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It doesn't help that I think most women would prefer (or perhaps think most men would prefer) that their bra says 32DD instead of 40A. Especially since lots of

It doesn't help that I think most women would prefer (or perhaps think most men would prefer) that their bra says 32DD instead of 40A. Especially since lots of people get sized when they're in their teens and don't adjust until it becomes really problematic.

PuppyTailWags 4y ago
I've only ever seen breast size insecurity with young teenagers or japanese RPGs. I'm pretty sure most women could be happy with a bra size of Π as long as it fits and isn't exorbitantly expensive.
- Mezzie 4y ago
  I work as a bra fitter and ironically what you see is actually usually the opposite: Women aren't comfortable with their cup size because they think it's 'too big'. This is usually mid size women (like 32F - 38DD/E); women with a substantial amount of tissue usually are just happy with anything that actually fits.
  - whythre 4y ago
    Why do you think that is, generally speaking? Do they feel like large breasts garner unwanted attention, or is it something that isn’t even on the radar?
    - Mezzie 4y ago
      It's a combination of three things: 1.) Not wanting to be 'fat'. 2.) What you said, where they don't want the unwanted attention. In the case of women who are over 40, a lot of them also lived most of their lives in a culture where a woman with large breasts was considered to be 'asking' to be sexualized. Books, TV, movies, etc. In addition, if they're from more conservative communities there's a focus on not 'tempting' men and the knowledge that if they're harassed their communities will just be like 'well you didn't hide that you have large breasts well enough, of course that happened.' 3.) A desire to be 'normal'. This group calms down when I mention that the current sizes that are carried in most stores were determined back in the 60s-70s and that their size is normal, the major American companies just like to coast on bad and outdated data. (Because why change if people still buy them?)
    - rapjr9 4y ago
      Since you often can't return a product that has been worn next to human skin perhaps the companies selling bras have realized that being able to sell more bras until a person figures out the right size is profit? Just one example of where obfuscating size/quantity/other_parameters is used for profit. For example, a "2x4" is actually 1+1/2 inches by 3+1/2 inches? This has been going on since the time of the Egyptians when you had to bring your own scale to the market to weigh goods, and watch out for the thumb on the scale.
benj111 4y ago
I don't think most women, certainly not the ones with big boobs, not in my experience anyway.
- smachiz 4y ago
  Recalling my junior high and high school days, it absolutely came up a lot - and was definitely internalized young. But sure, the women with very large breasts are probably far more concerned with not being painfully uncomfortable constantly.
  - Beltalowda 4y ago
    Not sure how representative high school is for the rest of life in these kind of areas. In general, it's my experience that some (maybe even many?) women are far more concerned about these sort of things than men are, just many men are insecure/worried about penis size, but women in general don't actually care all that much (in both cases, some do, but the majority don't).
    - Mezzie 4y ago
      It varies by age. Women in their 20s and 30s don't care that much. Teens and preteens are awkward. Gen X women are not okay with their bodies. I feel bad. Boomer and Silent Generation women are either very gracious and don't care OR are very mad that 80-something boobs, shoulders, and bodies don't work like 20-something boobs, shoulders, and bodies. (I work as a bra fitter, so take this with a grain of salt as my information is going to be limited to a single geographical location.)
      - Beltalowda 4y ago
        I guess age plays a big part? In my teens I was very insecure and awkward, too. Now in my late 30s: whatever, I don't care. But then last summer I noticed my hair is thinning and I'll probably be bald or balding in n years, and I was surprised how much this worries me :-/
Spivak 4y ago
I think you overestimate how many women care about the letter associated with their cup size. And how many men even know their partner’s cup size. Yes, many women are self-conscious about their breast size but cup size isn’t analogous to “penis length” where the literal number matters. Like it’s kind of an in-joke among women that “double d’s” aren’t actually all that large despite being what men associate with “big boobs.” It’s always a fun time asking all the boyfriends to guess cup sizes, my friend who has boobs so large she’s considered reduction for spine health alone always gets DD when she’s actually an H. Vanity sizing absolutely is a thing but bra size is somewhat immune to it because getting it wrong means pain and discomfort.
- smachiz 4y ago
  Well, as is being discussed, the band size matters a lot when discussing cup sizes. A 36DD is pretty large, a 28DD is not in absolute terms. But in terms of appearance, a true 28DD will look quite large on a small frame. I would bet a lot of money that many folks would prefer to think of themselves as a 34B vs a 36A for both reasons - you might feel like you're more ideally proportioned with a smaller band size and you have a bigger cup size to boot.
  - Mezzie 4y ago
    > A 36DD is pretty large, a 28DD is not in absolute terms. But in terms of appearance, a true 28DD will look quite large on a small frame. Nope. 36DD isn't really that large, and a 28DD doesn't look very large at all even accounting for the small frame. I'm a bra fitter at a specialty boutique (I also do their IT - my life is weird) and I see a lot of breasts. I'm also personally a 28GG/H and most people would consider me on the larger size of average; nobody would consider me 'large chested'. A 28DD is still going to look tiny. They just probably think they're a 34A, but in general at that size women who are fed up with bras just stop wearing them.
- tcmart14 4y ago
  My wife's best friend in the Navy was in that exact situation. THe Navy luckily approved her request for a breast reduction surgery. But she was an H-cup prior to pregnancy. Her and her husband decided to have a kid, she got pregnant, breasts grew more and listening to her and my wife talk about it, I really felt for her. It sounds really painful. And it is also expensive when breasts are that large and you have to go to specialty boutiques.
deleted 4y ago
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PuppyTailWags 4y ago

I've only ever seen breast size insecurity with young teenagers or japanese RPGs. I'm pretty sure most women could be happy with a bra size of Π as long as it fits and isn't exorbitantly expensive.

Mezzie 4y ago
I work as a bra fitter and ironically what you see is actually usually the opposite: Women aren't comfortable with their cup size because they think it's 'too big'. This is usually mid size women (like 32F - 38DD/E); women with a substantial amount of tissue usually are just happy with anything that actually fits.
- whythre 4y ago
  Why do you think that is, generally speaking? Do they feel like large breasts garner unwanted attention, or is it something that isn’t even on the radar?
  - Mezzie 4y ago
    It's a combination of three things: 1.) Not wanting to be 'fat'. 2.) What you said, where they don't want the unwanted attention. In the case of women who are over 40, a lot of them also lived most of their lives in a culture where a woman with large breasts was considered to be 'asking' to be sexualized. Books, TV, movies, etc. In addition, if they're from more conservative communities there's a focus on not 'tempting' men and the knowledge that if they're harassed their communities will just be like 'well you didn't hide that you have large breasts well enough, of course that happened.' 3.) A desire to be 'normal'. This group calms down when I mention that the current sizes that are carried in most stores were determined back in the 60s-70s and that their size is normal, the major American companies just like to coast on bad and outdated data. (Because why change if people still buy them?)
  - rapjr9 4y ago
    Since you often can't return a product that has been worn next to human skin perhaps the companies selling bras have realized that being able to sell more bras until a person figures out the right size is profit? Just one example of where obfuscating size/quantity/other_parameters is used for profit. For example, a "2x4" is actually 1+1/2 inches by 3+1/2 inches? This has been going on since the time of the Egyptians when you had to bring your own scale to the market to weigh goods, and watch out for the thumb on the scale.

benj111 4y ago

I don't think most women, certainly not the ones with big boobs, not in my experience anyway.

smachiz 4y ago
Recalling my junior high and high school days, it absolutely came up a lot - and was definitely internalized young. But sure, the women with very large breasts are probably far more concerned with not being painfully uncomfortable constantly.
- Beltalowda 4y ago
  Not sure how representative high school is for the rest of life in these kind of areas. In general, it's my experience that some (maybe even many?) women are far more concerned about these sort of things than men are, just many men are insecure/worried about penis size, but women in general don't actually care all that much (in both cases, some do, but the majority don't).
  - Mezzie 4y ago
    It varies by age. Women in their 20s and 30s don't care that much. Teens and preteens are awkward. Gen X women are not okay with their bodies. I feel bad. Boomer and Silent Generation women are either very gracious and don't care OR are very mad that 80-something boobs, shoulders, and bodies don't work like 20-something boobs, shoulders, and bodies. (I work as a bra fitter, so take this with a grain of salt as my information is going to be limited to a single geographical location.)
    - Beltalowda 4y ago
      I guess age plays a big part? In my teens I was very insecure and awkward, too. Now in my late 30s: whatever, I don't care. But then last summer I noticed my hair is thinning and I'll probably be bald or balding in n years, and I was surprised how much this worries me :-/

Spivak 4y ago

I think you overestimate how many women care about the letter associated with their cup size. And how many men even know their partner’s cup size. Yes, many women are self-conscious about their breast size but cup size isn’t analogous to “penis length” where the literal number matters. Like it’s kind of an in-joke among women that “double d’s” aren’t actually all that large despite being what men associate with “big boobs.” It’s always a fun time asking all the boyfriends to guess cup sizes, my friend who has boobs so large she’s considered reduction for spine health alone always gets DD when she’s actually an H. Vanity sizing absolutely is a thing but bra size is somewhat immune to it because getting it wrong means pain and discomfort.

smachiz 4y ago
Well, as is being discussed, the band size matters a lot when discussing cup sizes. A 36DD is pretty large, a 28DD is not in absolute terms. But in terms of appearance, a true 28DD will look quite large on a small frame. I would bet a lot of money that many folks would prefer to think of themselves as a 34B vs a 36A for both reasons - you might feel like you're more ideally proportioned with a smaller band size and you have a bigger cup size to boot.
- Mezzie 4y ago
  > A 36DD is pretty large, a 28DD is not in absolute terms. But in terms of appearance, a true 28DD will look quite large on a small frame. Nope. 36DD isn't really that large, and a 28DD doesn't look very large at all even accounting for the small frame. I'm a bra fitter at a specialty boutique (I also do their IT - my life is weird) and I see a lot of breasts. I'm also personally a 28GG/H and most people would consider me on the larger size of average; nobody would consider me 'large chested'. A 28DD is still going to look tiny. They just probably think they're a 34A, but in general at that size women who are fed up with bras just stop wearing them.
tcmart14 4y ago
My wife's best friend in the Navy was in that exact situation. THe Navy luckily approved her request for a breast reduction surgery. But she was an H-cup prior to pregnancy. Her and her husband decided to have a kid, she got pregnant, breasts grew more and listening to her and my wife talk about it, I really felt for her. It sounds really painful. And it is also expensive when breasts are that large and you have to go to specialty boutiques.

deleted 4y ago

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