Back Fat and Bra Fit

This isn't a term I love but there's no getting around it, lots of women ask me about back fat. I'm going to start by saying that in the big scheme of things back fat is not something you need to worry about. No one who matters is looking at your back and judging you so you don't need to scrutinize yourself either. Having said that I know that it bothers lots of women so I want to help you understand how your bra size and shape can affect how your body looks under clothing. There are two main causes of avoidable back fat 1) bands that are too loose and 2) wings that are too shallow.

How a Loose Band Gives You Back Fat
When your band is too big for you it rides up your back creating an arch shape which cuts across the widest part of your back and pushes the flesh downwards which creates rolls on your back. The weight of your unsupported bust at the front pulls the tissue near your armpit to be pushed up which creates overhang too.

The red line shows where the bra band should lie so that the flesh is not pushed up or down

Lots of women think that a snug bra will give them back fat but it will do quite the opposite. A snug band will fit you at the narrowest part of your torso. The will stop the flesh above and below being forced up or down into rolls. A loose band doesn't just cause rolls it also lowers your bust at the front and causes your straps to dig in.

How the Depth of Your Wings Affect Back Fat
Bras with deeper wings will smooth out your back. Just as long panels of shapewear smooth you out under clothing so too a deeper wing will smooth out your back.

Left, Lucy by Cleo. Right, Profile Perfect by FayreForm

In the image above you can see that the wings on Lucy are shallower than the wings on Profile Perfect. The deeper wings spread out the pressure of the band over a greater area and so the back appears smoother than the shallower wing

Fit is more important than Fat
If you carry a lot of weight around your back then you are always going to get some dips where your bra fits but having a bra that fits you correctly is more important than something even you can't see without twisting in a mirror. If it really bothers you then you can wear shapewear over your bra that will add another smoothing layer to your undergarments but in general choosing a bra that is the best shape and band size for you will make a huge difference to the smoothness of your look xx

How Many Bras Should You Own?

This is a question I get asked a lot and you may be surprised to know that there is a little science to the answer. We wear our bras anywhere between 8 and 18 hours every day and in that time the elastic in our bra heats up to our body temperature; especially around the band where it is in greatest contact with our skin. Heat causes elastic to expand and stretch farther. When you take off your bra the elastic begins to cool down and the fibers in the elastic start to contract back into a shorter state. It takes about 36 hours for elastic to cool down completely so ideally you want to give your bras 2 days rest between wears.

Considering how crucial your bra's elastic is to your fit and longevity it's worth looking after by washing and drying your bras correctly and by allowing them rest between wears. Here's a general breakdown of how many bras you need to maximize their longevity:

From Left to Right: Profile Perfect, Lucy Black and Leopard Dessous

Everyday Bras
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what an everyday bra is. It's any bra that keeps you supported during your daily activities and that works with your wardrobe. For lots of women their everyday bra collection is one light coloured bra, one dark coloured bra and a bra with a lower neckline that can be worn with lower necklines. Three is the minimum number of bras you should have for everyday wear to give your bras the best chance at lasting as long as they can. If you have more and rotate them on a 4 or 5 day basis then they'll last proportionally longer. If you wear the same bra every day then it will probably only last about 4 months, if that.

Sports Bras
The number of sports bras you need depends on how often you exercise, what you do and for how long. If you work out three times a week doing more or less the same level of activity for about an hour then you only need one sports bra. If you do a high-impact sport one day and a low level yoga class another day you may need two different bras; one designed for impact and one designed for flexibility. If you work out every day and sweat a great deal or exercise for more than an hour then you're going to need two or even three sports bras. Be sure to wash your sports bras every week as the salt from your sweat can break down elastic quickly.

From Left to Right: Evie Strapless, Tango Cherry Plunge, Enell Classic Black

Solution Bras
If your wardrobe requires you to have a strapless bra then you can probably just invest in one unless you need a specific colour. In the summer you may find that you want a couple of strapless bras that you can add to your everyday rotation. Plunge bras or wide balconette styles (think heaving bossom!) may not be something you wear every week but are useful to have for a favourite dress or event. These bras aren't essential but can add more freedom to your wardrobe choices.

Colourful Bras
I don't think that colourful bras should be an option, they should be a standard in your bra drawer. If you love colour then your everyday bras may all be colourful ones. However, if you have a basic everyday bra wardrobe then I highly recommend treating yourself to a colourful bra that you wear at weekends because it can lift your spirits to wear something that is fun and different. It can help you see you and your breasts differently.

I hope this helps you work out whether your bra wardrobe and habits are helping you get the most out of your bra budget. xx

Which Sports Bra Should Full Bust Women Wear?

Sports bras are so much more than just well engineered bras that absorb impact, they are the mental and physical freedom to have a choice whether you want to participate in sports and activities that can lead to friendships, careers, improved health and well-being. A saddening number of girls stop playing sports or being generally active because they don't have adequate breast support. It's simply wrong that millions of girls and women miss out on the physical and emotional benefits of being active for the sake of a well-fitting sports bra. Things have changed a great deal in the last decade and we can ensure that fewer girls feel forced out of sports simply over the size of their chests and that grown women can take back control over their physical activities in a supportive sports bra.

Dove's billboard makes you wonder how many girls we could keep in sports with the right physical & emotional support

Why Do We Need Sports Bras?
We need sports bras because breasts don't have any muscle in them; they are held in place by two things, ligaments and skin. The ligaments (technical name Coopers Ligaments) stretch and contract to accommodate your movements. Your skin also stretches to allow for the force and impact of your movements. Unlike muscles, there is little you can do to alter your ligament and skin elasticity and strength, so the only thing you can do is add another layer of shock absorption that can take the impact strain your ligaments and skin alone couldn't handle.

Left, Simona Halep is categorically in the wrong sports bra and ultimately she resorted to a breast reduction. Serena Williams' bra shows the coverage and support a well-fitting sports bra can give.

When you work out your boobs are moving more often and greater distances than when you're doing everyday activities. During this time you need to protect your ligaments and skin from getting over-stretched as this can be very painful. To minimize the stretch factor you need to wear a sports bra that is designed to absorb the impact of your activity.

The Two Types of Sports Bra
There are two types of sports bras; Encapsultation and Compression. There is no right or wrong for which one you should wear, however, you should know how they differ to understand which one is right for you and the activity you're doing.

Panache Sports Bra is an encapsultation bra as it has distinct cups and comes in regular bra sizes

Encapsultation Bras have two distinct cups just like a regular bra so that each breast is housed in its own cup. Unlike regular bras the cups are likely to be thicker, longer (cup higher up your body) and have another layer of fabric wrapped around the outside of the cups that disperses impact away from the breast and around the whole upper body instead. These kind of bras keep the breasts as still as possible inside the cups without putting excess pressure on the breast itself. This kind of sports bra is also ideal for very busy days as it can be worn for long periods of time. Some of our customers use this bra for cycling, jogging, rowing, working out at the gym and playing soccer. Our clients who participate in triathlons and ironman competitions tend to use the compression style as some of the activities are maximum impact and they need virtually zero movement in their chest.

Enell Compression bras use sturdy fabric with shock absorbent elastic weave in the back to disperse the impact of movement across your whole upper torso

Compression Bras don't have distinct cups and instead reduce the bounce not with thickness of cup but by keeping the breasts very close to the body (this also means that the breasts are often touching). They do this by dispersing the volume of your bust across your whole upper body (this can be known as the monoboob look). Compression bras for large breasts tend to come very high on your chest as the breast tissue is being flattened over a larger surface area than an encapsulation bra. This kind of support significantly reduces the impact of being active as the vertical movement of your breasts (caused when jumping up and down) is greatly reduced. I use a compression sports bra for running because it makes my 32GG bust have almost zero movement. The downside to a compression bra is that you shouldn't wear it for prolonged periods of time ( a couple of hours wear is ideal) because the fatty cells inside your breasts are under pressure and excessive pressure for long periods can aggravate your breasts (rashes, infection, bruising). Plus sweat gets trapped between your breasts which can cause chafing for some women over long periods of time.

The Lite from Enell is designed to be more flexible, more lightweight and can be worn for longer periods

Enell also created a Lite version of their compression sports bra which is less supportive for high impact, however, it can be worn for longer periods of time and is also excellent for activities that require more flexibility. I wear the Lite for Yoga because it has no clasp on the back so I can roll on my spine without poking myself. 

Sports Bra Sizes
Encapsulation sports bras are sized like regular bras and manufacturers like Panache have 28 back sports bras up to a UK H cup (the same as a US J cup). At the moment there still aren't enough Sports Bra options for women over an H cup. Some manufacturers (like Royce) have some wirefree styles but I hope very much that we'll see an increase in the availability of sports bras in HH, J, JJ and K cups.

Compression sports bras don't have regular bra sizes (like 32FF, or 38H) because they don't have cups. Instead they are sized either as small, medium, large, or in the case of Enell (one of the biggest compression sports bra manufacturers) they use 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc to denote their sizes. Again, there aren't compression bras on the market for every woman (if you're a 28J it's incredibly difficult to find a sports bra). The most common solution I know some of our customers use it to purchase a cup size that works and have the band altered to fit them. I hope we see sports bras available for every woman very soon.

If you are a busty woman working out in a regular bra then it's akin to going to running in your highest heels. You wouldn't do that because you'd wreck your feet and you shouldn't do it to your breasts because you'll cause yourself pain, chafing and general injury. If you are the parent of a busty teen I urge you to seriously consider investing in a supportive and well fitting sports bra for your daughter so that she has the physical confidence to continue participating in activities that can keep her healthy and happy her whole life. xx

What Sister Size Bras Look Like

From top to bottom these bras have the same cup volume: 38E, 36F, 34FF, 32G, 30GG, 28H

The relationship between band sizes and cup sizes is something I explain most frequently. The common misconception is that all cup letters are the same size of boob on different band lengths. So, for example, people assume that all women with F cup boobs have the same size boobs regardless of whether they're a 30F or a 40F and this simply isn't true. A lady with 40F boobs is actually five cup volumes bigger than the 30F lady and that's because when the band size gets bigger it increases the volume of the cups.  

Sister Sizes is a phrase that refers to bras that all share the same cup volume but have different band lengths. For example, a 34E and a 32F are sister sizes because when you go one band size down from a 34 to a 32 you have to balance the size by going up one cup from an E to an F cup to keep the cup volume the same. 

Click Here to read why all D cups aren't the same and Click Here to read why cup volumes increase as the band increases.

These bras all have the same cup volume spread out over different length bands. From top down: 28H, 30GG, 32G, 34FF, 36F, 38E

Because a picture speaks a thousand words I wanted to show you what sister sizes look like and how the proportions change. In the picture above the six bras shown are the following sizes from top to bottom: 28H, 30GG, 32G, 34FF, 36F, 38E.  All of these bras have the same cup volume, however, their band lengths and proportions are different.

You can see that the band on the 38E at the bottom is the longest band so the woman who wears this bra needs her band to go around more torso than the woman who would wear the 28H bra at the top which has the shortest band. Proportionally the 38E lady will look like she has a smaller bust because her bust volume is spread out over a wider torso. The 28H lady will look like she has a larger bust because her breast volume projects further forward on a narrower torso. In reality they have the same volume of boob but it is spread out over different areas of chest/torso.

From top to bottom these bras have the same cup volume: 38E, 36F, 34FF, 32G, 30GG, 28H

The Proportions 
While the picture above is helpful to show that the cup volume on these sister sizes is the same what it can't show very well is how the proportions differ. You can see that the bands on the 30GG and 28H (bottom two bras) are deeper and have more hooks than the other sizes. This is because the volume of a 30GG and 28H bust projects farther forward than the volume of a 38E bust (which is spread out over a wider area so doesn't project as far forward) so the band has to be stronger to counteract the projection at the front.

Besides the deeper band and more hooks you may also be able to see that the wings are darker on the 28 and 30 bands than the 38-32 bands and this is because it's double layered to give more support. The wing has to be reinforced as there is less length to disperse the weight of the breasts over. The longer the band the greater the area the weight of the breasts can be dispersed over. This is the reason longer bands don't need to be as deep or firm as the shorter bands.

The proportions of the bras differ in the following ways (you'll notice that the gore width decreases as the band length shortens and this is because the breast volume is gradually narrowing in width and increasing in projection).

	Band Length	Wing with Hooks Length	Wing with Eyes Length	Wing Depth	Gore Width
38E	29”	6.25”	8.25”	4.5”	1”
36F	28”	6”	8”	4.5”	1”
34FF	26.5”	5”	7”	4.5”	3/4”
32G	24.5”	4”	6.25”	4.75”	3/4”
30GG	23.75”	4”	6”	4.75”	5/8”
28H	22.5”	3.5”	5.25”	5.25”	5/8”

  
Bra Science Vs Bra Reality
I wanted to explain this bit of bra science to further help you understand why cup sizes mean nothing without knowing the band size. In reality good bra fit is affected by things like brand, body shape, age, height and bra style. It's great to know the principles of bra science but remember that when a bra fits you well and you are comfortable that's the most important thing. Leave a comment if you need something explaining more xx

N.B: The bra used in these diagrams is Tango Beige from Panache Superbra

Directory of Full Bust Bloggers

Since I started blogging about Butterfly Collection bras and life for busty women the bra blogosphere has grown a lot! There is a wealth of diverse women writing about different breast sizes and shapes, fashion for busty and/or plus size and bra fit. To help you figure out which bloggers are right for you I've compiled a directory broken down by theme:

26-30 Band Full Bust Bloggers
These bloggers are very knowledgeable about the style, fit and comfort issues associated with being small in the band and large in the cup.
Invest in Your Chest
Curvy Wordy
Busts 4 Justice
Thin and Curvy
Le Curvy Kitten
Braless in Brazil
By Baby's Rules
Bras and Body Image
Venusian Glow
Undercover Lingerista
Quest for the Perfect Bra
A Sophisticated Pair
Miss Underpinnings
Obsessed with Breasts
Bras I Hate

32+ Band Full Bust Bloggers
These bloggers are full busted (D+ cups) and range from regular dress sizes to plus size.
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust
XL Hourglass
Fussy Busty
Bra Nightmares
The Full Figured Chest
Hourglassy

Boudoir, Sleepwear and General Lingerie Reviews
These bloggers cover lingerie not specific to the full bust market. Beautiful to look at and some pieces that work for full bust women, these bloggers are well worth checking out.
The Lingerie Addict
Sweet Nothings NYC
The Full Figured Chest
The Lingerie Lesbian

Full Bust Bra Fitting Advice
Considering that bra fit is essential for feeling comfortable and supported it's no wonder this is such a widely discussed topic. As a professional bra fitter I take this subject very seriously and I recommend these sites for their bra fitting advice.
Venusian Glow Fitting
Boosaurus Fitting
Thin and Curvy Fitting
Invest in Your Chest Fitting
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust Fitting
Braless in Brasil Fitting
Sweet Nothing NYC Fitting

Full Bust Clothing Reviews (non-plus size)
Clothing for full bust women can be very tricky. A lot of clothing isn't tailored for dramatic curves so these reviews are really helpful for working out which brands and styles work for full busts.
Thin and Curvy Clothes
Curvy Wordy 
Bras and Body Image Clothes
Bras I Hate Clothing
Hourglassy Clothing (Campbell and Kate Shirts)
Quest for a Perfect Bra Clothing
Miss Underpinnings Style
Le Curvy Kitten

Full Bust Clothing Reviews (plus-size)
If you are full busted and also a plus size woman then finding clothes can be doubly difficult sometimes. These reviewers find clothing and styles for plus sized full bust women.
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust Clothing
Curvy Wordy

I hope you find this list useful, I will update it whenever I can. There is such a wealth of knowledge out there and it can help you feel happy, confident and comfortable in your full bust life! xx

A Manifesto for Busty Women

When Mr Butterfly and I started Butterfly Collection we simply wanted to make it easier for busty Canadian and American women to find bras that fit them correctly. I couldn't have imagined that our purpose would grow into something so much more meaningful and diverse.

I want to share with you the things that I have learned about busty women since we began (despite being one for 20 years!) This is our busty manifesto; the things we stand for and strive for every day.

1. Every woman deserves to be fitted for a bra with dignity. No body shaming, no bullying and no discrimination.
2. Every woman deserves to have access to bra knowledge and expertise no matter where she lives. 
3. The size of your breasts does NOT dictate your personality. What other people assume about you based on your breasts says a lot about their personality.
4. In the right bra you are more confident, comfortable, able to play sports and dress without hiding.
5. Bra knowledge liberates you and puts you in harmony with your breasts.
6. Each woman's definition of beautiful, sexy and comfortable is different and she should have the bras that are right for her life and her definitions.
7. We have to break the cycle of pointless and cowardly breast shaming by the media, family and peers.
8. When you stop hating and hiding your body you realize how much more you and your body can do.
9. We foster self-esteem because it is fundamentally linked to bra fit for busty women.
10. No busty woman ever has to feel alone - she is part of a beautiful, passionate and powerful community.

My hope is that eventually every woman will feel and live these things. There are still thousands of busty women who struggle to feel physically and emotionally comfortable with their breasts and each one we, as a community, can help and support is another step closer to breaking the cycle of pain and shame. I know that as our community of confident and knowledgeable busty women grows we are creating a new bra and breast culture for our daughters to grow up in. Thank you for being part of this worthwhile mission xx

5 Things To Look For In A Bra Band

Your bra band is the beginning of great bra fit. In my opinion it is the most important part of your bra and it's a good idea to know how bra bands differ so you can work out what's right for you. The band is so important because it is the part of your bra that should take the majority of your bust's weight (it can only do this by being snug). Because it is the biggest part of your bra to make contact with your body it can disperse the weight of your bust over a greater area (if your band is loose the whole weight rests on your straps which is painful). The more the weight is dispersed, the more comfortable you'll be.

Banded bras have material below the wire/seam of the cup like on Medina

Banded Bras
Pros: A Banded Bra has a piece of material that extends below the wire or seam of the cups. This piece of material can vary in depth (longline bras have several inches of material below the cups) and it is often cushioned or lined to give extra comfort. A band increases the surface area over which your bust's weight is dispersed so many women like to have a banded bra because it eases the weight of their bust.

Cons: Some women find that a banded bra flips up. This can happen when your midriff protrudes farther out than your band and your body forces against the band. It can also happen if you have a narrow torso and your cups are too wide for you. This problem is irritating more than detrimental to your fit.

Profile Perfect is a Great Bandless Bra with Firm Support

Bandless Bras
Pros: It might surprise you to know that some bras are considered to be without a band. A bandless bra doesn't have any material below the cups. The central gore and wings attach directly to the cups. For women with high tummies or an outwardly flared ribcage a bandless bra can be much more comfortable.

Cons: With less surface area some women find that a bandless bra is less comfortable for them. If you have your band size correct the wings and back band of the bra should be able to take a great deal of your bust's weight.

I love that Claudette use 3 row hooks on all their bras

Bra Hooks
Most bras have three columns of eyes and you should think of these as a timeline. Hook onto the eyes nearest the edge of your band when you first buy a bra then work inwards as the bra ages and stretches. If you buy a new bra that fits you on the middle column, or worse the tightest column, straight away then you're throwing away months of comfortable fit and money!

The number of hooks on the back of your bra gives you an indication of what the support and comfort is like. Similar to the depth of the band, the more rows of hooks on your band the more support you can expect. Very few D+ cup bras have one row of hooks and this is because you need more support than one row for a full bust. Most bras have two rows and this is ample for many women.

Three rows of hooks will give you a deeper back band and again disperse the weight over more area. It also gives you a firmer support (your breasts will move less at the front) and you might find that it helps with your posture.

Some firm support bras have four and even five rows of hooks (longline bras will have many more rows). If you have a very heavy bust or enjoy a very firm fit then extra rows will be great for you.

The wing is the part under your armpit - Tango Beige

Wing Depth
The part of your band that attaches to the outside of your cups under your armpits and stretches around your back is called the wing. The depth of this part of your bra can make a difference to your comfort. If you have a short torso then this can be a particularly important fit issue. Measure the depth of the wing of your most comfortable bra and look for bras with a similar or lesser depth. Claudette is particularly good for shallower wings that improve comfort for women with shorter torsos (they offset the support with 3 rows of hooks on every bra).

Bra Band Size
There are two very simple tests you can do to see if your band size is giving you enough support. The first is to lift your arms straight up in the air. If you band moves up your body (usually exposing breast tissue as it moves) then your band is too big. The second test is to pull your bra away at the front using two fingers. If you can pull your bra away from your body more than a couple of millimeters then your band is too big.

I hope this helps you narrow down the kinds of bands that are going to give you the best fit. If you need help figuring out your size our Free Bra Size Consultation is a great place to start xx

Big Boob Phobia!

I am afraid of clowns. I think they have machetes in their trouser-legs and they kill people who go to the circus. The logical side of my brain says there's probably a very small percentage of weapon-wielding, murderous funny-men but nonetheless I feel like crying when I see one. Perhaps the reason so many women have hang-ups about wearing a bra over a D cup is that they are actually suffering from Pectorusgiganticus; Fear of Big Boobs! (a word I just made up, naturally.)

Joking aside, it never ceases to amaze me how many women are afraid of bra letters over a D cup. It makes no difference what label you put on the ratio between your breast mass and your ribcage measurement (sexy right, that's what your bra size refers to) your boobs are still going to be that volume. Letter Phobia doesn't stop your boobs are spilling out of your bra or bouncing around so it's worthwhile getting educated about bra fit and what bra sizes actually mean.

Over several decades we have built up layers of phobias around boobs; women with big boobs are bimbos or promiscuous and they can't play sports or be pain-free. These phobias stem partly from a misogynistic language that keeps women feeling guilty about their bodies (but that's a topic for a whole other dissertation!) and partly from years of dreadful bra fitting knowledge. By fitting knowledge I don't just mean getting a good fitting at a boutique, I mean, being educated about bras.

As we grow up we're educated about periods, why we have them and what to do to manage them as they happen. Imagine never being told why you have periods or how a tampon should feel and work if used correctly. You'd spend your life blindly buying what you thought was best for you and wondering the whole time if there was something wrong with you. This is what we do to young girls about bras. We don't explain that bras should fit snugly at the band, how your cup size is relative to your band size and that breast sizes change regularly (every couple of weeks for some women). If we gave them this knowledge then the phobias around bras would begin to fade away.

It's such an old-fashioned idea that only a professional fitter can tell you about your boobs and bras. Your doctor gives you advice about how to live well (good diet, exercise etc) they don't just prescribe you antacid every time you have heartburn without ever explaining that cutting out fatty foods will stop the problem in the first place. Similarly a good bra-fitter should teach you about your fit, your breast shape, which styles work for you and how to keep an eye on your size. This way you'll understand your breasts and bras and there will be no room for phobia.

I think a lot of women worry that wearing a cup size over a D cup will make them look like they have big boobs. The reality is that a correctly fitting bra will make you look much more contained which makes your boobs look smaller than when they're bashing together somewhere near your waist!

If you think you might be suffering from Pectorusgiganticus then I want you to remember 3 things to try and overcome your phobia:

1) No one else needs to know your bra size so what difference does it make?
2) In the right size bra you won't bounce around or spill out of your cups (the two things that draw the kind of attention that can make you feel uncomfortable)
3) You can take your time but try to keep a piece of your mind open to the possibility that a different bra size could make you feel physically and emotionally better.

To every one of our customers and every reader of this blog I want you to know that you are changing the landscape for future generations of women. By educating yourselves about great bra fit you can pass on that gift and ensure that no-one has to suffer the terrible fear of Big Boobs!! xx

The Price for Chasing Perfection

"I wish I had her boobs; they're so perfect and my boobs are so big and ugly." This is part of a conversation I heard between two young women (late teens early 20s) as they thumbed through a magazine. My heart sank at this statement because it felt like such a waste. This young woman, like millions of others, will spend a good portion of her life chasing a perfection that doesn't exist and the price will be missing out on the beauty and brilliance of her body today. That feels like a waste.

There's no one definition of perfect which makes it even more illusive; how will you know when you have the perfect body, hair, boobs, skin, wardrobe, home, job etc? The commonly held idea that the perfect body looks a certain way doesn't account for whether that body is healthy or happy. There's no hairstyle or waist size on earth that defines health or happiness.  

All these women were told at some point that they didn't have 'the perfect look'. They refused to change their appearance and remained perfectly them.

Big boobs often come under fire for being 'too big' and I've never understood what that means. Too big to be happy or beautiful or athletic or intelligent? I loathe seeing bodies being compared "Are small boobs better than big ones" or "Are skinny bodies better than curvy ones?" It's just so meaningless. It doesn't achieve anything to compare these things it only focuses us on the things that we aren't rather than celebrating the things that we are. When we compare ourselves to a mythical version of perfection we feel lessened. Less than perfect, less than right, just less. How is that helpful?

I wanted to shake the girl on the Skytrain who was berating her healthy, unique and beautiful breasts and say "Do you know how lucky you are? Do you know what it means to lose a breast, to live without a limb or to battle daily with physical pain? Be thankful you have the one perfection you could ever wish for; a body in perfect working order." I know this sounds like old lady preaching but it's so true. We waste so much time worrying about the things we aren't and this means we miss out on enjoying being us, being happy and being now.

This subject was particularly important to me this weekend because Remembrance Sunday is a time I remember friends I have lost both in and out of the military and the bottom line is... life's too short to worry about your size or shape. So let's stop waiting for the perfect backside or perfect boobs and get on with living our lives with joy in the perfectly wonderful and diverse bodies we have. xx