A Breast Identity Crisis

August 2, 2008 10:30 am     Posted in Body, Other Stories, Sex  Tuffy Luv g+ page

breasts


By Tuffy Luv

I have been a 34-C for about 5 years now. Oddly, but as I’m sure you will all – as women of a certain age – understand, I had come to really identify as such. I was a 34-C. I was of slightly-larger-than-average-but-nothing-unusual proportions. At 5’0″ (in shoes), I figured 34-C was more than adequate for my small frame.Cut to a few months ago when I start noticing that my bras don’t fit. The band is fine, but my breasts are literally spilling out of the cups. What gives?

I thought, well, my bras are all over a year old. Maybe they’re just…shrinking? Do bras do that? So I got myself to the store and lo and behold, none of the 34-Cs fit. Finally, I picked up a 34-D. Ha ha, I laughed. There is no way that 34-C me is suddenly a freaking D-cup. No way in hell.

And yet–I was. The 34-D fit perfectly.

I was hit with a weird and unexpected mini-identity crisis. I was…a 34-D? But I’m a 34-C! Or…I was. I called my boyfriend to complain, but as soon as I said the words 34-D, he cheered. I mean, he literally cheered. And then I hung up.

As soon as I got home, I hit the web. At what age do women’s breasts stop growing? Or is something else going on?

Well, it turns out there’s not too much information on this subject online. My first search yielded tens of thousands of big boob porn sites.

After refining my search, I found a lot of versions of my question (“At what age do a woman’s boobs stop growing?” “I’m 15 and I’ve just developed a chest. Will it stay this way or will it still grow?”) but not much in the way of solid answers. Several sites posit that breasts stop growing two years after puberty. Um, that would mean for me that mine would have been fully grown at the age of 13–when I was definitely still an A-cup. So, wrong.

Another bunch of sites say 17 or 18 is the end point. I was a B at 17 and a C at 18. And, again, now I’m a D. So I don’t think this is true.

Some websites say that weight gain is a culprit. This may be true, but I would like to point out that weight gain will cause your band size to go up in addition to the cup size. And, in my case, I’ve fluctuated within the same five pounds for the past 6 years. I don’t think that’s the issue.

Finally, a few sites say that breasts can keep going until your early-to-mid-twenties. Since I am a month away from turning 24, this seems like it might be more accurate.

I asked a few of my girlfriends when their breasts stopped growing and they were all equally confused about the cut-off point. One friend told me she’s been a B-cup since high school, but most of the girls I asked said that their breasts have grown at least until they were 20 or 21, if not later.

And when I asked them if this f*cked with their identity, every single one of them said yes. Are we really our cup sizes? …Census says yes.

After all, we are told certain things about our breast size every day without our even realizing it. For instance, fashion magazines say small-breasted women can wear very low-cut tops without fear of looking too sexy. This is terribly demeaning–are we saying you can’t be sexy if you have a small chest? I believe there are thousands upon thousands of men who would say otherwise. These same magazines are also always printing fashion pages on how to “minimize” a big bust. Is it shameful to have large breasts? Are we slutty by biology?

Breast size has so much bearing on our identity, but this is not surprising. Weight has a lot to do with identity; so does hair. Why not boobs?

So if yours keep growing, don’t worry. You’re not alone, and your identity will survive.

As for me, I’ll be in Victoria’s Secret praying I’ll stop at a D.

[Image courtesy of http://img.thesun.co.uk%5D

32 Comments on "A Breast Identity Crisis"

  1. Jess says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20086:39 am 

    The same thing happened to me this year, even with the bf cheering lol. I hope that I'll stop growing just so I don't have to go out and buy all new bras!

  2. amy says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20087:50 am 

    I just bought a whole bunch of new bras at the beginning of the summer (36-D, I used to be a 36-C)

    Much to my disappointment, THEY KEEP GROWING! All of the cute, new, D-cup bras I got at the beginning of the summer barely fit!

    I haven't gained weight (actually, I lost weight over the summer)

    It might have something to do with the fact that I am on birth control (since it messes with the body's hormones)

  3. Claire says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20088:58 am 

    You know…it'd be nice if birth control made my barely A-cups grow…..but nope. Mine have been the same size since I was 14.

  4. Heather says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 200810:38 am 

    in the book slut by leora tanenbaum, she writes that women with big breasts are actually more susceptible to being called a slut, just by manner of appearance. i dont think any of us, though, should fear “looking too sexy.” its ridiculous that were always being told, boobs are too big or too small… on co-eds blog there was recently an article on how they prefer a-cups. the bottom line is that men prefer all different things, and theres no general consensus to what is beautiful regarding breasts. if we “look too sexy” its probably because the female anatomy has half our genitals placed right by our face – has anyone thought of that?

  5. Jill says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 200810:06 am 

    I'm only 4'9 and I wear a D-36 bra. It sucks. I find that I have to replace my bra's more often than my flat-chested friends because the straps loose their elasticity.

    Flat-chested girls don't know how lucky they are!

    -J

  6. Beth says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 200811:24 am 

    I'm also 5'0 with shoes on and I ALSO just jumped from a 32C to a 34D (after 3 years of being a 32C and gaining NO weight!!!)… actually I'm a 32D but I cannot find them ANYWHERE!!… I've got wide hips too… (I'm like 33, 24, 35)

    I was so excited when I found a place that sold cute 34Ds!! It seems like once you hit D cup territory all the bras become only black/white/nude with huge thick straps, and usually 36-38 or larger band size!! I guess us petite girls with huge knockers are S.O.L. I don't know what's going on with my boobs, but they seriously need to quit growing…pronto!!

    The only shirts that look good on me now are polo shirts, because of the V neck the don't pull tight across my chest, and add the fact that buying jeans is nearly impossible because of a tiny waist and wide hips and shopping becomes nearly HELL for me!! Any tips?? lol

  7. Amber - Old Dominion says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20081:38 pm 

    yea i jumped to 36 C to 36 D within my first two months of birth control. I stopped taking my pills for a while, and now that I’ve started to retake them my boobs are a little snug in my d cup bras…crap.

  8. Alissa says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 200812:43 pm 

    Girl, you're telling my story! This exact same thing happened to me last semester. My boyfriend was all "woohoo" and I was mortified (and broke) after having to buy a whole new bra wardrobe. Plus, wearing low cut tops does suck now because they just look skanky. Oy.

  9. Nicole says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20082:23 pm 

    I went through this a few years ago except I jumped from a 36B to a 36D. And during that time I was gaining quite a bit of weight, however, I have lost that weight and they are still 36D. Thing is, I am extremely happy with my breasts. Although it is slightly awkward for me when one of my friends sees me in a swimsuit and exclaims, “Wow! You’re boobs are HUGE!”

  10. J - NYU says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20084:30 pm 

    I WISH my boobs would grow. Just a bit.

    Sadly, the boob fairy doesn't know where I live.

  11. Elise says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 20087:33 pm 

    POSSIBLE TMI ALERT

    You’ve been warned!

    I was relatively flat– well, more like uneven. One of my boobs was edging out of a B and the other wasn’t quiiiiite filling out the cup. Not a huge difference, but I noticed it, and it made me wary of bikinis and bralessness.

    I was also borderline hypoglycemic, hovering between 112 and 116 pounds (at 5’6″!), bony and generally hating how I looked.

    Then, at 22, I went on birth control, got married, and had a food budget increase that meant better eating habits. I stabilized at 125 pounds (and I look and feel GREAT), and my breasts– 32-B since middle school– suddenly became C’s, and evened out completely. I feel like the sexiest thing on earth, basically.

    Of course, I don’t look forward to hunting down 32-C bras. I don’t think they actually *make* C’s in 32. But I don’t really care– I finally have enough boobage to hold up a tube top.

  12. ela says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 200811:27 pm 

    at vicky's they have 32Cs all over the place. no worries. btw lol i'm sure our male readers will love reading these comments and imagining themselves in a room with us, full of our Bs,Cs and Ds! just my boy mind speaking out.

  13. ela says:
    Sat, 2nd Aug 200811:35 pm 

    wait i didn't mean to leave out the lovely As.. i just kept thinking about the 'spilling over the cup' comments from some of the Cs and Ds and it made me snicker bc i can just see dudes high fiving each other, 'dude her Ds are spilling over the cup..f-ing hot'. i've def been hanging out with the boys too much lately and just fyi they def stare at boobs as much if not more than we think they do. sorry..carry on!

  14. Rebecca says:
    Sun, 3rd Aug 20081:43 am 

    I'm 17 and currently a 34C, but it keeps oscillating between a C and a D. I understand that you're quite petite and a C is more than sufficient for you, but I'm 5'10'' and pear-shaped and I have to say I like them more as Ds, as they make me look more balanced and in proportion (big hips and thighs and butt, small waist and not much of a stomach…I look odd in t-shirts and jeans!) but I wouldn't want anything bigger!

    I think you should try to love your chest.

  15. Heather says:
    Sun, 3rd Aug 200810:32 am 

    to the girls who are a-cups… so am i! go read the article on co-ed, youll be surprised how many guys actually said they prefer them. im happy with my size, if they grew id probably be a little upset, cause the way i look at it, theyre big enough for me to have boobs, but small enough to never cause problems such as back pain.

    one thing i always get pissed about, here i am to vent!

    how come almost all the A-cup bras in the stores are push-up bras? maybe i dont want to put my a-cup boobs in something that falsely augments them. when i do find a non-underwire bra (which doesnt bother my skin and keeps me comfortable) its always white or tan! im sick of white and tan, i wish i could just find normal, sexy bras, for people my size. ugh. if anyone knows where to get some, please reply.

  16. mari says:
    Mon, 4th Aug 20084:47 am 

    i grew from a 34B to a 34D over a period of about a year and a half. so i bought C-cups in the beginning thinking i couldn't possibly be a D and then slowly realized that my boobs were still coming out over the top of my bra…. hmmm…

    there are actually cute bras in D-cups too, just not at H&M(i'm european, no VS). so i pay a little more but they fit great and it's a much more satisfying purchase than the H&M ones ever were.

  17. mari says:
    Mon, 4th Aug 20084:49 am 

    oh and i love my new bigger boobs now. so does my boyfriend. although he cought on faster than i did.

  18. Belle says:
    Mon, 4th Aug 20087:44 am 

    Yeah I agree with everyone talking about the lack of bra variety for certain sizes. I’m a 36D and I can’t even wear Victoria Secret bras because all their bras for this size are super thick. They make me look like Xena Warrior Princess. I definitely do not need added volume; why can’t they make them out of thin material like the other sizes? Tear. And the straps are always grandmotherly huge! I’m sure in 50 years I will want this kind of support but for now I just want something that normal 20-year-olds wear…

  19. sonia says:
    Mon, 4th Aug 20088:35 am 

    OK I used to be a 34B but now 36A and 38B are my size and I'm more confused than ever

    How can I be a 36A and a 38B?!

    OOOH but I forgot to mention that some 34's still fit!!

  20. Demi says:
    Tue, 5th Aug 200812:19 am 

    I'm a C cup and my mother wont let me wear low-cut tops, probably because she has a vendetta against me as she is only an A. Sure, maybe she's trying to protect my chastity or whatever…but why is my tiny-boobed, slightly older sister allowed to wear low-cut tops AND stuff her bra with "chicken fillets"?…life is so not fair.

  21. ela says:
    Tue, 5th Aug 20087:04 am 

    wait this makes me bring up a question.

    one my family friends is a doctor and was telling us about how many young girls are becoming developed so early bc of all the hormones they're exposed to. she says they come from all the women who take birth control and that through the sewage process the hormones stick around in the water and traces have even been found in cows milk from the hormones they are injected with to produce more milk and grow. so basically…maybe these younger girls (and maybe us in our 20s/30s) are developing because of the increase in use of hormones in our world!

  22. gregory dykes says:
    Tue, 5th Aug 20087:07 am 

    i want information about meet you

  23. Sarah says:
    Wed, 6th Aug 20089:24 am 

    First of all, what's up with the comment by gregory?? ^^^^^ "i want information about meet you?" WTF

    Second, THIS IS SO ME!!! Since starting birth control I went from a C-cup to a very difficult 34DD!! WHAT TO DO?! I totally agree with my fellow bigger-busted ladies about attractive foundation garments…where in the hell are all the cute, colorful, lacy numbers for girls above a C? I'm sick of wearing grandma bras!

    I also sympathize with the idea of feeling slutty just because of my bust-size. My boyfriend is constantly telling me I'm ridiculous, but how else am I supposed to feel when I look like a f**ing porn star when wearing a low-cut top? I may look sexy as hell on the outside, but on the inside I'm worried if people think I'm trying too hard. It's not my fault though, I was born this way/the hormones made my boobs do it!!

  24. Engineer says:
    Sat, 9th Aug 200812:53 am 

    You should make a petition to Victorian Secret to make better bras

  25. Johnathan-Wataru says:
    Fri, 29th Aug 20084:30 pm 

    Honestly I'd cheer too, simply to put a "hey there's a good way to look at this too!"

    Sadly your boobs will keep growing, or at least changing, as your body does. You may not grow taller, but your body will certainly change, and so will your boobs.

    I personally don't care, because I don't know what to really do to them! I try to avoid em since they cause such wrong impressions (uh…they're big, I'm bound to hit em!)

  26. Meg says:
    Fri, 5th Sep 20086:32 pm 

    Yeah, mine were the same through high school, a 36B. Then in college I went on the pill and they kept getting bigger. Now that I have gone off of the pill, I'm 25 and just went up to 36DD. I'm really hoping they don't get larger. There aren't many cute bras out there for my size, so I have to shell out more cash and order outside the U.S. through Bravissimo. I don't feel too big when I look at the catalog considering the range is from D to HH!

  27. Alison says:
    Sat, 13th Sep 200811:54 am 

    Oh I know! Mine went from a 36B to a… oh wait, they still are. Have been since middle school.

  28. Michelle says:
    Tue, 14th Oct 20089:30 pm 

    Don't worry, as you age, the firmness of your' skin will turn to sagging, and you will "drop" a cup size or two. I'm just 29, and I've gone from a DDD to DD already. Oh, and goodie, my mother tells me I'll flab down another size or so before I'm 50. LOL, just be thankful you are healthy.

  29. Emma says:
    Fri, 7th Nov 20083:23 pm 

    I can totally relate to this story.. I went from a 34C to a 36 DD between ages 18 and 19 and I am 5'1"

    I really hope that this will stop soon!! i really dont want any bigger!

  30. carly says:
    Mon, 26th Jan 20097:47 pm 

    hello, i am a DD/E cup woman who can relate to the others who say they feel slutty in low cut tops and endure lots of back and neck pain…but i just wanted to take a minute to say how much i respect the women who have lost their breasts or just one of them to cancer. ive seen many women who have lost theirs and its so sad because they all say that they dont feel feminine or sexy anymore. so when i think about that i forget about my aches and pains and i am thankful that i havent had to go through that. women are all strong and beautiful with big breasts, small breasts or no breasts. cheers to all women :)

  31. Laura says:
    Fri, 13th Feb 20099:51 am 

    Sarah, I completely understand! I rocketed from a 34B to a 34DD in high school. Now, for the past year, they've been drifting towards 34DDD, then back down again. Lovely.

    Meg, I wish I could reach out and hug you! I'd never heard of Bravissimo, but I love them now! I'm placing my first order as soon as I can make up my mind. I've never seen so many pretty bras in my size before!

  32. Liza says:
    Sun, 22nd Mar 20096:06 pm 

    Holy crap. I feel you.

    So. I got boobs. Yay! B cup…

    C cup? no way… well… okay…

    D cup? Uh… HAHA UM I'M DONE!

    This was from like freshman year to sophomore year and then…

    I WENT ON BIRTH CONTROL>

    You think D is bad?

    DD… I was like, jesus fucking christ, I'm done!

    meanwhile of course, boyfriend is cheering…

    And then… dun dun… DDD! Mind, 34DDD and I'm 5'6", and 140lbs…

    It's horrible. I actually get back pain now. >>

    But I guess you know… hourglass figure can't be so bad. ;D

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