Women's breasts are larger than ever - and it's not due to implants. As stars like Christina Hendricks flaunt their curves, Erika Woods investigates a phenomenon of va-va-voom proportions.
Many women may have long suspected it, just as many men have secretly hoped for it. But it's official: women's breasts, and particularly those of younger women, are getting bigger. While implants have been putting that little extra va-va-voom into some busts, mostly it's a phenomenon that has occurred naturally in women, and exponentially so over the past 50 years. In fact, their cup size has tripled.
In 1960, the average bra size in Australia was 10B. Ten years ago, it was 12B. Today, it's 14C. "It's six to seven sizes up in a comparatively few number of years," says Sally Berkeley, the general manager of bra company Berlei, which next month launches a new super-sized range of cups, up to an H, to add to the traditional A-to-E dimensions. Rival Eveden now has a K cup, while Triumph is up to a G and is trialling a new cup size, J, for the next season.
"Twenty years ago, women couldn't buy this sort of fashion product with support in these sizes," says Triumph spokesperson Alana Jones. "But we've been getting so many requests from consumers, and we've now even got a sports bra coming out in a J cup.
I don't have anything to say. I'm gobsmacked. |