By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS
It is commonly assumed that smallchested women feel cheated by nature. The parade of heaving bosoms in lingerie catalogs not only suggests that bigger is better but also that the size enhancement of a push-up bra is universally desired. Wrong, says Ellen Shing, the owner of Lula Lu, a Web site and boutique in San Mateo, California, that cater to small cup sizes.
She says that while a small number of her customers tell her, “Make me as big as you can,” the majority “don’t want to supersize themselves.” Those customers “are happy with their bodies,” said Ms. Shing, 42. “It’s a misconception still that you want to be bigger if you’re smaller.” In the last three years, said Elisabeth Dale (formerly Squires), who wrote “Boobs: A Guide to Your Girls,” there has been “a huge surge in Web sites and online retailers that specialize in smaller bra sizes in a very empowering way,” like evesappleslingerie.com. “They are not about ‘Here’s how you stuff your bra,’ ” she added.
“They are like, ‘The way you are is perfect, and here’s how I can help you.’ ” These days, it’s not uncommon for women with modest busts to flaunt what little they’ve got with a deep Vneck or a halter top.
And more smallchested ladies seem to be openly celebrating their look on Twitter, Facebook and various blogs. More than 2,300 people joined a Facebook group to declare, “flat chested girls are prettier!!” In recent years, as people’s weight has ballooned, breasts (mostly made up of fat) have only gotten larger, and commensurately bra cup sizes, too.
Flaunting a tiny bosom may be a reaction to that trend. Sabrina Lightbourn, 37, a photographer in Nassau, the Bahamas, has not struggled to make peace with her minimal breasts . Sometimes, she favors down-to-the-sternum cuts that make it “really obvious that you don’t have much.” Lailides.com offers sexy wireless lingerie and a healthy dose of selflove. Women who wear small cups, the site points out, “do not experience pain from running or dancing, they can sleep on their stomachs, and best of all, sagging is minimal compared to larger women.”
This moral support is intended for adults who want lingerie that is appropriate to their age and position in life. No woman in her 40s wants to disrobe to reveal a polka-dotted training bra or other ill-fitting, unsexy mood spoiler. “We are supplying sexy, chic lingerie for grown-up women, not teenagers, who are proud of what they have and not worried about trying to look bigger,” said Fiona Goad, 44, the managing director at LittleWomen.com, an English site.
