Learning to Love Your Breasts

As a woman with 12HH sized breasts, I have battled my whole life with loving myself and my breasts. These 3 tips are something that I have had to learn the hard way. Hopefully, this helps someone else and you have an easier time with your journey than I did. 

1. Avoid negative language and treat them with kindness! 

a.  I know it sounds cliché but words, even our own, have a huge effect on our outlook on life. My mum says, “rubbish in, rubbish out”. So, every morning when you are brushing your teeth or doing your hair, just whisper to yourself and to your girls “you are beautiful!” and name one thing you love about yourself. It could be your eyes or your sense of humour. Even if you don’t believe it at first, if you say it enough it will become a part of your routine and eventually, it will become second nature. The first step to loving your breasts is loving yourself. Think of someone you love. Could be a best friend, sister, or mother. If you heard her say things about her breasts that you say about yours, what would your reaction be? Would you tell her to stop because she is beautiful? Or would you join in and put her down as well? The idea is to treat yourself like you would treat a best friend. Treat your breasts to a nice, well-fitting bra, make sure you’re taking care of their needs and keeping them healthy with regular checks. If you’re kind to them, they will be kind to you. 

2. Learn that no one else’s opinion matters! 

a.  Yet another cliché… but trust me, it works. Growing up, I thought all that mattered was what other people thought of me. I had people from all sides giving me their 2 cents. Family telling me I was being inappropriate and needing to cover up, teachers telling me I’m a distraction to boys learning while wearing the school-approved uniform, friends calling me names and making snide comments about my weight (which had next to nothing to do with my breast size). Then, going into year 10 in high school I participated in a photoshoot with Brava that was the pivotal turning point for my self-esteem. Being surrounded by women who knew my pain and understood was comforting. That day, my mum and I had a long talk about image and self-respect. I learned that if I don’t respect myself and take ownership of my body, no one would respect me, and others would own my body. So, I decided I would stop apologizing for looking a certain way. Maybe I’m not everybody’s standard of beauty, but I am good enough for me and that’s all I need. I am not saying it was easy, in fact, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was a whole mindset shift. But it is without a doubt the best decision I ever made, and I am so glad I did. Sadly, the comments may not stop, and there is no way to police what other people say, but we can change whether we listen to the comments and change the way they impact us. 

3. Get nice, fitted lingerie 

Nice looking and fitting lingerie can be a massive game-changer in how we see ourselves. Rather than settling for second best or rather “that’ll work for now” get properly fit into gorgeous lingerie by someone who is passionate about helping women feel comfortable and happy in their own skin. We believe that good self-esteem starts at the foundation and at Brava we strive to get every woman into something that makes her feel special and comfortable without compromising on fit. If you love what you’re wearing, you’re more likely to feel good about yourself.