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nicole 1 Yes, you can be a real woman with a flat chest

Nicole

Let’s get one thing straight.

Being thin doesn’t equate to being perfect.

Nor does it equate to the Hollywood ideal of beauty.  Only one aspect of it.

To be perfect by celebrity and/or media standards, you need to be thin, have large breasts, long legs, blonde hair, tanned skin, perfect features, the list goes on.

So when women rally against such ridiculous and unattainable ideals, I’m all for it.

But why, when women unite against the pressure of unrealistic and unattainable beauty, do they focus almost entirely on weight?

Or, dare I say it, curves.

Catch-cries of “men love curves” and “real women have boobs and a bum” are shouted from the roof tops, alongside images of tall, busty, voluptuous women, such as Bianca Dye and most recently Catherine Deveny.

Which makes all the curvy girls feel fabulous I’m sure.

But what about the rest of us?

The not so curvy? But not so perfect either?

I’m a size 6.  So no, I’m not overweight.  Lucky me.

I’m also 5 foot 2 inches tall.  No long legs here.

I wear a size 10 B bra.  Just.

I live my life in high-heels and padded bras. I’m not a blue-eyed blonde either.

And when I gain weight, where do you think it goes? You guessed it, my hips.  Not my boobs.

So no matter how much I cake I eat, no matter how body confident and bootylicious I proclaim to be, I’m never going to be curvy.  Or, according to the rebelling media and diversity spokeswomen, a real woman.

So if I’m no Miranda Kerr, but no Beyonce either, where does that leave me? It’s not just the curvy girls being let down by the media.

Isn’t it about time women encouraged other women to “love their bodies” and “celebrate their uniqueness”, rather than focusing on specific ideals such as “curves” and “boobs” and “thin”.

Let’s beat the media at its own game and embrace all women.

Attention advertisers!  Big breasts or small … you can look great whatever your size.

Here are some famously ‘small chested’ women rocking the red carpet:

Katy Perry

Nicole Madigan-Everest is a freelance writer, journalist and mother of two.  You can find her website here.

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206 Comments so far

  1. shanny

    tina fey talks about the perfect woman phenomenon in bossypants. it really is hilarious, but she concludes with “the only living woman to actually have achieved the look is kim kardashian.”

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    • Nicki

      And even then, Kim Kardashian doesn’t have the blonde hair or blue eyes.

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      • shanny

        no, she was actually talking about body image, not barbie-factor. look it up, it’s funny.

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      • shanny

        found it :D

        “But I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom—Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”
        ― Tina Fey, Bossypants

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        • Treena

          omg that Is one of the best things I’ve ever read. I heart you, Tina Fey!!

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  2. ehills83

    Pre-children I was a comfortable 10D. Suited my body size, clothes off the rack would fit perfectly. Now I’m a 10A/8B and it’s so much harder to buy clothes to suit! Instead I opt for padded, boosted, rocket powered bras that increase my natural size enough for clothes to fit without gaping and flashing my nipples to the world. And I’m contemplating implants so I feel more like “pre-child” me and less like “child-devoured” me.

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    • picardie.girl

      I didn’t know this happened after breast feeding… :O

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      • ehills83

        It did for me!!! I was horrified, throwing out all my lovely expensive bras that no longer fitted. Mind you, I think I am one of a minority, most women I know have gone up a size or two post-bubba.

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      • Anonymous

        doesn’t for everyone. don’t worry.

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      • SusieQ

        It did for me :( I was a 10A and now they are totally gone! Hubby is a self confessed ‘arse man’ tho so he’s still happy. I’ve learnt we can all be so critical of our bodies but there are always people who think we are beautiful just the way we are.

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    • G

      You know, I was just saying to a girlfriend that Ive gone from a 1 a/b to 10 c after feeding my 2 babies…

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  3. MissMin

    mm, I’m slowly coming to love my small boobs, I (just!) fit a 10 B, but only ever wear padded. I do however, LOVE my hips, and I’m lucky to be reasonably tall without being taller than the average bloke. So – If I can look and feel amazing in a pair of jeans, I can cope with having a little more trouble finding tops I like :)

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  4. Sara R

    Hey you just described me! Although i must say many women compliment me and say how lucky i am! I DO feel lucky but i often daydream of long legs….

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    • Lisa @ Blithe Moments

      I have the long legs – they are a pain. You get cramps because seats in theaters / planes / etc are too close. You have to buy your pants and jeans from expensive online stores because they are never long enough off the rack. Most chairs are too short.

      Long legs are highly overrated!!!

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  5. Rach

    I am tiny all over, although blessed with a 10D chest, which I am happy with for my size, but a 10D is not the size it sounds. Comparatively speaking, it is the same cup size as a 14B or a 16A. Yet I struggle to find bras to fit, and if I do, they have massive shoulder straps and three back hooks, just because a D cup has supposedly gone into ‘larger’ sizing.

    I have often found the term ‘real woman’ an odd one, and used at odd times. Got your first period? You’re a ‘real woman’ now (is that what I have to look forward to for the next 30 years as a real woman??) When I lost my virginity and went to my doctor to get the pill, she remarked, “Congratulations on having sex – you’re a woman now!” Uh, what?

    I would love it if one day the definition of real woman was someone who celebrates difference, and accepts it for what it is – something that makes all of us different!

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    • picardie.girl

      I understand what you mean about struggling to find bras! I am a 10G myself and it is hell. Being small everywhere but your chest means finding clothes that truly fit is often a pipe dream.

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  6. becsparrow

    Does anyone remember on Australian Idol many years ago, a contestant called Chanel got up and said, “I should be chosen because there aren’t enough size 12, flat-chested women on TV!”

    As a size 12, fairly flat-chested woman myself I nearly stood up and clapped.

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    • melissasavage

      I get so utterly excited about Christina Hendricks for the same reason: ‘OMG, there’s someone who looks like me and they let her be on TV!’

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  7. Debbie

    What a great article. It sucks no matter what you look like when you don’t fit the ‘perfect woman’ mould. I was teased just as much for being flat chested growing up as a friend of mine was for being curvy. There needs to be a united effort in regards to female body shape so we can all feel comfortable berating shops that don’t stock clothes to fit us regardless of our size.

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  8. Anna

    a lot of those women in the gallery are small chested bc they are so darn skinny! Jennifer Anniston in early days of Friends when she was normal sized was definately not flat chested!

    I actually also disagree that the standard beauty is tall, thin, blonde and big boobs. Unless you are referring to Hugh Hefner’s standard of beauty. I do agree however that tall and thin is usually considered to be a standard of beauty.

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    • Jess

      I thought exactly the same thing. Damn it this might be the complete wrong attitude but you can have my modest 12C boobs if I can be that skinny…

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    • merindakennedy

      Anna, you took the words out of my mouth. Their boobs are so small because they are a size zero average. Not to take away from girls who are naturally thin but so many hollywood women would have bigger boobs if they were more of an average size.

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  9. PD

    I saw a sign on a plus-sized clothing shop last Sunday that read ‘For Real Women’. Made me (sz 10, A cup bra) feel pretty offended. I wondered if I was over-reacting… great to read this post. And loving the pics! Wondering if I’m brave enough to go back to unpadded bras… maybe one day soon… maybe! (But I tend to wear them to balance out the one bit of me that puts on weight – it ALL seems to go on my tummy!)

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  10. Kate

    I’ve always loved being a 10A/Bish. I’m petite all over and feel like being little suits my personality :)

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  11. melissasavage

    I am a curvier type, and body snarking of any kind bugs me too. Catherine Deveny’s piece was going well until she brought out the old ‘men like a bit of meat on the bones’ chestnut. Blergh! It doesn’t help anyone to say that any body type is better or worse than another. I (and my back and shoulders) would be delighted with a comfy little pair of C cups though!

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    • picardie.girl

      I’ve often wished for DDs myself! It’d be so comfy after these (size G) honkers.

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      • MissT

        Saying “honkers” makes me image you pulling on your nose and making a honking sound.

        I had to share that.

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        • picardie.girl

          HA! That makes me think of those muppets from Sesame Street… the ones that look like Telly but have horns for noses. Hehehe.

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          • Jess

            Theyre my fav sesame street characters :)

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      • melissasavage

        Yes picardiegirl, we’re the same size (10G for ginormous) even DDs would be a relief.

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  12. Anonymous

    Thanks so much for this story! I am fairly thin and have small boobs and have always felt embarrassed of my chest size, to the point where I don’t think I have ever been out in public wearing dresses or tops that don’t allow for a bra. And I don’t own a bra that doesn’t have padding of some sort.

    What irritates me is when people say ‘you are so small/thin/skinny’ but yet I would be frowned upon if I were to declare as freely how fat someone was looking. Why do people feel like it’s socially acceptable to say how thin someone is, but would never dare do the same to someone who is overweight?

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    • Rach

      Anon, this has been a bugbear of mine my whole life, I am small all over, and wouldn’t dream of commenting on someone else’s weight, yet I am fair game.

      How about we all embrace the human body for the miracle that it is, knowing that everyone has positives and negatives about their own. It is not for others to comment on in a negative or comparative way.

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      • merindakennedy

        If someone says ‘you’re so small/skinny’…. their intention is most likely to have it meant as a compliment. They probably wish to be smaller. I wouldn’t be offfended… although hearing it over and over must be a little frustrating for you ladies ;)

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        • Anon

          It’s *never* a compliment. There is *always* a touch of derision.

          Being small framed and thin with small breasts is a nightmare. No clothing fits. You’re constantly told you’re not a real woman. Strangers feel free to comment on your skinny arms and ‘boys butt’. Say things like ‘have you tried to put on weight?’ (I’m actually a healthy BMI with a great body fat percentage! If I put on weight I’d be overweight!). Remark that their bf would never be attracted to someone who doesn’t have a bit of meat on them! All the while sighing and claiming they’d ‘love to have your body’.

          I hate my body more than any fat girl. Trust me. There have been tears in clothing stores. Tears in restaurants from people telling me to eat. Tears from disrespectful so called friends.

          IM HEALTHY. JUST SMALL.

          Also I think being overweight has become so normalised no one knows what a healthy girl with a normal BMI and normal body fat percentage looks like anymore.

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          • Treena

            Amen Anon!
            I actually had to come back and find your comment again as it really stuck with me. I am on the other end of the spectrum in terms of weight, and though I would never comment on someone’s size–no matter what size–I am guilty of feeling that life is just easier for smaller woman. I have envied and hated on with the best of them, just usually in my head.
            I am coming to realize how twisted that is, but 35 years of social conditioning makes it a tough battle.

            And I really love that last comment. We really do have a distorted sense of what a healthy body looks like these days….

            Here’s hoping you will find some peace with, and come to love your body :)

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          • Kateateight

            To Anon – oh the RUDEST is when they say “My husband could never be attracted to a skinny person/no boobs/no bum/ etc”

            WTF!? I have had that said to me on countless occassions…I wonder if they know how rude it sounds?

            I wish someone would come up with a good reply I can say to it…

            “MY man likes a REAL WOMAN”

            “Oh, yes, obviously MY man likes CHILDREN. We should get him a COUNSELLOR!”

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        • Nicki

          It’s not always a compliment, merindakennedy, especially not when you’ve got 3 larger girls who you’ve never even met before following you down the street, telling you how anorexic you look – which has happened to me!

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          • Shannon

            Ack, I remember when I managed to put on 2kgs after 2 years of trying so hard to put on weight, feeling on top of the world because of my . was walking back to the train station after seeing a band play and a guy who was on the street said I looked like “one of dem anorexic chicks” then his friend proceeded to ask me for $2 to buy food…

            Then, a few weeks later, a stranger I met at a party and said, “You’re so gangly”.

            The strangest of all was when a customer at work, who was equally thin for a male, said I had an”insect thing going on”. I was mortified, but the strange part was when he came back 10mins later to give me his number. I don’t think “treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen” works when you haven’t made them keen yet…and insults definitely are NOT a pickup line.

            Needless to say, my 2kg weight gain then felt thoroughly inadequate.

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    • Sara R

      Love what you said about people thinking its ok to call you skinny and asking if you eat at all?? Wtf i would never comment on someones weight like that!

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    • smiliey

      totally agree, double standards. A person’s weight should not generally be discussed, coz us thin girls can get totally offended by it!

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      • Rach

        I am sometimes compared to a relative’s 6yo daughter. As in, oh, your clothes are pretty much the same size, you probably weigh the same, etc. Talk about making someone not feel like a ‘real woman’!

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  13. bee

    THANKYOU!!!
    Im a healthy size 6 too with 10A bra size. 5ft 5 so no glamazon either. Glad to hear from another healthy, flat chested, non curvy, non model person :D

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    • Kris2040

      How can you be a size 6 with 10a bra? Doesn’t that mean you’re a size 10?

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      • Anouk

        No,the 10A is just the smallest bra size there is,no matter what the rest of your body looks like,,,

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        • melissasavage

          You need to go to specialty retailers. I have a 32 inch back (Australian 10) and get my bras online from Bravissimo who go down to a 28 inch (6) back. They’re only for big bras though- above an E cup I think but I’m sure there must be an equivalent for smaller sizes.

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          • shanny

            so they do a small back size with big boobs? my sister has a really hard time finding bras that fit. i will check out bravissimo thanks!

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        • Shannon

          I’m a size 6 and an 8C – basically only available in specialty stores. It’s the equivalent of a 10B, but the 10s always ride up the back…grr. Bras n Things do 8C bras for $50 each…at first I was iffy about spending so much on a bra (when you can get 10Bs from Kmart for $10!) but once I realised how much more comfortable they were I was sold. Thing is, they mostly do padded ones which is good if you want to enhance your size and shape, less helpful if you want to maintain your natural size.

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      • MissT

        Bra size doesn’t always align with clothing size. I’ve never actually seen a size 6 bra. I have seen an 8, but not many.

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      • SquiggleMum

        I’m the same size :-)

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      • The Sage Stylista

        Ideally yes, your clothing size would match your bra size.

        I am a size 6, and should technically be a 6D (Sounds big, but it’s not really… It’s more about my proportions). I am a D in cup width, and a 6 around the waist, but 6D bras aren’t easy to get, so I can usually find a middle adjustment with say an 8B or a 10A.

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      • FAB

        I have never seen a size 6 bra. 10 is the smallest but they don’t really align with clothing sizes.

        I used to be an 8, now a 10 but always been a size 10B

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        • The Sage Stylista

          I have seen some very basic size 6 styles in one lingerie shop, and it was from a French label… Other than that, they are definitely not widespread! I think they can be found online though.

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      • bee

        Kris2040 as most have said 10A is pretty much the smallest size you can buy without going to specialty stores. I have found some 8A’s around which I do prefer but they arent nearly as common.

        Now theres a gap in the market!! Smaller bras for smalled waists and boobies :)

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        • Jen Jen

          And how I, a size 16, would dearly love to find more B cup bras around! I have the body shape of a pubescent male, no distinguishable curves (except my undulating stomach) and the barest hint of cleavage. Most major brassiere manufacturers seem to assume ladies of a larger clothing size must have larger boobies to match. Not I.

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          • Kelly

            And they seem to think if you are a size 16 you must be 6ft tall too, cause I always heve to take about 30cm off the bottom of jeans.

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          • Kris2040

            I see 16B all the time in KMart and BigW and Target.

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  14. JacquiH

    I’m sick to death of the discussions about women’s bodies full stop. How about ‘smart is in’; ‘funny is in’; ‘capable is in’…we are so much more than the size of our boobs and hips.

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  15. misskeira

    I am reminded of this:
    http://fuckyeahchoice.tumblr.com/post/7061509573/real-women-have-curves-and-not-they-are-tall

    “Real women are large breasted and not…”

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    • vegas

      That’s pretty fabulous – thanks for sharing Miss Keira.

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    • Susan

      Awesome link.

      Thanks for sharing…

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  16. Leah

    This is something i really struggle with. I used to really hate my 10B chest,
    I always contemplated having breast implants but i was too scared of the pain. It also didn’t help that my ex told me all the time how ‘hot’ i would be with DDs and kept pointing out girls with huge breasts.

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    • The Sage Stylista

      What an awful comment your ex made! Any changes people make should be for themselves, not for someone else… How mean of him to tear at yours self-esteem like that. I’ve experienced something similar, albeit he was joking, and afterwards I thought “God, if I actually was insecure about my breasts, this would definitely effect me… Especially if he repeated it over time!”.

      I love push-up bras, depending on the mood and the style of dress I’m wearing, but I now actively seek non-padded bras… I feel just as sexy in those as I do in a padded one, if not more ;)

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    • vegas

      your ex sounds like a bit of a tool…. and I bet if he was with a curvier girl he’d be telling her she’d look hot if she lost a bit of weight….

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    • Jimmy's Girl

      … and do we (would we?!) ever point out to the fellas how much ‘hotter’ they’d be if they had a 9 inch whanger instead of whatever they have been born with? How rude!!

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    • Leah

      Thanks girls! He is definitely a wanker, hence he’s an ex. I am more accepting of my body now than i was a few years back, not 100% happy but getting there :)

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  17. Kathy W

    I’m a 12DD – and believe me I’d rather be a ‘B’.
    I have no idea why people get implants to be a DD unless you’re profession is bikini model – because DD’s only look good in bikinis.

    There are certain styles I just can’t wear – round necks, peasant tops, anything with gathering around the neckline, bulky warm sweaters, dresses with thin straps…the list is endless…they all make me look fat or matronly or need a bra to wear and with DD’s – a bra is essential. And try running for any length of time without a serious heavy duty sports bra…I’d love to run in just a crop top.

    I just don’t get the obsession with big boobs. I wish I had Kate Moss’s to be honest.

    A and B cups look great in any clothing – as the photos in this post prove.

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    • Holly

      I agree, I have size E boobs and I would love to have small perky boobs that look good in anything! I have never been able to understand why women would want big boobs. Mine are heavy, uncomfortable, hot and sweaty in summer, look terrible in most tops and I honestly can’t remember the last time I tried to run! Not to mention the difficulties of trying to breastfeed my newborn baby with boobs bigger than his head!! I am completely jealous of all the small-breasted women in the picture gallery. Enjoy your small boobs girls :)

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      • Whippersnapper

        I have e cups too and I hate them! I feel I fill out clothes better with a small D!

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      • kateincottesloe

        That’s so funny – reminds me my Cs went to EE when breast feeding my twins. Try feeding one on each side at same time when each boob is bigger than baby’s head! It was like watching a tadpole trying to bite a basketball…. Also, they shrunk back to very sad and saggy Bs after feeding all babies. Just had them put back to their original pristine C ;-)

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        • Holly

          Oh I love that mental image of a tadpole trying to bite a basketball! Hilarious!!

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    • maggie

      Agreed. The back pain isnt worth it!

      I am a 12H and I would kill to be even back at a DD like when I was 18.

      C would be nice I think……..

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      • Holly

        C would be lovely!

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    • Kate O

      the grass is always greener!

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  18. Mimi

    yay for being another flat chested woman! im proud to be part of this group – i love the fact that i can get away with not having to wear a bra under certain tops especially in summer its much cooler that way! when i was younger and all my friends were getting boobs and i just stayed flat it was a little bit dis-heartening at that age but as ive grown up and embraced my flat chestedness…im a size 10A/32A and proud of it! i can still get gorgeous bras with padding to give me shape and dont mind that i dont usually fill a bra! haha

    i have a beautiful husband who loves my body for what it is as well :)

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  19. Susan

    Much better than the alternatives…

    I honestly think that Breast implants are the most disgusting thing I could think of for a number of reasons:

    a. Have you seen the surgery??? I watched it on the Louis Theroux plastic surgery show and vomitted up so many different colours because of it.

    b. Having an object in which isn’t really proven to be safe.

    c. Putting 10,000 worth of surgery in to you, when that money could have saved so many families world wide/ paid for a Uni degree.

    d. it’s just plain weird. It’s weird.

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    • Anonymous

      I am a curvy girl except when it came to my chest, hips and bum but no boobs and spent most of my life being totally not in proportion, size 10 top and size 14 bottom.My brother nicknamed me pirates chest , sunked tresure. I consoled my self with the fact that a least my small perky boobs wouldnt sag.well after breast feading several children for about 2 years each ,not only did they sag but were empty, streatched and honestly hideous , i actually had to pick them up to put them i my bra.I decided to get implants which i never thought i would, and they are fanastic, i have a lot more body confidance than ever before.The surgery its self was fairly simple , home in the afternoon and recovery was straightforward and as for the cost , well i am sure i would of spent on formula had i not breastfeed.I did originally ask for Ds but my surgen talked me into a nice C,to fill out saging skin and look natural.I hate to say it but i most definatly feel more womanly

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      • Susan

        Not to judge you (except that I’m aware my above paragraph is very, very judgey… I’m sorry, it’s just something I feel strongly about) but I do think it is so sad that society views a particular body type as being “right” and others as being “wrong” or worse still “less womanly”.

        I also find it so sad that people (not neccessarily you- I don’t know you, obviously!) seek medical and surgical answers to emotional.

        Bodies are above all meant to be functional- having kids, ageing, eating tasty food- all have impacts upon us. But unless your body is not functioning to how it should (or unless you really can’t function within society in the case of cranio-facial surgery), I can’t think of too many reasons to change it.

        My size A-cup friend begs to differ, but she has an amazing slim figure and never gains a kg, despite being the biggest cheese-lover around. *jealous*

        Maybe there, but I’m not aware of it…

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  20. I find many different body-types attractive…I like curvy, but I also like boyish…I like tall, I like petite…

    I always find it weird when someone says “I only like women who look like this or that…”

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  21. MissT

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. “Real women” do not have curves, or boobs, or a bum, or long legs, or no boobs, or blonde hair, or no hair….

    Real women have vaginas.

    And, to be completely frank, not all of the people I call a woman have one of those either.

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  22. Kails

    Nicole, you are a gorgeous woman !!!
    As are all the other small-breasted women…I still remember being humiliated at David Jones when I went in at 9 months pregnant with my 2nd child and being told that no-one makes feeding bras in an A cup……ouch!!!!!!!

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    • SquiggleMum

      I had the same experience pregnant (full-term) in Myer!!

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    • Peta

      I had the same problem….trying to find feeding bras in smaller sizes is almost impossible! Small breasted women get pregnant too you know!!

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    • AcanberramumI

      Trying to find a breastfeeding bra size 10H (yes, “H” for huge) is no picnic either!

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    • melissasavage

      I haven’t bought bras in Myer or DJs for years- they don’t do anything much above an E, and they have this weird idea that if you’re above a certain size in the cup that you must be big in the back, so I’m hardly surprised they don’t cater for the other end of the market either.

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    • Laws for Clouds

      Not to mention finding a maternity top that didn’t gape at the chest…

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  23. The Sage Stylista

    Thank goodness there is another positive voice that is embracing body eqality! I could further discuss curves, especially in relation to proportions, sizes etc, but I’m exhausted by it. Enough with women fighting each other. True contentment with one’s outer self cannot be found anywhere but within the indiviual…It’s a choice we have to make, and then work actively to enforce… To borrow from Pantene: It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen! :)

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  24. SquiggleMum

    Thanks Nicole and Mia. I too am a girl without curves, and people underestimate how insecure that can make you. Thanks for the confidence boost.

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  25. Loves2bake

    Thin may be in, but if you don’t have boobs it is really hard to find clothes that fit. The only time I have properly fit into my size 8 clothes was when my boobs were a 10D when I was pregnant. Now that I’ve stopped breastfeeding my boobs have shrunk to a 8B. I have to wear a slightly too big enhancer bra so I can wear my clothes because they don’t make many bras in my size. It also doesn’t help that my hips are wider post-birth which complicates clothes shopping even more :(

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    • Kails

      I hear you ! The hips are wider and the boobs are smaller…..So not one of the benefits of having children (God love them)

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    • erin23

      I am the same, my boobs initially grew when i began breastfeeding and they’re shrinking again. I’m glad that there are some small breasted women represented in Hollywood, but it still makes me sad that there are no stretch-marked, saggy-post-breastfeeding breasts out and proud. But that’s another topic for another time!

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      • Susan

        Please remember that clothing only really seems to fit a particular sized boobs though (b-c, I’d estimate)…

        And they have to be positioned in the right place for fit, so even then, it isn’t a given that they’ll fit

        Bras for anything larger than a C-cup cost an absolute fortune.

        Bottom line is that designers should make clothing to fit bodies, not us having to change our bodies to fit clothes.

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    • Bassbassgirl

      I’m hearing you! Boobs went up to a 12 D when milk came in (usually 12B) and then when I stopped breast feeding they shrank to a 12A! So no boobs for me. Still won’t get a boob job though, after having a c section I cannot work out for the life of me why someone would choose to have themselves sliced and diced. Ouch.

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  26. Tracey Groombridge

    As women we should do oursleves a favor and stop judging each other for our differences. Men really don’t give a flying…

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    • The Sage Stylista

      Agreed. We also need to stop bringing men in to ‘validate’ things, it only seems to further divide women!

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  27. Anonymous

    re the gallery: doesn’t that go against your suggestion that small breasts are against the hollywood ideal of beauty?

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  28. WillaWay

    Doesn’t the gallery kind of emphasise that actually slim, small-breasted women are celebrated and admired in clothes (and out), including those with either slim or wide hips? Not sure the un-curvy are regarded as being as imperfect/less desirable than the “celebrated” curvies a la a Catherine Deveny type. Thin is in, and I think that includes those with smaller breasts, as is most often the case with a slim build, either genetic or through eating habits. And Thin is in in ads as well as in movie stars. Some of the gallery are women lauded as most beautiful and sexy – Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Anniston…. and often not-so-tall either. Can’t really see myself getting on the band-wagon to stop the media ill-depiction of slim women.

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    • Mia

      Ha! We had a debate about the gallery – my choice to put it in!

      We had to cherry pick from a huge number of shots of female celebs to find these ones. I thought it was a nice thing to see – those images of diversity. Since when people talk about celebrities being curvy, they often just mean really slim with really big boobs!

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      • WillaWay

        That is funny that you had to cherry pick. But still, some of those women are *the* lauded women of our time. When you look at tv shows, the women are often thin and small-breasted.

        I think the clothes thing is that manufacturers just try the middle way – if you’re either bigger in any one dimension or smaller, the clothes don’t fit well. I have never ever bought a pair of pants that fit a size 12 bum and 10 waist, or a size 10 waist and D cup boobs well. That’s life in mass production. I don’t think it reflects our ideals, just what will fit most, or not-fit them not-too-badly.

        I think there is diversity among images of slim women that we are shown – hippy, not hippy, broad shouldered, slim-shouldered, soft bodied, muscled, large or small breasted (fake or real). It’s the diversity in non-extreme-slimness and non-slim basic body shapes that is really lacking, and in ethnicity. Otherwise, I’m sure thin women do sometimes feel that they are cast as not-sexy because they’re not the extreme of the stereotype (which at ultra-extreme makes you “trashy”) – but look at tv and movies and you should feel lauded. Keira Knightley, the women from House, the old Debra Messing (? sorry, can’t remember her name), etc. more more more could be added to that gallery of beautiful slim women, with smallish breasts.

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    • nicolemadiganeverest

      The women MM featured in the gallery are stunning Hollywood beauties. You could compile a similar gallery of “curvy” Hollywood beauties. I guess my point was that when women rally together to combat the pressure of the “Hollywood ideal” they always seem to focus on the fact that “real women have curves”… so if you’re not a Hollywood beauty (curvy or slim) or a so-called “real woman”, what are you?

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