If you’re familiar with bra blogs, you must have read that “cup sizes don’t mean anything without a band size”. You might also have read a much more accurate statement: “D cup only means that there is a 4 inch difference between the bust and the underbust”. In the same vein, an H cup implies around 11 inches difference between the bust and underbust. That is quite meaningful to me. Even though they have the same cup volume, sister sizes are not equal. In other words, a 28J woman will look bustier than her 40F counterpart, because what most people (including me) have in mind when they talk about boob size is the size relative to the body+the amount of projection, not the absolute size. The 28J bra will also need more complex engineering and will have a tougher job than the 40F bra even though they carry a similar weight.
I love lingerie and enjoy reading posts from bloggers with various perspectives, but when it comes to reviews, I have found that the conclusions of women in my cup size range were much more transposable to me even if they were much smaller or much bigger than myself.
I blog about the H+ cup segment, because I believe that women in this size range share some common experiences and challenges, regardless of band size:
- They are generally perceived as busty with all the implications it may or may not have.
- Finding bras in their size might prove challenging and depending on their location, they might have no other choice than ordering on line. I feel for those in the 28 and under bandsize who suffer a double whammy here.
- Bras in their size might be constructed in a different way than those in smaller cupsizes.
- They will usually find some challenges in fitting regular clothes, especially button-down shirts, dresses and jackets.
Women wearing smaller cup sizes might share some or all of the above experiences, but for those in the H+ range it is pretty much a given. It is a segment of the market that has seen a lot of positive change in the past few years and I’d be curious to see a brand emerge that would specialize in those sizes.
Les gros bonnets 
I am glad to have come across your blog. The world of bras are slowly changing and I too look forward to seeing a brand that caters for our sizes that don’t cost the world.
Thanks for commenting! To be honest, I’d actually be prepared to spend a little extra if that meant more options and stuff truly designed with our sizes in mind.
I so agree with your comparisons and conclusions! Large cups do face different challenges: the issues of proportion and distribution of force require better, stronger construction, and some differences. I just wish that most bra makers didn’t think the wires just needed to be wider.
True! Another thing that makes no sense to me is when the center gore is made wider in the GG+ version of a bra model, whereas women with a larger cup tend to be rather close-set… I mean the breast tissue has to expand somewhere… and it is not on women’s backs!
This drives me nuts and makes it really hard for me to find bras! Some bras that would otherwise fit have a too-wide center gore for me 😦
I actually say this a lot: it has to go somewhere, people.