Boobs are tricky old things. They come in all different shapes and sizes. In fact they come in more than just different shapes and different sizes and we're here to show some of them to you.
This post will explore different boobs and the contributing factors that make your boobs unique to you. Below is just a small list of the things that affect breasts and make them what they are:
- Breast Volume
- Breast Shape
- Breast tissue type
- Breast root width and height
- Size of Torso
- Shape of chest/ribcage
- Back band Width
So yeah...quite a few things.
This post is designed to explain some of the boob types out there and how they differ. We would never be able so show every single type of breast, (because we'd have to show every single women's boobs in the world as they are all different) but we thought it would be useful to show a range of the ones we see every day when fitting women in bras, then explain what style of bra would suit them best.
Below is an a group of illustrations showing some breasts types. Remember these are not definitive categories that you necessarily fit in to, but more a guide and aid to understanding the wide variety there is. You could easily have more than one of these characteristics to your boobs but understanding why they are the way they are and how to find bras for them is helpful.
1) East-West Boobs
East-West describes a shape of breast that sits to the left and right. They aren't necessarily wide apart in the middle but it explains that the 'point of bust' (The bit of your boob that sticks out the most, more often than not it's where your nipples are) sits facing outwards. They won't always look like the illustration above as levels of Ptosis (sagging) can vary as well as root width and height (Explained below).
If you think you have East-West boob characteristics then a plunge such as Curvy Kate's Wonderfull and Victory should fit well. This style draws the breasts in at the sides and centralises them, giving great cleavage without spillage.
2) Full Boobs
Full boobs means that the breast tissue is evenly distributed across the breast. They appear firm and tend to have less ptosis (sagging). There will still be a point of bust but they may appear more 'Round'.
Many styles would work for a Full bust including balconies and plunges however low-cut balconettes might not fit as well due to the fullness of the top of the breast spilling out.
3) Centre-heavy boobs
Centre-heavy boobs means there is more breast tissue to the centre of the breast than the outer. It means that without a bra they can touch or at least sit close to one another (basically your boobs want to be best friends). It can also result in your nipples/point of bust pointing slightly East-West as the larger volume of tissue in the centre, pushes them outwards.
Styles to fit central boobs would be a balcony such as Daily Balcony or Emboost. The higher central gore will separate the breasts and give them a rounded shape.
4) Bottom Heavy
Bottom heavy boobs refers to boobs where the majority of the tissue weight is held at the bottom. They can be referred to as 'Shallow on top' as they aren't as full at the top of the chest. Bottom heavy breasts can be effected by Ptosis (sagging) but this isn't always the case.
Bottom heavy boobs need the volume lifting up into the cup so Balcony bras such as Sex Education from Scantilly and plunge bras like Lucky Star are great for this.
5) Wide Set Boobs
Wide Set Boobs are breasts that have a bigger gap in the middle. The illustration above demonstrates boobs that look quite 'East-West' but that isn't always the case and wide set boobs can be any shape it just describes where they are positioned on your chest.
Wide-Set boobs tend to lend themselves to Balcony and Balconette style, as the bra lifts them up rather than in. However like everything in the post, it's just a guide. You may have Wide-set and Full breasts and balconettes may not work for you - it's about getting to know your body and knowing what a good fit is on you.
6) Asymmetrical Boobs
Asymmetrical boobs is pretty self explanatory. What not many people know is that the majority of women will have asymmetrical breasts to some degree, in fact it's almost impossible to be perfectly symmetrical- so don't stress, you're perfectly normal!
However, the difference in breast size between each boob can differ quite dramatically in some people, sometimes by various sizes but fear not bras can help even this out if you want to. The best style would be a moulded or foam-lined style such as Smoothie. This style allows you to support the larger breast and then the more rigid cup can help to disguise any gaping or space that isn't filled with breast tissue. You can also buy bra pads or fillets to go in your smaller cup if you like. *Remember you always fit to your larger breast, for more info on Asymmetrical boobs then read here.
7) Low Breast Roots
Breast roots (explained fully here) refer to where your breast is attached to your body. It's essentially where your underwire will sit. The Image above demonstrates boobs that have low down breast roots. It just shows that where your boobs stick out of your body underneath, is lower down and closer to the waist.
Breasts with this characteristic don't necessarily need a specific type of bra, however they may need fully adjustable straps as the distance between shoulders and cup may be increased.
It's also good to mention here that the positioning of your breast root (height wise) can affect your back band measurement. If your roots are lower, your back band will sit closer to your waist which is usually smaller, if you have high roots then your back band may be larger as it may sit on the widest part of your ribs. Again (sorry to keep repeating) it's down to finding what works for you.
8) Narrow Breast Roots
Again this refers to Breast Roots (post here). Narrow breast roots mean that your under-boob and where it joins your torso is a smaller area. Typically it means the wire will be a deeper 'U' shape than your breast and won't go as far back under the arm pit.
So there you have a round up of some of the different boob types out there. This is by no means all of them, there are hundreds and hundreds but we thought it would be useful to show our customers a few so you can get a feel of just how diverse boobies really are.
Remember these are not categories you should try and 'fit in to', they are merely an educational guide to show what's out there. One woman could find herself with Full, Asymmetrical, Low-rooted and Wide-Set breasts while another has Narrow-rooted, bottom heavy ones and this could change throughout your lifetime. The whole point is to help you figure out what you might have, learn what it means and then how to find bras for them in the future.
So, did you find this post helpful? What kind of boobs do you have? Have you found any Curvy Kate bras to be good for a specific characteristic? If so let us know on Twitter or drop us a comment below.
Big Love x
