Sexual Health
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Why do women buy padded bras?

So I work in lingerie retail. Every day, some of the most popular bras is padded and adds 1-2 cup sizes, depending on which bra you get. I understand some women can be insecure about their breast size, just as men are insecure about their penis size. Yet this isn't just women with A or B cups, it's women with C, D, and even DD cups who buy these things too. Some of the women I have asked say it's because men like bigger breasts. Some men do, some don't and prefer petite breasts, some like me enjoy breasts of all sizes. I've talked to many guys as well and they find it frustrating if the girl they were attracted to turns out to have attributes that are not even there. Guys fantasize what women look like with their clothes off and vice versa. We get a mental image of what you look like based off of what your figure looks like over your clothing. So it is a bit disconcerting when I find out that I've been imagining and fantasizing about what isn't real or even there. This can also be true for women who hide their bust and make it look like they have less than they do, but women don't tend to do this as often. How would you feel about a guy who wore long sleeves but had massive ripped muscles (biceps, pecs, etc.) that you could see through the shirt and then when things get hot and heavy and the shirt came off, you find out it's only a muscle suit? Please enlighten me to this strange practice. Also, for guys, how do you feel when you like a girl and find out she's quite a bit smaller under the shirt than she lead you to believe?
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Most Helpful Girls

  • Mainstream media makes women believe from a very young age that they need to look a certain way. So, ignoring all the other very practical reasons these other girls have mentioned for wearing padded bras, you can add in every magazine or TV show they've seen where beauty looks a certain way. Women look at Victoria's Secret models and think that men probably prefer these voluptuous women, and lo and behold, there is a product designed to help them look that way, at least a little bit.

    It's unfair to judge women who buy and wear padded bras and label them liars (as some answerers have, I see), because we live in a society that promotes large breasts as the ideal. It doesn't matter than not all men prefer them, society on the whole does. Women don't wear them just for the men they eventually plan on having sex with, but rather as a way of looking good for everyone they meet. Image matters, it's sad, but it's true. A slightly padded bra and a moderate amount of make-up actually projects the feelings that we care enough to look good for you. You see a women on the street with nothing on her face, and I've heard male friends complain that she doesn't even try. Sounds like a goldilocks situation for us, we wear too much you hate us, we wear too little and you cringe, we have to somehow find the "just right" amount and that's tough.

    I have the opposite problem, unfortunately. I'm one of those women who wears a minimizer bra in daily situations and only whips out the nice lacy ones when I'm going out with my boyfriend. So, whenever I meet new people, I guess they would get an unrealistic mental picture of me naked, but then I would hope that they aren't imagining that anyways. The reasons for wearing the minimizer bra is because it's VERY secure compared to other bras (holds everything in place!), and it's easier to wear certain kinds of shirts with them. Definitely based entirely on practicality there.

    Please don't judge the women who buy the bras, judge the companies who make them and market them based on widespread insecurities, and the culture that raised us to believe our own bodies weren't good enough!

  • Well for starters, girls are a lot more understanding in realizing that not all guys are ripped. Face it, you guys have completely unrealistic standards as to what girls to look like. You want a big ass, tiny middle, and huge boobs and (without surgery) most of us don't have that. And whether or not that's what you expect us to have, that's what we think you want (and none of you do a good job in making us think that's not what you want). I'm an A cup, I buy padded bras to fill out any shirt that's not a T-shirt or a tank top. About a year ago I tried on that victoria's secret bra that added on 2 cup sizes and didn't buy it because it was too uncomfortable and didn't look like me once I put it on, but when I had it on my first thought was, "I'd get so many guys without even trying if I wore this all the time."

    Girls don't expect supermodel boyfriends but guys expect supermodel girlfriends. Why do you think there's so many diet pills out there? Or have you ever noticed how every month women's magazine's have tips for losing weight or looking thinner? You guys ask all these question about why we try to alter our appearance but you never seem to get that the reason we do that is because of you. We know you get bored easily and have wandering eyes, the only way to keep your attention is to get as close as possible to some impossible ideal of perfection.

    As a girl with small boobs, I prefer padded bras just because they make my boobs look bigger. I've never heard a guy say how much they like small boobs, but I've lost count of how many guys say they like big boobs. I feel that if you have small boobs yo can never get fat and never not look good. The only time you're allowed to look like sh*t is first thing in the morning (when no one looks good) but after that you're constantly making up for your lack of boobs and if padded bras help in that then that's fine with me. If guys didn't drool over big boobs then I wouldn't buy padded bras (and I wish they wouldn't because those get really expensive)

    • We don't all want chicks with big asses, and huge t*ts. Little waists on the other hand, yes. - Nor is anything impossible. Just that that person isn't going to do it. .

  • Makes them feel sexier. But I'm anti-bra lol.

    • ask woman

Most Helpful Guys

  • They wear padded bras to make it look like their boobs are bigger. They wear make-up to hide their blemishes. Some wear girdles and spanks to get rid of certain bulges. They wear heels to accentuate their legs and make them appear taller. Women have a lot of ways of making them appear differently.

    To answer your last question, I wouldn't really care. I don't care about breast size and wouldn't mind smaller boobs.

    • I don't care if they have small boobs either, it's more when they make you think they are one size and then they are actually quite a different one.

    • Yeah, I don't really get it. All guys have different tastes, so some will like big boobs, others will like them small, and some don't really care. Most girls are under the impression that guys only like 'em big, so I can kind of see why girls with smaller boobs would do it. I don't get why the women with double Ds are getting them though. How big do they think we want them?

  • What do I think..? Well.. For starters, that she didn't feel confident in her own actual appearance. Which is a turn off. Secondly, that she thought she could've only gotten me if I thought she had a bigger chest. Another turn off. Lastly, it's a "lite" form of deception. And a turn off yet again.

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What Girls & Guys Said

14 2

  • Padded bras have more benefits than the appearance of larger breasts. Padded bras help make a womens chest look rounder or pushed up. Padded bras also provide extra support, even for the bigger ladies. Padded bras actually fit me better and are more comfortable. Not all bras are super padded to the max. Lots of bras have a little padding at the bottom the the reasons I have mentioned above. Wearing bras suck, but breasts are heavy and pull down on your back and body. Hey, if us girls have the burden of wearing bras, were at least going to get whatever benefits we can from it.

    • I do realize the other benefits of these bras, I was more referring to the extremely padded ones. I do work in lingerie and as such am required to know what each of the bras do.

    • My apologies, I didn't see that the first time I read the details of your question. Most girls are insecure with their breast size just as guys are insecure about their penis size. We just have an easier solution so we take it. I would have to disagree with the idea of extremely padded bras. But I don't disagree with a little padding to slightly enhance breast size and shape. I once bought a bra with extreme padding and ended up hating it for the same reasons you describe in your question.

  • I wear slightly padded bras because they are way more comfortable& I feel protected. Like if I bump into someone by accident, its padding not my nipples that touch- that kind if thing. I go from 32 b to c & I really do not aim to look any bigger-i'm perfectly happy with mu size- I just happen to like some cushion,

  • Everyone will do what helps them feel confident. its really something we do to each other. We hear or see men going lala over some busty chic and feel small. I don't have to feel like the most beautiful thing he has ever seen or be the only girl he ever looks at. but when he's having a fantasy I want to know that its about me sometimes. How do I do this? by making myself appeal to the eye. As long as a lady doesn't go overboard with the fakes weaves,wigs make-up padding, fake lashes, girdles ...etc. ( I do 1 fake at a time). let her have her confidence boost. He'll men have money,huge cocks,muscles etc.. to feel confident. What's wrong with a bra?

  • ugh I HATE padded or push up bras, I like having a small chest. I actually don't like to wear bras at all, but if I have to its hard for me to find a bra because they are all massively padded. But from what I understand some women don't buy it to attract men its to make them feel better around other women because well women judge other women a whole lot more harshly then men do and yes other times its because they don't feel attractive enough to get a man with their breasts and have to buy these things to make them feel more confident.

  • its not padded it pushes them up, guys like shape too eh

    • I was specifically referring to a padded push up bra, not just a regular push up. I have no issue with those, haha.

  • It makes your boobs look well shaped. :) I don't like padded bras, having a normal-small chest seems more efficient and practical to me. It just boosts a woman's confidence and makes her feel good about herself. :)

  • they're push up bras and support the boobs to make up look perkyy :)

  • I think the padding is pretty useless if your a C and over, but some women like to have even bigger boobs then DD, probably because there going for this extreme look: big boobs, tiny waist and big hips. like Jenny from jersey shore. also since an hourglass bodyshaped is very desired, so these bras help depending on your shape.

  • i guess most women are insecure because men want them to have big breasts.

    girls with naturally big breasts are more attractive to the opposite sex.so to compete I guess these women do it.

    think about this,why are so many men insecure about their penis size?

    its mainly because they think females want bigger d***s,big ones give more satisfaction and sh*t...

    so I guess go with whatever makes you comfortable

  • I buy padded bras because I'm an A cup and I feel much more confident when I have the illusion of cleavage compared to a flat chest.

    • Yup Thats the point :)

  • lol I like to wear them because my boobs are cold all the time, and its kinda awkward walking around with hard nipples and having people stare. oh, and they also feel so comfy and supported.

    p.s. mine aren't thickly padded because I love the size of my boobs ;)

  • I have a girl friend who does this even though she's pretty voluptuous to begin with. I noticed that she only recently started to wear the really really thick padding when she was putting on some extra weight. I really just think that it's insecurity.

    She isn't exactly ecstatic with her new figure, tried to focus on the one body part getting bigger that she was happy about and just exaggerated it. Sure, I've got an extra inch or two on the waist, but the bust is up two cup sizes!

    I can't say that this is what all girls are thinking, but I don't think many of them are far off from that mentality. I guess they sometimes figure if a guy is busy staring at how huge her breasts are, they'll glaze over the parts they're insecure about. Besides, although one or two guys lucky enough to slip the bra off will find out it's a sham, most won't notice the padding. Some girls just like the extra attention to make them feel sexy.

  • some woman just wear knicker one week in four

  • well I wear a pushup because they are more supportive and comfortable, to me at least, and because it makes your boobs look better, and you feel more confident.

    • I have no issues with push up bras. I am referring to bras that are heavily padded and add 1-2 cup sizes in addition to the push up effect. That is just misleading.

    • True.. I don't know anybody who wears those

  • when its cold, you need padded bras to hide nipples... that's why I buy

  • For the same reason guys suck in their gut when a cute girl is around. And feel the need to "explain" when the weather is cold.

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