Before I even had time to worry about how we would get along without Tammy and The Rack, I received an email from Leah volunteering to write from her perspective. I was super busy at the time, so I promised to get back to her. Then a few weeks later I discovered another blog full of pathos about being full-busted. So depressing. I remembered Leah’s perspective and wrote to her immediately. Now you can enjoy her perspective, too!
You’ll also get to know her better next week when she’s featured in my Inside the Closet of series. I can’t wait to share what I found in her closet.
(We don’t yet have a name for her column, and any suggestions are welcome (as are your tagline entries for the Two Figs giveaway contest.)
I’m a 27-year-old freelance editor, arts writer, and computer consultant living in Brooklyn, NY. I’m also a 28FF (UK size) bra wearer. That’s right, I “suffer” from your classic little-waist-big-boobs syndrome. However, I actually don’t think of it as “suffering” at all. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that I adore my boobs. It was a bit of a journey to finally figure out my unique sizing and wardrobe requirements. Yet while there were certainly a few hiccups along the way, I’ve still never hated my boobs. Been misinformed, sure—but I’ve always liked having them!
I was lucky enough to develop at a pretty spread-out pace. There was no waking up one day with two giant mounds on my chest. By the time I was in underwire, I was “big” for my age, but not so much that it attracted attention. Of course, I still wore woefully inaccurate 36B bras all through high school. My best friend wore 36C and she was bigger-chested than I, so I remained convinced that I couldn’t be a 36C despite the Victoria’s Secret saleslady (yes, Vicky’s of all places!) insisting otherwise. I continued to grow slowly, and upon arrival at college, I switched up to a (still incorrect) 36C.
While in college, I discovered the webcomic Wapsi Square. It changed everything! The main character is a petite girl with an enormous rack, who I later learned was based on the artist’s wife. Lightbulb! I am skinny with big boobs too! Wapsi introduced me to the Livejournal community Thirty-TwoD, where I learned of the existence of bands that go below 32, and learned to ignore bra calculators that tell you to add inches to get your band measurement. With some trial and error, and online advice, I was able to figure out my correct size exclusively through mail order. After continuing to grow little by little, I’ve now reached what I assume is the final destination of 28FF.
Or should I say 28FF and proud? Because I love, love, love my boobs!
This is where I feel that I differ from much of the big-boobed community. I read a depressingly high number of blog posts and forums from women who hate their breasts, or who like them but still have had lots of bad experiences.
While I admit my road to body acceptance has probably been smoother than most (somehow I’ve managed to get through their development with almost no uncomfortable social encounters), I also have the good fortune of a mother who taught me to sew at a young age. So I’ve been altering clothes to fit correctly for years. My problem has never been with my body “not fitting” clothes, but instead with crummy clothing that simply isn’t designed for an adult woman’s body. I mean, even my A-cup mother gets gaps in the front of her button-up shirts!
Now I’d like to share my worldview with Hourglassy readers. In future columns, I’ll be discussing not just my personal experiences, but also lots of easy sewing fixes for common clothing woes that go along with having a curvy-but-thin body. It’s my hope that my positive outlook will translate to more women and girls feeling the way I do—that our boobs are awesome!
Yay! Definitely looking forward to easy sewing tips! I learned to sew as a kid, but have never been that great with clothes. I like quilting. I can keep it to just straight lines.
It’s also wonderful to see someone who adores her big chest as much as I do! I’m still working on that skinny part, but my boobs aren’t going anywhere!