Many women that wear bigger cup sizes feel that minimizers are the only thing left for them, that they cannot or should not wear any other bras. This post is about the problems with minimizer bras and the alternatives.
How mimimizers work:
They flatten the breasts, smearing the breast tissue all over the ribcage. This flattens the breasts while also optically fattening the wearer. The excess boobage doesn't just disappear, it goes all over the place, making the torso look bigger. A minimiser gives a woman the figure of a brick. This is the opposite of what a well-fitted bra does -- lifting the breasts and optically removing pounds.Over time, minimizers distort the breast shape -- the breast tissue migrates to the sides, creating armpit fat and back rolls. Over the years, breast doesn't look good anymore without a bra.
Trust me, a well-fitted bra always looks better than a minimizer. Isn't it better to be a tad slimmer, with a visible waist, and with a bigger but well-fitted bust? If you disagree with this statement, you're probably not wearing the right size; go here and measure yourself.
Try out this experiment:
With your palms, cup the breasts from below and the sides. This is a normal bra (obviously in the right size -- we will come to this part soon). Now, flatten the breasts with your palms: this is a minimiser. Does this really look better?Interestingly, a well-fitted bra visually minimizes a big bust (and visually increases small busts). The breasts look more centered, neater, firm, and pulled-together; they don't bounce all over the place or spill out. On the bottom of this post is the photographic evidence of how a badly fitting bra makes big boobs look bigger.
There is a better way:
Convinced? Head over to the Bra Matrix page and you will learn how to find your correct size. Even if you have already been fitted, you might be surprised! A lot of fitters will fit people wrong just to sell the size available in the stores. Next, do read this post on bra-fitting for plus-sizes women.If you don't know where to buy big-cup bras for reasonable prices, try Figleaves, Brastop (UK), Ewa Michalak, Bare Necessities, HerRoom, Bravissimo, Large Cup Lingerie, Broods big Bras (AU). Not your local store where they think that an F is a huge size that can only wear beige tents, and that a K isn't even a size. Not Lane Bryant, and not Triumph, who don't have any idea what they are doing (example here). One of the reasons I dislike Triumph is that they produce and advertise minimizers.
If you do own a minimizer, you can reserve it for special occasions, like when you really want to fit into something.
If you really have problems finding clothes to fit you in the chest, I recommend these awesome resources from Thin And Curvy.
Inspiration: some amazing ladies who rock their big boobs with style. And they all hate minimizers!
Bust sizes subject to change ;)
Broods Big Bras: 36K, formerly badly fitted into F cups
Curvy Wordy: 30KK/32K
Thin And Curvy: 26JJ/24K
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust: 34J/36HH, formerly badly fitted as 38F
Fussy Busty: 40J, formerly badly fitted as a 42H
Les gros bonnets: 34KK
