Breasts. Boobs. Bust. Bosom. A simple reference to the female chest can instantly attract the attention of men and women, alike. Though they don’t serve much of a purpose aside from nursing a baby, this relatively simple part of women’s anatomy has the power to interest the opposite sex, fuel a multi-million dollar lingerie industry, and, depending on various factors such as size and appearance, either boost or demolish a woman’s self-esteem.
I’ll admit, at a petite B cup (on really good days), I may not be an expert on the advantages and difficulties associated with having large breasts. I have never had to wear more than one sports bra while working out, been worried that a guy was only focused on my chest instead of what I was saying, or felt frustration when shopping for a supportive bra at a reasonable price. However, I enlisted the expertise of several co-eds to offer their own opinions and experiences associated with sizeable ta-tas.
The media uses countless platforms to exude the importance of being ‘breast blessed:’ commercials featuring women in scanty attire hauling cases of beer, fashion shows such as Victoria’s Secret with leggy models strutting the runway in diamond-encrusted pushup bras, magazines stuffed with ads for breast augmentations, etc. The list seems endless. Is life with a large chest really as glamorous as society portrays it to be?
When questioned about which areas of daily life were most impacted by their boobs, college ladies (averaging C to DD cups) had the most to say about shopping for clothes and exercising.
“Because of my boobs, I can legit wear anything from a size small to a large or extra large,” said Sydney Shields, “ It’s so annoying.”
Difficulties finding trendy clothing that fits correctly and bras that didn’t cost a fortune caused the biggest headaches for these women. Each found their own way to deal with similar issues: from stocking a wardrobe full of oversized t-shirts to squeezing into more appealing styles designed for “girls that are built like sticks”, and even custom tailoring store purchases.
“Due to the 10 inch difference between my waist and bust, I [have to] custom sew all of my clothes in order to not look pregnant,” said Paige Brown.
Searching for affordable, flattering and supportive bras ignited the most passionate reactions. Generally speaking, the larger the cup size, the higher the price and more unappealing the design. In essence, big-busted ladies are expected to pay more than smaller-chested women for “grandma panties”.
“I hate if I spend 50 dollars on a bra, but six months down the road
[it wears out] due to the added work it takes to hold ‘em up,” said Erin Holbrook.
Even the simple trip to Ping causes stress that a man would never understand.
“Exercising is annoying for me; when I’m on the elliptical they tend to hurt from constantly moving up and down,” Adrienne Palmer.
“I will wear two bras because it’s painful when they bounce all around,” Jenn Winkle.
“I generally don’t run because it’s just too painful for my back,” said Shields.
Aside from struggles associated with health and fashion, the social aspect of boobs was also investigated. What’s it truly like to walk around campus or go to a party with the ‘girls’ out? What do guys really think about them?
From a female perspective, there was a distinct line separating those who appreciated the extra attention from guys, and others who felt uncomfortable by it.
“If I’m walking across campus and someone gives me an up and down and then ignore that I’m an actual person when I wave, that is annoying,” said Brown.
“I get good and bad attention. Sometimes guys stare too much or make rude comments, but it’s nice for people to pay a little extra attention,” said Winkle.
“I actually usually like the attention from guys and play it up when I go out by wearing a plunging neckline. However, I’ve had guys come up to me at parties and compliment my eyes (which are brown) in a dimly lit room,” said Ellen Broschak, “It’s like, I know the only reason you’re talking to me is due to my large chest.”
“Some guys are into boobs and some are into other things,” said Brittany Frodge, “Regardless, any guy I would be interested in would certainly not find my chest a deal maker or breaker.”
A few college guys bravely gave their take on whether or not flaunting the ‘goods’ is a turnoff.
“Some girls tend to over flaunt their ladies, but a lot of girls with large breasts that I know usually want a reduction,” said Joseph Haas, “They’re too much of a pain, literally and figuratively.”
“Flaunting [breasts] has never been unattractive to me,” Patrick Kastle.
“Some girls can get away with showing a lot of cleavage, but some people really shouldn’t,” said Aaron Soya.
In contrast to the stereotypical male obsession with big boobs, other women surprisingly seemed to be the most judgmental of fellow large-chested ladies.
“Girls are the biggest offenders of making assumptions,” said Paige Brown, “They assume, ‘oh, she must me a slut,’ and that can be a huge hit on confidence.”
“Having cleavage does not make me a harlot, thank you,” said Frodge.
“I hate the attention from girls more than the guys. [They’ll] stare at your boobs and assume that because I have cleavage, I’m a slut,” said Holbrook.
Regardless of one’s breast size, everyone must deal with certain physical insecurities and learn to accept themselves in spite of them. Furthermore, the quality of a person is much more than superficial features, such as cup size.
Guys: if a woman is confident enough to accentuate her feminine figure, go ahead and admire it-respectfully! They won’t be interested if you still act like you’re in middle school and have never seen boobs before.
Ladies: in addition to a good bra, we also need each other for support! Hold your head high, and strut down Court St. proud of the breasts (or lack thereof) that you were given.
My investigation of life with large breasts left me with one final question-is bigger better? The jury’s still out…
“All in all, every girl who has big boobs wishes she didn’t have them and girls with no boobs wish they did,“ said Broschak,” But this is how I was made so I might as well embrace it!”