New Bras? In This Economy?

Written by Lauren Mallett

Art by Lauren Mallett

I hate my tits. That may sound like an exaggeration, but I promise you, it’s really not. In the eyes of some, I have been blessed with an envious set of breasts. Ones that many can only dream of, or pay thousands of dollars to get. I, on the other hand, am convinced that it is some sort of curse.

I’m a relatively small person. Without saying too much—at risk of triggering my body dysmorphia—I’m five foot two and averagely thin. My chest, on the other hand, is massive in comparison. At the age of 21, I measure in at a 30G bra size—which, for those of you who aren’t familiar with bra sizing, indicates a difference of eight inches between my ribcage diameter and my breast diameter. My chest accounts for nearly 1/6 of my body weight and my back pain is chronic. Did you know that a doctor can diagnose you with mild scoliosis and just not tell you? Because I didn’t, until I saw it listed as a condition by my health insurance provider—mind boggling.

Over the last year, or longer, I have desperately been shoving my boobs into my “old” bras I purchased at 20. Falling victim to the classic quad boob effect, my breast tissue overflows from the way too-small cups, creating the effect of a second boob sitting right on top of each of the existing ones. Not my favorite look to display when I finally get to break out my summer tank tops. Finally, I decided enough was enough; I re-measured myself and ordered some new bras. Just over $250 later, with rewards points and a clearance sale, I have three new bras arriving in the mail that will hopefully fit me.

Why, you may ask, did you have to spend so much fucking money? Well, my dear reader, there’s a couple of factors at play here. For one, bras are notoriously expensive, especially if you want one that won’t fall apart after a single wear. This is commonly attributed to the pink tax, a notion that products designed for, or marketed towards women, are sold at higher price points than the male equivalent. Another factor is size itself; bra sizes that aren’t as “common” are more expensive. A bra for a person with a much larger chest, perhaps one with an eight-inch difference in diameter, is going to be more expensive than one for a woman with a smaller chest. This discrepancy can also be applied when considering outlier band measurements. Most retailers carry bras in their physical stores that start at a 32-inch band measurement and go up to around a 40-inch measurement. Anyone who falls on the outside of that has to resort to online shopping, hoping that the store they found has a good return policy. I’ve found some luck with stores like Bare Necessities and Evelyn & Bobbie, though they are quite expensive.

For someone like myself, this struggle may mean looking around at tens of different retailers, hoping to find my so-called odd combination of band and cup size. Then paying a more decent chunk of change than my smaller-breasted counterparts would. For someone larger, this may mean having to order completely custom bras. Paying hundreds of dollars per garment, just to replace them after the recommended six months. The current bra market is not sustainable and its outdated form no longer reflects the facts of modern bodies.

According to The Mission WMCA, a recent study found that “the average bra size was 34DD—up from 34B just 20 years prior.” These numbers may sound confusing, but remember the measuring rules of diameter difference. A 34DD indicates a five-inch difference, while a 34B indicates a two-inch difference. So, our average bra size has gone up. But why hasn’t the retail market adjusted to reflect that? The simple answer can be found in body shaming. Society doesn’t like bodies that are deemed too big or too small. They want a thin girl with lots of curves, but she can’t have rolls, cellulite, or stretch marks. If you don’t fit the image provided, why would they bother trying to get your money? These brands only cater to the ideal.

The way that capitalism grasps women’s bodies is disgusting. It can be incredibly disheartening to experience life as someone with a larger chest, especially when that is the last thing you ever wanted. Bras themselves are inherently uncomfortable—from wearing them, to the idea of them—and are a patriarchal standard that, for many people, is completely unnecessary. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who enjoyed going bra shopping and I honestly have little hope that anyone ever will. So, maybe we just ditch bras all together, or at least ditch the mega corporations that have monopolized our bodies for years. Free the nipple, buy small, do whatever makes you your breast self.