Having big boobs comes with its challenges.

Whether it’s figuring out what the best type of bra to wear is, realising that your bra size may differ from one brand to the next or dealing with rib and back pain, having big boobs can be a lot to handle (no pun intended).

Despite the challenges many of us with large boobs face, we continue to be underserved and underrepresented in the media, advertising and more – something that can have a massive effect on how we view our breasts and how we feel about ourselves.

“I feel like I rarely see myself reflected in a magazine or an ad campaign, and I didn’t realise that affected me so much until I got older,” says marketing manager Shanice Edwards.

“I always felt like the odd one out among friends for having big breasts and then seeing how that was rarely reflected in media and that clothes were rarely ever seen on someone with my chest size was disheartening.”

Edwards is a size 38G and has battled with the struggles of having large breasts since her early teens.

“I started to develop at around 14 years old, and it meant that I got a lot of attention I didn’t want – from boys and men who were a lot older than me,” she shares. “It meant that there was a feeling of shame I associated with my breasts early on because I was always told to ‘cover up’ to stop men looking at them as if that was my fault or my responsibility.”

The marketing manager says that the damaging link between shame and having big boobs meant she spent many years trying to hide them under large T-shirts and jumpers and often felt too insecure to wear something with an open neckline or a deep plunge top.

“Finding tops and outfits that accommodated large boobs has always been a struggle,” she says. “Whether it’s backless, strapless or plunge, it’s always a bit difficult – but it was made even harder because I was constantly trying to hide them and it made having large breasts even more difficult than it needed to be.

“I’ve become more comfortable wearing clothes that display my cleavage as I’ve got older, but I always find myself fiddling around and readjusting myself in a way that reminds me that the insecurity is still there.”

“Being a well-endowed woman is challenging enough, but as an introverted woman of colour, the additional attention is certainly an underestimated added consideration heightened by the additional scrutiny of curvy bodies, especially toward Black women,” says Jacqueline Shaulis, the founder and principal at Awesome Enterprises.

Shaulis finds that unwarranted attention and criticism are something that many women experience, regardless of how they’re dressed simply for having larger breasts.

“It’s a challenge that women with large busts face, but for us introverts who already must manage our energy, it’s an extra drain that we largely cannot control.”

One of the other challenges Shaulis often faces is finding the right clothes that fit well and don’t compromise her sense of style.

“Finding clothing that’s both stylish and professional often requires altering and modifying, whether with professional tailoring or good old pins and ducktape,” she shares.

“I have to consider the fabrics of clothes I buy in case I need to size up,” she says. “Some materials have more give than others; some can be too tight and squish everything together. I have to be really mindful of my purchases and think a lot more about how things are going to sit and look on me.

“Not to mention finding the correct bra for my size, which is another challenge. If I do manage to find the correct size, so often I have to compromise on style or shell out big bucks to get a speciality or custom bra that is cute or sexy to me.”

Bally Hayer, a digital creator, agrees.

“While I think more retailers are catering to women with larger breasts, a lot of them stop at 40H,” she says. “And even then a lot of clothes aren’t designed for women with large breasts in mind, making it a never-ending challenge to find clothes and bras with the right fit.”

Bally, who is a plus-size influencer, says that having large breasts comes with many difficulties that she continues to experience day-to-day.

“It’s a real challenge. I can’t stand for long periods of time as my back starts to hurt and doing exercise with weights or running makes my bust hurt. I also experience a lot of back and shoulder pain and, on a more emotional level, I’ve dealt with people calling me names because of the size of my breasts and feel disheartened at times when clothes and bras don’t come in my size.”

Hayer’s experience is reflective of many who have large breasts and struggle to find their place and the right fit in a world that doesn’t seem to cater to them in the way it does to women with smaller chests.

But the issues are mainly reflective of society and not that of the individual, something that Edwards says made it easier for her to accept her breasts and no longer see them in a negative light.

“Lack of representation and understanding of what it’s like to have large breasts meant I developed a lot of insecurities, but I realised as I got older that this is a societal issue and not one that I should personally take on,” she says.

“I have big boobs and there is nothing wrong with that. Sure, it makes it more challenging to work out or buy clothes, but it is what it is and I’ve now come to accept and be OK with that.

“Ultimately, I’m more focused on my breast health and doing what I can as opposed to focusing on how much of a ‘burden’ they are to me. My boobs are a part of me and I refuse to feel negative about them anymore.”

Image: Getty; Jacqueline Shaulis; Bally Hayer