whiterabbit – underwire is my friend. I love it and won’t wear a bra without underwire. Good thing we have so many lingerie choices, eh?
At last, somebody who understands and symphathizes with my problem. I hover between a 42 G and H. A lot of women think they would kill to be large breasted, but trust me girls, it’s not nearly as fun as you think it is. My back and neck and shoulders hurt all the time from trying to carry around that much weight. I have permanent grooves in my shoulders from the bra straps. It’s almost impossible to find a shirt that fits me properly unless you’re into buying 2 and 3X’s. Men think it is perfectly acceptable to make lewd comments to me because they assume that large breasts=no brain. My doctor tells me I have to lose some weight first before, but as soon as I get this weight off, the boobs are being reduced down to a large B/small C size.
Overflow is not pretty. Too much overflow = quadraboob, which is very, very not pretty. I did have one boyfriend who thought it was “cute,” but he was soon “gone.”
I haven’t worn a bra without underwire since high school. I look at all the cute, comfy, stretchy little bras in the stores and just wish they could be for me. However, if it is a good-quality bra and fits well, underwire should not hurt. Bra straps on shoulders after a long day is another story though. Has anyone tried those gel-filled straps?
One woman’s overflow is another man’s treasure.
(Not too much, of course, but that should go without saying.)
BTW, a relative of mine had to get reduction surgery because the bra straps were causing nerve damage in her shoulders. She’s quite pleased with the results. I don’t know where insurance stands on it, but it might be worth looking in to.
I used to have to wear bras with it until I had 'em reduced. I was always getting poked in the armpit by the damn wires. Never again, I say! NEVER!!!
But if underwire works for you, great. You can have it. I’ll just skip the bra altogether. 
Harli
We can start the lopsided tittie committee. We can even have a secret shake. What do ya think about that, guys?
I have to say that I absolutely hate buying bras and have a drawer full of ones I’ve bought and can’t wear. After my last bra shopping failure my husband, as a surprise, went and bought me 4 new bras from Victoria’s Secret and they all fit like a dream!! I’m in bra heaven. I guess he pays more attention to em than I do. One of the bras doesn’t have underwire though and I bounce too much (for my taste anyway) when I wear it so it’s a just around the house bra.
You know, I was so disgusted with bra shopping, trying on every 40C in the store to find ANY that fit comfortably, that recently when I stumbled across a $7 sports bra that fit SO comfortably, I went out and bought a whole bunch of them. The heck with beauty. I live in shorts/jeans & t-shirts anyway, I’m totally in it for the comfort and I think I finally found it!
By the way, it’s almost impossible to find 40C bras. Standard sizing says that if you’re a C, you shouldn’t be above a 38. Or if you’re a 40, you should be at least a D. Not so, the girls don’t even come CLOSE to filling out a D, but I can barely fasten a 38 and the girls are so squished together I look like a funhouse mirror.
You know, how hard could it be to come up with a bra strap exender that adds an inch or so to the strap that hooks in the back? It would just be a strip of strong fabric with hooks and eyes sewn into it.
Okay there’s my million dollar idea. Excuse me while I surf the web for a pantent website.
What is the world has happened to the standards of my beloved SDMB, all this talk about Boobs without a cingle cite.
What is the world has happened to the standards of my beloved SDMB, all this talk about Boobs without a single cite.
Recently I lost a lot of weight and guess what? I lost a lot of it at my breasts.
Still have a double chin, still can make my knees look like they’re speaking by squishing the fat on them but hey! My breasts lost a whole cup size and all my bras are too big. Pffft. :rolleyes:
Other than that, underwire bras tend to poke out after some time and one even ruined my washing machine. So no more underwire for me. At least I found a strapless bra the other day that doesn’t make your boobs look like twins of the Cheops Pyramid.
Actually, I’m pretty sure that it has already been done, if you do a search in the past couple weeks a lady who does bra sizing started a thread and mentioned one of these.
Sorry for spoiling the money making scheme though
Kitty
Mama Tiger, you might want to try Lane Bryant, you can try them on in the store and then order as many as you need online.
They have (some) bras that are cute and they come in many colors, which I like. They also don’t all have the seam down the middle of the boob, which for some reason many bra makers think large-breasted women will put up with. I checked, and they do make bras in your size.
And the reverse is true too. I’m 36D. Why can’t you find the cheapy comfortable cotton bras at Wal*Mart in a 36 and a D, fer cryin’ out loud!?!?? Oh, they have friggin’ Cs a plenty and I do, upon occasion find a stray here and there, but they ain’t ever even close to modern or cute. Plus, I’m one that HAS to have an underwire, sigh, or else I’ll have that charming “unaboob” look that all of us more-than-well-endowed folks just loooove.
Gotta agree. Hate, hate, hate it too. So, I just shop clearance and aim at the right size without ever even trying the boogers on. Such is life. And that folks, is after reduction.
<insert another LARGE dramatic sigh here>
36As are a bit tricky, too. Apparently if you’re an A you’re supposed to be 34 inches around. But it’s not nearly as hard to find the band size as it is to fill my other bra requirements.
I WAS a 36D. I remember it all too well.
If the band size isn’t right, the girls get so mashed together I look like I have one slightly oversized boob dead center.
Not a pretty sight.
Thanks for the hint on Lane Bryant – I’ll check them out, when I get tired of wearing my incredibly comfy (and, for summer, cotton with CoolMax, which in this climate is a True Blessing) el cheapos.
Of course, that may not be for a while; I get dressed up about twice a year any more, and Papa Tiger, like most men, is more interested in my bras if they’re OFF.
sob
Someone who understands! Shadowfox, thank you!
I swear, I almost pitted my own boobs last week after I went swimsuit shopping.
Between the “buying bras 4 inches too large so the cups almost fit” (and a tip-o-the-bra to the one who suggested Lane Bryant, as that is indeed where I purchased mine, and they’re Oh-So-Comfy being made out of essentially T-shirt style material) and the “you can forget a swimsuit that fits the rest of you, buy one that’s two to three sizes too big so the boobs don’t quite fall out”, I was ready to scream.
I’ve looked into surgery too, but…insurance says ALL “boob surgery” is cosmetic and they won’t cover it.
And I certainly don’t have the $$$ for it.
sigh
I’m a 42G/H (by some bra measurement standards) but the DDDs at Lane Bryant fit me very nicely (and if you wait for a sale, you can usually get two for about $12.50 each.) And no ugly seams so I don’t look like I have two hammered out hub caps strapped to my chest.
For those who are looking, http://www.ladygrace.com/ has a wide variety of sizes. The Aviana bras are very comfortable and some have wide, cushioned straps that help prevent those shoulder grooves. These bras are very expensive, though. Personally, I have to do underwire or I get the uni-boob thing going on and that just ain’t pretty on me.
If you’re looking for a well made sports bra you can find one at http://www.junonia.com/profiles/index.html. I got the “stop motion bra” for about $60.00 several years ago, and it’s still going strong! I can actually do jumping jacks during step class and not hurt myself (or anyone in the vicinity.)
Those bra-strap extenders can be found among the notions at any sewing store. For like $2. They’ve been a godsend.
I’ve had boobs now for over 20 years, and I just this year realized that my bras will fit better if I physically hoist the girls up, one by one, and let them spill back into the cups. Before, I’ve always been adjusting the fabric. I never thought about adjusting the breasts.
I have the problem of being big around, but not overly endowed otherwise. I mean, I have plenty, but unfortunately some bra manufacturers seem to assume that anyone above a 38 must also have DDs. Hence my fondness for those extenders.
whiterabbit… feel free to demonstrate how that “no bra” thing works out for ya 