blackpool
What a great post. I’m a (not so) wise old owl now, who’s almost, almost comfortable with who I am. I wish I’d been able to read stuff like this when I was 17. I think it really would have helped me 🙂
18 years old with a 30G chest. I know how you feel. I hated wearing my school uniform as I’d have to buy a size 14 top when I needed a 10 for my waist. I lost weight but went up a cup size too! I know how you feel. I really hated formal shopping but found a great dress thankfully. None of my friends are busty, so they don’t really ‘get it’. :(*
Kudos to you for educating yourself and realizing you are not a freak. In the USA, women still struggle to comprehend that cup sizes go above DD or DDD, so you are way ahead of the game! You are a treasure. Love yourself, extra minutes and all.
you, my dear, are an inspiration! my blog post for Georgina was about my breast reduction at the age of 20, ten years ago- before the US had brands like freya & panache. i loved reading your story!
I get so sad when I see things like people changing schools because of bullies :-(. No one is freak or a slut because of breast size. It is awesome that you’ve accepted being a 28J rather than stuffing yourself into 34DD’s though! I must say that I wish I had had the courage to wear a tailored shirt instead of my high school uniform on dress days. I love that you just said it so simply: “my boobs are too big”! I probably would have gotten sent home until I wore their required shirt- they were *very* picky about their uniform… even though it looked awful on anyone with a larger chest.
Great post – thank you for sharing! And fantastic that you are educated on good bras. I definitely wasn’t when I was 17 and am sure I was wearing the wrong size (seem to remember I wore a 38C at 17 – but am sure I was probably more like a 36E or something). I also remember the school shirts being very unforgiving as well and wearing my jumper over the top all the time (no matter how hot it was!!) to hide the gaping.
Good on you, girl! I’m so sorry you took so much flak for your chest… I personally have never seen someone picked on for having big breasts outside of elementary, or maybe middle school (US). I am not extremely busty (34F/FF) but I did find out that when I was in elementary school, some of the boys called me “Tissue Tit Ann” behind my back because I developed pretty early. I have no idea why people would call you a slut for having big breasts… I’ve seen that for girls wearing low cut tops, but just for having big boobs? That’s insane, yet I’ve seen it so many times on guest posts and blogs, it must happen pretty frequently. So I’m really sorry for that. What REALLY blew my mind about this post was that men would actually grab you! That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard. Sure it happens with guy friends or at parties, but just in the street? That’s crazy and awful. I’m glad you don’t seem too scarred by it (just from your post here), but I’m so sorry that happens to you. I am, however, really happy that you’ve started taking good care of your wonderful chest so early! I’m 18 and just recently started wearing the right size bra, and I wish I had ages ago. Thank you so much for your post 🙂
Oh, this made me so mad at those men, boys, retailers and most of all your head of year. Here in the US that would have me calling the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), the headmaster and whoever else I needed to so that you would be treated fairly and comfortable in your uniform. As a 30G who didn’t even know she was one until I visited my sister studying in London when I was 29, I can’t imagine your strength and confidence to understand that it is our cultures fault that they can’t handle your body and not yours. Good for you!
I can relate to this post all to well. 18, very early bloomer, 30 FF’s. This year is the first time in my life I’ve worn a truly properly fitting bra. It’s amazing. And why I didn’t do it before was largely down to the dwindling confidence from having such large breasts. I bloomed early. I really needed a B Cup as a 12 year old, by the time I was 14 I was a large D. And that’s just what the improperly fitted bra sizes were. I’ll never understand how large chest computes to ‘slut’. But trust me, I’ve been called it too. I’ve been teased and leered it. And frequently my breasts seem to be a bizarre conversation starter for both my friends and my boyfriends friends. Go figure. Apparently breasts are a new invention.
I’m so sorry you’ve been grabbed in the street. That truly is awful. It’s brave of you to share your story like this and I salute you. Take care 🙂
I just wanted to say that your post really resonated with me and I really enjoyed reading it. I’m 21, a 28J, and being able to buy clothes and accepting my curvy body has been a real uphill struggle – I can only thank my boyfriend for his love and support. It did not help that I was wearing a 34E until January.
I, too, have suffered inappropriate comments from ‘men in the street’, although most ironically it occurs very little these days when out and about with my partner.
I am jealous of your mother taking to you Bravissimo! I wish I had that. I’m also jealous at your ability to wear Bettie Mae as I love the Satine and Satine Floral bras (which is the same cut as Bettie Mae, I’d recommend you trying them out), recently ordered both the BM and SF but the wires are too wide for me so I cannot even shop in Bravissimo anymore, stuck ordering Polish bras from Ewa Michalek and Comexim.
It was refreshing to read such confidence in your body shape (I’m hourglass too) and breast shape/size. Hopefully it will be articles like this that will help me accept that my figure is lovely and “it’s the clothes, not me”.
Congratulations on having such a grownup attitude Miss-17-year-old.
As a guy I can tell you that you will always have men looking at your chest as long as they can see that you have large boobs – that’s simply the way men think. But, a little secret that may or may not make you feel better – men are looking at your bum as well – you just don’t see it as obviously.
Even though you would like to buy those cute and cheap tops your friends buy, you will and have found that buying quality items that fit you will flatter your figure just as much. Some pieces and cuts are better for your figure anyways.
As you get older, you will find that different men prefer different things physically in women – and there isn’t anything that you can do about it. Many men who like full figured women are a bit reluctant to express their preference because it may not be popular with their friends. So, the ones who like your figure the most may be the most shy and reluctant to express their desires. Even when it comes to your lingerie, some men either like practically all lingerie not matter the size (like me), they like larger and more full coverage styles, or, they simply like what you wear because you are the one wearing it.
But, perhaps the best way to attract the attention of the right man is to have confidence in yourself, your abilities, and, your looks. Confidence is very sexy and attracts men who want to know more about those wonderful things that result in your confidence. You are who you are, so, enjoy being yourself.