Why I Can’t Wear A Backless Dress.
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Once my friends and I dressed up for a fun night downtown. I remember I was dancing with a group of girls. I was wearing one of my favorite tube tops and the girl next to me had the cutest shirt. It was one of those glittery tops that's literally a piece of fabric held to the body by two small strings. A bouncer came up to me later that night and told me I had to pull up my tube top since the amount of cleavage I was showing was “inappropriate”. I was in shock, the girl next to me was wearing close to nothing, but I was the one who received a warning. The only difference between the two of us was the size of our chests. Regardless, that bouncer had no right to say anything to either of us.
I had a bit of a mental block after that night. I was fearful to put anything on that might draw attention to my chest. I rummaged through all the cute tops I owned, but all of them screamed “I have huge boobs!” when I tried them on. I turned to heavy sweatshirts for a while.
I’ve always had a lot of difficulty finding clothes to wear that were “trendy”, but also fit me in a way that made me feel confident. It wasn’t until I realized the clothes that were on trend weren’t tailored with my body in mind. I realized that women with big boobs had become forgotten in the fashion industry.
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Think about all the current popular fashion: a cute corset top would squish my cleavage into oblivion making it look like my breasts were about to choke me. I would love to participate in the “no bra” craze, but gravity works against my chest. A low cut top would give a show to the entire world. I have to wear some sort of bra with everything I put on. So forget about any dresses with a cutout that comes up a bit too high under my armpit. Even when it comes to bathing suits, I have to look for the ones with the most support. I might as well be wearing a full support bra to the beach.
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I have never worn a backless dress. It isn’t in the cards for me. To me, the bulky strap of a bra showing in the “backless” portion of the dress ruins the aesthetic of the dress itself.
The sexualization of big boobs is a problem in our society. The fact I feel hesitant to wear anything with my chest on display is a problem. Even from a young age, I was told to “cover up” which always confused me. I was wearing the same thing everybody else in my class was wearing. Dress codes in schools directly target children who are more developed than their peers and teach them to be embarrassed about that. I have been socialized to see my boobs as the problem when in reality it is the lack of healthy representation and “big boob friendly” fashion within our society.
We have to dismiss outfits that we literally don’t have the option to wear and we have to avoid the outfits that draw attention to our chests. That leaves us with sweatshirts and oversized t-shirts.
It’s difficult to find clothes. It’s difficult to feel confident in the clothes we do find. However, it is not impossible. Trying different styles of necklines to find the one you like helped me out. Realizing that my boobs were never the problem instilled a sense of confidence in me. I can wear cute things and have big boobs, those two things are not independent from one another.
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Fashion brands need to be aware of the disinclusion of larger chested individuals in their products. It is an entire demographic of people being left out of fashion trends. We all want to put on something and feel stylish, trendy, and confident.
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All in all, as a society we should be aware of the harm we bring to bigger chested individuals with the constant sexualization and advice to “cover up”. Brands need to think about all demographics. No part of your body is sexual unless you as the individual want it to be.
Strike Out,
Writer: Chanel Gaynor
Editor: Sophie McLeod
Athens