The Trouble with Bras in America…

As a large breasted woman, I have a bone to pick with American lingerie retailers.  Actually, I have several.

Why are larger bras, for large breasted women, padded?

No woman who’s a DD needs padding. Trust me.

 

Why are unpadded bras for large breasted women so damn ugly?

Even large breasted women want to feel pretty and wear a color other than neutrals.

 

And why am I finding sport bras with padding? Why?

Still can’t figure that out.

 

When shopping for my preteen daughter, why are the girls’ bras padded? For girls aged 8-13??

Young girls (or any girls for that matter) don’t need to deal with societal pressures to have larger breasts.  Girls need support, not a bigger cup size. Totally unacceptable.

 

Why do minimizers look like bras my grandmas used to wear?

It’s not terrible, but I think manufacturers can do better.

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After a recent shopping trip to a major American retailer, I found myself, once again, disappointed with options for myself, a 36DD. As a buxom woman, I need very supportive, underwire, unpadded bras.  Shouldn’t be such a hard task, right? Wrong.  Padding is everywhere.  Even on large cup bras.  And this is what I face when I find the lingerie section- pads, pads, and more pads.

Whenever I shop for lingerie, I first look for bras I like -design, colors, etc.  My first thought usually ends up being, “Oh, that’s cute.” And my second thought, “Oh, it’s padded.  Never mind.”

When I find underwire, unpadded bras, most of them look horrendous. White, nude, black, and sometimes a gray or pink are the only colors they come in.  Rarely, will I find a cute, supportive and unpadded one in my size.

Now, granted, this is not what every store sells.  I’m sure if I looked around long enough (and if money was no object) I’d find the support that I need in styles I like.  I’ve even found a few underwire, unpadded bras at Victoria’s Secret, America’s largest lingerie brand.  However, their sizing is limited, and they cost around $50. Way too much for my taste. Plus, Victoria’s Secret doesn’t always carry larger sizes or bras that actually support.

I wrote a previous post about my love of Hunkemöller lingerie, that’s only available in Europe. This image is on Hunkemoller’s front page of their website: “Sexy has no size.” I love it! Body positivity and extended sizes!

Hunkemöller has sexy, supportive, underwire, and unpadded bras at a reasonable price ($30-$35 US dollars)! And I want them.  Unfortunately, they don’t sell to the U.S.  At least, not yet (fingers crossed!). Pictured at left are my DD, underwire, unpadded, and super sexy Hunkemöller bras! My husband loves them, I love them, and I feel “normal” because I can wear pretty and colorful support that fits like a glove.

For all of my information on Hunkemöller, check out my earlier blog post or visit them at Hunkemöller.com.  If you’re ever in Europe, give Hunkemöller a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

Happy Shopping!

Julie

**An update! Hunkemöller now ships to the US! Visit hunkemöller.com to check them out!

Cover image from ivillage.ca