“I hate how they hurt my back. I hate how my bras never feel comfortable and never offer enough support. I’ve always felt my body was out of shape because of my breasts, and it made me very conscious. I hate how men see my breasts first before my face. I can’t wear a bikini or else they stare even more. I have always pretended like it doesn’t bother me – but it does.”

This sentiment resonates with countless women who have larger breasts. I may not personally have this experience, but I’ve witnessed the challenges faced by women with larger busts, some of whom are close to me. It’s rare to see them genuinely appreciate their big breasts; in fact, the only time they seem to enjoy them is when they can conveniently hide things in their cleavage.

These struggles are all too common, yet rarely openly discussed. Having large breasts can indeed mean experiencing the world in a different way; dodging advances, building defenses that others won’t have to, as well as back and shoulder pain.

Although the number of women who receive breast implants is increasing high, more than 350,000 women received breast implants, a 44% increase from the year before, per report. However breast reduction procedures may slowly be catching up. 

More than ever more women are opting for fat and glandular tissue removal surgeries, as a result of severe physical and emotional discomforts. While others choose breast lifts. 

Breast reduction has become the alternative option for a lot of women, especially those whose breast size is not proportional to the rest of their body. With the tendency to lean forward, slouch, or even develop shoulder, neck and lower back pain. Breast reductions are seeing an increase in trend, and many women splurge on  alternative options— like liposuction, firming creams, Botox, etc.

Fashion Has Failed With Women Big Breasts

Women with large breasts can come across as being provocative even when dressed conservatively.

Clothes (in trend or not) and underwear are all designed for a small chest or ability to wear no bra. Leaving busty women feeling excluded by the braless or free nip trend. 

Almost all the clothes that’s made for big chests are never modest. I know a lot of women who  sometimes want to show off. But most of the time they just want to be comfortable.

It can be difficult to dress and shop if you are bigger than a C or D cup. A lot of women I know have struggled in almost every store to find summer tops that work for a big chest and are still casual, cute, and comfortable – usually somewhere around a 11, depending on the store  and breast size. This isn’t something that’s talked about, either.

Breasts size is a topic often left out of body-image discussions, especially when it comes to clothes. Could this be because women are worried about cup size being equated with weight?

Another relative of mine with very large breasts at 5ft 6in athletic body. She often has to buy size 16 or 18 women’s tops to fit them in properly without being constricted and flashing cleavage. For this reason, she only ever shops alone, and told me that she doesn’t own a designer item of clothing, because nothing she tried on ever seemed to fit properly. It’s a shame that, because of the way most stores have designed their womenswear – the result of filtering Barbie looks into something wearable. She ends up having to buy three sizes bigger than she actually is.

It would be easy to overlook and see it only as a label, but labels matter to a lot of women whether they’re comfortable saying it or not. Seriously, women shouldn’t have to buy a nice top in a size 14 or 16 just because their boobs won’t fit the 11.

Confidence, Body Image, and Bust Size

It’s common for a girl that is small chested to feel the need to be what she perceived as “normal” so she gets a breast augmentation to enhance her femininity. 

Women have had to navigate body image from the moment we’re aware that we are a girl. This usually becomes particularly pronounced during puberty, where girls develop large breasts while others do not.

Have you ever wondered why petite-chested women believe that larger bust will enhance their femininity and boost their confidence, while many well-endowed women battle body image because it draws unwanted attention or societal pressures?

In a world where we might assume that larger breasts might equate to higher confidence levels but reality paints a different picture.

After all, if the research holds true for everyone, shouldn’t women with larger breasts be brimming with self-assuredness? The reality, though, is quite different, many busty women will actually go to great lengths to downplay their shape, resorting to drastic measures to conceal their curves. This raises the question: Why the disconnect?

This challenges the idea that a specific body type should universally dictate confidence levels. Body image is predominantly influenced by societal standards and personal experiences, which can be both a curse and a blessing.

Meanwhile…

Just as being barely an A cup might make a woman self conscious, so does being an 8gg early on. Buying a minimizer bra might make you feel better, but there are health issues of back, shoulder ache, neck pain, rashes and skin tags are still there.The lack of available and ample underwear support also contributed to shoulder woes and thoracic pain, difficulty to breastfeed unless someone cares enough to give guidance. 

Rashes under the breasts, numbness – especially of the hands and fingers, difficulty to exercise and shortness of breath are all symptoms. There’s also the risk of cancer that  increases as breast density does, and sometimes, it’s not an issue resolved by diet, exercise, and clean living. For many women, breast conditions are genetic and barring a life of constant pain. 

With the physical, psychosocial, and emotional issues that come with women having large breasts from chronic pain, having hard time sleeping, to lower self-esteem, breast reduction seems to be the solution for many women suffering.