What It's Like Living with KK Boobs

Britain’s boobs are getting bigger and now even high street shops sell a KK cup. But what’s the reality of living with a really big bust, and how can you make sure it isn’t, quite literally, a pain in the neck? We asked those in the know.

A decade ago the average UK bra size was a 34B. Today it’s a 36D and growing. According to department store Selfridges, D to G cups now account for one in every four sales. Marks & Spencer hit the headlines three years ago when it began stocking a J cup but now the KK cup Panache Harmony, with its 20in cups and 4ft of fabric, can be bought in the likes of Debenhams.

So why do British boobs keep inflating? It could have something to do with the 8,537 boob jobs performed in 2009 alone which, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) remains British women’s most popular cosmetic surgery.

Or the fact that women are bigger all over. The UK National Sizing Survey says the average dress size is now a 16 compared to a 12 in the 1950s. And according to the NHS Choices website breasts are particularly sensitive to the hormone oestrogen. With more and more women using HRT it’s no surprise that many older women are finding their pre-menopausal lingerie a little on the snug side. So what’s being a larger breasted lady really like? And how can you make life easier if you are?

A.    Life with KK boobs

Val Jackson, 44, lives in Widnes, Liverpool, with her engineer partner Liam, 46, and their seven-year-old daughter Mia. Talking about her life, Val says, “I’ve spent endless miserable years hiding under baggy clothes with a sore neck and back because of my bust. I have grooves on my shoulders from years of ill-fitting bras where the straps took all the weight. And I can’t tell you how many clothes I’ve had to have altered because I’ve had to buy them too big so they fit my bust but not my waist. However, I’m now proud of my bust because thanks to this new bra it’s finally up where it should be. People still sometimes talk to it rather than me!”

“When I was about 17 I was measured at a local lingerie shop and found I needed a 34E. Throughout my 20s I did what so many of us do. When I tried on a new bra in what I thought was my size and it didn’t fit I just bought a cup or back size bigger. I’d wear a 32F or a 36E. I was always fiddling because the straps were digging in or because it was riding up. I’d have a double set of breasts because they were spilling over the cup. I suffered such terrible backache and a really sore neck, partly because of the weight of my chest and also because I was always hunched over trying to hide them. I couldn’t exercise because it hurt.”

“After I had Mia my slight size 6/8 frame increased to a 10/12 and my boobs got even bigger. I knew I had to get fitted again. What a revelation! Back then Bravissimo fitted me with a 30J. Wearing the correct bra lifted my bust and gave me back a waist and a sexy shape. My shoulders no longer ached and my back was so much better. Now I make sure I’m fitted properly. When I became a 30K I started to panic they’d run out of bras for me but thankfully not. Although a K is still OK for the sports bra I now use – I swim and even run now thanks to properly supportive bra – I need a KK for an every-day bra. And at last it’s a large bra that’s really pretty and comes in lovely colours. I hated that I only used to be able to buy ugly granny bras. And I can buy them from all over the place. Department stores and the like have finally realised that not all women are model proportions is long overdue. And I have no doubt it won’t be long before we see an L cup.”