"19 years old — Asian. ... My bra size is between AA and A. Sometimes I am embarrassed because my breasts are small, almost flat. I convince myself that people love me for what I really am, not how my breasts look."
Note that I emphasized "WOMEN'S" in the title — it is women and girls who worry about having small breasts. Women and girls see many of their peers having larger ones, and that (seemingly) makes them feel theirs are not up to par.
To tell you the truth, just seeing other women have larger breasts is not the greatest factor behind this angst. The popular women's and teens' magazines are — they have an enormous impact as to how women and girls view their own breasts.
"Age 19, average build and no pregnancies. Through high school I wore an A cup bra but my breasts didn't fill the cup until last year. I was always embarrassed of my small size. The influence of Hollywood's idealism made me feel inadequate, ashamed, and less of a woman. This site, along with my husband urging me to understand the different kinds of beauty we all posses gave me a much needed reality check."
You do well to stay away from those magazines. Even if you consciously realize that the images they convey are fake, the general "atmosphere", the images, and the style of those magazines still affects your mind and your thinking.
"I've been self conscious about my breasts ever since it was pointed out that they're differently sized, which I didn't notice. This site has made me feel better about my body in a few ways. I've been depressed... :( It makes me feel really ugly. I'm too embarrassed now to let anyone see them because I'm scared that they'll judge me about them. I've always known my breasts were small, I usually wear a 34A or maybe sometimes a B, but I was always grateful for them since I'm more on the athletic side. I swim a lot and they've never gotten in the way. Still, I hope that I can accept them for what they are soon. In the end, I hope every woman realizes that they were made the way they are for a reason. Every woman is different. This site has made me see that."
Yes. How do we define NORMALCY of breasts? It is when a breast has enough milk glands in it to make enough milk for a baby.
The amount of fat does NOT count! And it is the amount of fat, for the most part, that makes some breasts bigger than others. (Of course the milk ducts also have to be longer in bigger breasts than in smaller ones.)
Typically, women with small breasts find that their breasts grow a lot during pregnancy, and make enough milk. So, not to worry!
So, small breasts ARE normal! Keep in mind that breast size varies within women — a LOT. Measuring with bra cup sizes, some women have A or AA, some have letters such as G or H. A-cup breasts are certainly very normal and beautiful!
"I'm 20 years old. .. I'm naturally very slim, though my mother is a 38DD! My left breast is slightly higher on my ribcage than my right, though they are roughly the same size (32A). I've always been unhappy with my small breasts and felt that I'd been short changed... I didn't feel 'womanly'. Combined with your wonderful website, I'm well on the way to feeling better."
Many women seem to think so (especially small-breasted gals), though not all. Interestingly, many large-breasted women wish they had small breasts, because large breasts bring with them their own problems, such as backache, breasts being on the way, men staring at them, people not taking these women seriously, etc. Some men also prefer big breasts; however men don't care about breast size NEARLY as much as women do.
Why do many people think big breasts are better? The question boils down to TWO factors. First of all, many women have (supposedly) "learned" that men care more about larger breasts than small ones. Secondly, some think that larger breasts are better for breastfeeding.
My breasts have always been very small (AA cup), and even when I was pregnant I never made it out of an A cup I couldnt even buy a Maternity bra as they all start at a B cup. I have always been very self-conscious of my flat chest; I hated school communal showers, and even to this day wont change in a communal swimming pool changing room in case people think Im a freak.
I actually prefer my breasts now (as pictured) to pre pregnancy as they are bigger, squashier and more breast like, I can even buy an A cup now, which is fantastic I feel much more female and voluptuous and a whole new world of underwear shopping has opened up before me.
...I have considered having implants and decided against it beneath the worry and fear that I dont match up, is a belief that I shouldnt have to cut into and disfigure my own body to appear attractive to others, it is better to learn to accept myself and hope others will too.
We certainly recommend that women and men appreciate each other for what they are, not just for certain body parts. When you are considering marrying a person, other factors SHOULD be the determining factor, such as do the two of you like each other's company, can you work together in taking care of the home & possible children, do you share similar interests and a similar worldview, etc.
But as long as the world continues with this craze of body appearance, you might be interested to know that NOT all men — not even most men — care about breast size per se.
We have received numerous comments FROM MEN over the years, noting that it is WOMEN who do the most fussing over breast size, not men. The general ideas in these letters we've received are:
First of all, if your breasts are small before pregnancy, chances are they will double (or even triple) their size during pregnancy. Then, when the mature milk comes in (a few days after giving birth), breasts become even larger. But even if they don't end up very large, there have been studies done that indicate that small breasts can produce milk in the exact same quantities as larger ones.
"I am 18 and have never been pregnant. I have always been small both in weight and height. I wear a 32A mostly. I am learning to love [my breasts] though and I love this site. There should definitely be more like it."
What differs is the storage capacity. Between feedings, the breasts continue making milk, and this milk is stored in the milk ducts within the breasts. Larger breasts have longer ducts, so they can store a larger quantity of milk between feedings. In practical terms it means that women with small breasts may need to nurse more often than women with large breasts.
"I'm 25 years old, i live in Europe. I'm 170 cm tall, about 55kg which makes me pretty skinny. I have never been pregnant.
I have very small breasts and never been to happy about that (left is
slightly bigger then the other). I've always been very self confident and
when I was about 15 I realized that my breasts won't grow anymore... so ever
since I tried to make the best of what I have and to accept myself the way I
am. It wasn't always easy. I never wear a bra, first, because I can't find
the one that fits and second, now I got used to it :) not wearing one, I
mean.
Would I like my boobs to be bigger? Yes, not too big though. But I would
never go for a surgery, ever!"
Just keep in mind that the milk production itself does not obey breast size—it depends on the amount of milk glands, and women with small or large breasts usually have the same amount of glands.
Please see also our article Breast size and breastfeeding for more information.
Besides breast implants, there is no surefire method to increase breast size. We have explained the details of what affects the breast size, and what doesn't, on this page.
"Hi. I'm turning 19 in 2 months. ... I've never found the perfect bra. I used to be extremely unhappy with my breasts, for a really long time, because I thought they were too small and unattractive. I was even thinking about taking the pills, though I was not sexually active, because I heard breasts would grow because of the hormones. I'm happy that I did not. I'm learning to accept my breasts, and my body in general. ... Thank you for your wonderful and empowering website."
Don't let small breasts keep you from feeling pretty. Don't buy into the fashion magazines' message! Small breasts are very pretty and feminine! There shouldn't be any reason to hide the fact that you have small breasts.
Study into dressing with your body type. One idea for girls with a small bustline is to wear shirts that have details or pockets at the bustline. Or, try layering: a tank top under a cardigan or button-down shirt. Another possibility yet is to wear lloaty, loose-fitting blouses (but without plunging necklines).
You can find quite a bit of dressing advice for small-busted women on the Internet. Search for "dressing small busted" or for "dress body type", or for "dress body shape".
Then don't forget the HAIR — it's the most single important part of feminine look, and you have LOTS of control over that. If you can afford it, go to some stylist that can give you advice on your hair style that would fit the shape of your FACE. Or, search for 'hairstyle shape face' in Google.
You might notice that other people won't pay nearly so much attention to your chest size as you do, anyway. Hopefully stop worrying about it too, and instead consider your small breasts to be BEAUTIFUL, because they are!