Staying Fit
Whether you're now a 32C, a 34DD or a 36G, know that breast size and shape continue to change with age. It's normal. Everything from declining estrogen to weight gain or loss, working out and plain old gravity prompts our breasts to get bigger and saggier, and lose their firm, perky roundness. Unfortunately, our growing and evolving bustline affects how our clothes fit. No one is immune — not even celebrities. Here are 10 key tips that can make your bosom a true buddy.
Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek and Suzanne Somers
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images; Taylor Hill/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
1. Keep your breasts lifted. For a sleek, firm look under clothes, your breasts should “sit” midway between shoulder and elbow regardless of their size or your overall body proportions. Any lower and your midriff will get lost. You want an uplifting front and side view with a clear space for your torso. Then stand up straight! The best bra can't do its work if you're always hunched over your iPhone or standing slumped and slouched. Keep your shoulders back and down like a dancer or a movie star.
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Harper Wilde The Base (top left), True & Co. True Body Underwire T-Shirt Bra (top right), ThirdLove 24/7 Perfect Coverage Bra (bottom left) and True & Co. True Body Lift Scoop Neck Bra
Harper Wilde; True & Co.; ThirdLove
2. Get a “cool” full coverage bra. Finding a bra in a style you'll love wearing and feel comfortable in is key, but don't get hung up on cup size. You can be a DDD in one brand and an F in another (or even a DD). The bra you want to do the job is a smooth T-shirt bra style with lightly lined foam cups for a natural rounded look (great if your breasts are saggy, uneven or shallow on top) or a minimalist wireless style engineered to lift and contour. Skip bralettes, push-ups and old-style “grandma” bras (even if, like me, you actually are a grandma). Get fitted by a pro in a store or try sites like ThirdLove, True&Co., Lively and Harper Wilde that offer advice on sizing to personalize fit.
Jamie Lee Curtis (left), Helen Mirren (center) and Salma Hayek
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for dcp; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
3. Make form-fitted clothes your go-to style. Show your shape with tops and dresses that skim over your breasts or cling in a good way. Don't worry: If you're wearing a lightly lined seamless bra, nothing will show through — even under tees, bodysuits and superfine knits. Trying to compress, diminish or flatten big or saggy breasts by hiding them in oversized tops will just make them look bigger and saggier. You may want to go up a size in very fitted sweaters, though, simply because it looks more polished. Choose black or dark tops instead of white to minimize volume.
Oprah Winfrey, Wendy Williams and Elizabeth Hurley
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images; Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women in Film & Television; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Estee Lauder Companies
4. Define your waist. A belt — even a very skinny one — really makes the point that your breasts and middle are not actually a unit. Unless you're wearing the right bra, it's easy for breasts, midriff and waist to get crunched together in a blurry shape. However, if you're following tips No. 1, 2 and 3, once you get your breasts up and off your midriff your torso will gain inches of space right beneath your bra band and seem longer, slimmer and belt-ready. Cinched shirtdresses and jumpsuits are ideal choices here, too.
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