WTF, Wide Boobs?

Close Set, Wide Root, Wide Base Breasts

I’ve been at this blogging thing for a few months now and have been watching the search terms that lead readers to my blog.  I’ve noticed many different search terms involving “wide breasts”. What has become painfully clear from my search for well fitting bras, as well as from reading search terms on my blog is that “wide” is a nebulous boob term.

So, what ARE “wide boobs”, you ask? Well, in my humble not-so-professional-but-definitely-afflicted opinion, wide breasts are breasts that are wider than average at some point.

Huh?

Breasts can be wide at the base (top), or at the root (bottom), or both. Breasts can be wide because a chest is wide or because tissue wraps around the sides of the ribs.

Wide can mean many things; but what’s imperative is that you know IF you are wide and WHERE  you are wide…because this will determine the bra brands and styles that are most likely to fit you best.

Below, I’ve given some examples of ways breasts can be “wide”. This is not an all-inclusive list and it doesn’t go into things like depth, firmness, height/placement, short waists/long waists, fleshy ribcages or bony ribcages. I’ve provided links to other web resources to help explain fit issues. I’ve also included some pretty terrible drawings to help illustrate my points (or to make you laugh, you choose). Please suspend belief and toss me a bone, and just accept that the illustrated breasts, below, are wide. Width is often a function of ribcage and body size and can be difficult for an artistically inept person to illustrate.

Wide-Set Breasts:

Breasts are generally considered wide-set if they are three or more fingers’ width apart – about two inches by my estimation. If you notice all gores tend to lay flat on your chest, along with some of the cup fabric, you may have wide-set breasts. Not all wide-set breasts are wide breasts. In fact, this is the most frequent misconception I hear – women assume wide set=wide. Fit hint: Look for bras with wide gores, compared to other styles.

Classify Your Breasts: Breast Separation by Tomima Edmark

Venusian Glow: Underwire Width is NOT About How Far Apart Your Breasts Are

Wide Set, Wide Breasts
Wide Set, Wide Breasts

Close-Set Breasts:

Breasts are generally considered close-set if there’s less than 1″ between them. Close-set breasts are good wide candidates. Fortunately, this issue can be resolved by trying bras in the plunge selections. Fit hint: Cup your naked breasts in your hands and lift up like you imagine a bra would lift. Do they touch or almost touch at any point? If so, consider a plunge bra.

Classify Your Breasts: Breast Separation by Tomima Edmark

A Sophisticated Pair: Plunge v. Balcony Styles Part 1, Part 2

Butterfly Collection: Which Gore is Right for You?

Close Set, Average Root, Wide Breasts
Close Set, Average Root, Wide Breasts

Wide Base Breasts:

Wide based breasts are wide at the top. Both breasts together span the entire width of your chest, and is probably wider than the root (bottoms). Plunge bras may help this fit issue; however, beware of notoriously narrow bras or brands, even in a plunge. They may fit the bottom half of your breasts, but cut into the top half and create weird creases or lumps in the cup. They will also give the look of, or exacerbate underarm boob or side boob. You can get “orange in a glass” effect from wide bases when the too-narrow wires hit the wide section of the breast base (probably around your arm pits) and you can’t pull the bra up high enough to settle your breasts into the cups.

NSFW Venusian Glow Breasts with Broad Roots and Broad Base – Note, this post is about breasts with BOTH wide bases (tops) and wide roots (bottoms). The examples in this post feature what I would call wide base+side boob. Not all broad based+wide root breasts have side boob.

Venusian Glow: Empty Space in the Cup AKA the Orange in a Glass Effect

A Sophisticated Pair: Plunge v. Balcony Styles Part 1Part 2

Close Set, Wide Root, Wide Base Breasts
Close Set, Wide Root, Wide Base Breasts

Wide Root Breasts:

Just like it sounds, breasts that are wide at the roots (bottoms). You may notice wires laying on breast tissue at the bottom of the gore and where the underwire curves around your side. You may also get the “orange in a glass” effect when the breast root hits the too-narrow underwire and your breast roots can’t settle into the cups. Again, plunges can help, however you’ll probably be watching your gore width and band seam height.

NSFW Venusian Glow Breasts with Broad Roots and Broad Base – Note, this post is about breasts with BOTH wide bases (tops) and wide roots (bottoms). The examples in this post feature what I would call wide base+side boob. Not all broad based+wide root breasts have side boob.

Venusian Glow: Empty Space in the Cup AKA the Orange in a Glass Effect

Venusian Glow: Should You Wear Narrow or Broad Underwires?

Butterfly Collection: How Wire Width and Cup Shape Affect Your Bra Fit

Wide Set, Wide Root Breasts
Wide Set, Wide Root Breasts

Wide Breasts in Proportion to Frame and Cup Size:

Sometimes breasts are wide because a woman has a large or wide ribcage. This will or won’t be an issue based on other fit factors like cup size, how the breasts are set on the chest, depth, upper or lower fullness…in short – the availability of bras in your size range that meet your fit requirements.

Wide Breasts with Multiple Fit Challenges:

The more fit challenges you have, the more difficult a good fit becomes. If a woman has, for example, a larger than average cup size, wide bases, wide roots, is close-set, and  has side boob and underarm boob….this woman would have multiple fit issues, and the most limiting would probably be cup size.

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So what are YOUR fit problems, WideCurves?

I am a larger cup size than average, wide based, have wide-ish roots, am close-set, and I don’t have side boob or underarm boob and I have a pretty difficult time finding a well fitting bra (I’m like the drawing under Wide Base Breasts, above). My saving graces are that my breast roots (though wider than average) seem to be in proportion to my chest in some brands, and my cup size isn’t above a U.K. G-cup.

So here you have it, my first imperfect post about wide boobs.

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As always, I welcome (and hope for) input from my readers and fellow boob bloggers! Please comment on this post or drop me a line at info[at]widecurves.com.

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4 Comment

  1. I love the new blog! I didn’t see this post earlier, but I really enjoyed it. Personally, I am more on the close-set, narrow rooted side of things, which is probably what works for me is horrible for you. We’re like boob opposites! 😀

    1. Thanks!

      Actually, I know if a bra is too shallow for you, that there’s NO WAY I can wear it. I don’t think we’re too far off on root; however, you have a long waist (or at least average)…and well, we know I don’t. So, I do have to watch the wing height on the bras you can wear.

      1. Having a long torso does help with the wing height, and I sometimes take that for granted when reviewing a bra. I’m like: Oh, the wings are so high and feel secure! But then, my petite customer or women with shorter-waists say: “Ouch! How can you wear this?” Talk about a lot of variation for a relatively small surface area.

        1. Absolutely!

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