I hate bra threads, but help me out here, wouldja?

[grasswire]

A young teenage relative is having trouble finding a fit, because she is flat-chested and apparently has a lot of space between her breasts. Her last fit was a 36 A that came from the girls department. She needs something slightly bigger, but she really has nothing to fill up a B. She's a big girl; 5'8" and 140 pounds, but she's never going to really have a chest, apparently. She refuses to consider a sports bra. I shopped two department stores yesterday and found hardly any A size bras! Bs and up are everywhere.

Suggestions?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. www.hanes.com

for such a small chest, i dont think theres any good reason to spend too much money

[grasswire]

2. I agree

...and I know that Hanes makes some quite suitable stuff. That would be my choice for her. But the mother (I am the aunt, loosely co-parenting and in charge of shopping) is stuck on a perceived need for the girl to feel attractive in her underwear precisely because she isn't developed.

[aljones]

3. Gap seems to have a pretty decent online selection.....

[AllegroRondo]

4. Playtex has bras in half sizes

so you can get an "almost B" between an A and a B.

worked for my daughter, anyway.

[grasswire]

7. and thanks!

[REP]

5. Playtex Makes a "Thank Goodness It Fits" Line With Near-B Sizes

I have no idea why an A or B cup needs a bra, but they make them...

[grasswire]

6. thanks! (eom)

[AllegroRondo]

9. I always wondered why the make an "almost A" size

If you're not yet an A, you really dont need a bra.

[LeftyMom]

8. Target has cute bras and carries most of them in 36A and 38A.

Oddly enough, I find a lot of cute bras at Big Lots, too.

As far as fancy stuff goes, Vickie's Secret is that she doesn't carry much in non-standard sizes. Frederick's does, but of course a lot of their stuff is a bit on the trashy side, still I've found some nice things there.

Oh, and Ebay has a search by size feature. I score deals that way sometimes.

[Karenca]

10. "she's never going to really have a chest, apparently".

She still might.

I got mine very late.

[KitchenWitch]

12. I got mine late as well - now I am a DD.

[Karenca]

17. I was teensy-chested.

When I was kid, I used to ask my mom all the time, "when will I get them"?
"When you're 18, when you get married, when you have kids".

Well, none of that changed anything. But when I started a regular exercise routine
in my 30's, my whole body changed.

Now, they're in proportion to my body - 34B, OR 32C, depending on the brand.
(I'm petite - 5'1, 108 lbs.)

[Critters2]

11. If she's flat-chested, she doesn't need a bra.

I never wear one, don't even own one. And I'm not even flat-chested. Women got along fine for probably millions of years without bras. We don't need them now. And certainly, flat-chested young teens don't need them.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

14. Well this isn't millions of years ago.

:eyes: Bras are a must if you don't want your business poking through light weight summer clothing.

[Critters2]

18. I don't wear one. So, how can they be a "must"?

Why make the poor kid uncomfortable for no good reason? So men won't see her nipples--which is really why women wear bras. Me, I wear camisoles. Much more practical and comfortable, but still more than we should have to wear.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

20. You answered your own question?

"So men won't see her nipples--which is really why women wear bras."

that's exactly why i wear them. so yeah, i think they're a must... also it's different in highschool than as an adult. you get made fun of if you don't wear one, you have to change for gym in front of other girls, etc, etc. my highschool life would've been very uncomfortable without a bra.

[Critters2]

21. I wore a back brace in high school. My life was already uncomfortable

And now I won't wear one because they feel like a brace. No more of that for me! I'm grateful for camisoles, but won't have anything tight around my ribs ever again!

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

23. To each her own

But I still think it'd be pretty awkward for a highschooler to not wear a bra.

[Kali]

19. I agree, but the kid might *want* one

for whatever reason - could be peer pressure, could be she is a girly girl...

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

13. Target & Victoria's Secret

I'm a B but they always seem to have A sizes at both places...

[NewWaveChick1981]

15. I've known lots of women who developed late.

Playtex "almost" bras and Hanes sound like good choices for her. Given her age, I don't know how long she'll need them until she moves to a larger size, so less expensive bras will do the trick.. :)

[Maine-ah]

16. get a real fitting done.

don't bother with websites or places like jcp's. If you have one near by try Lady Grace or a similar store. BTW, 5'8" and 140 isn't "big" really. I'm under 5 feet tall and I'm 140. You'd be surprised as to what she has to fill a "B" cup too. I always thought I was an "A" cup, but I"m not. I'm (or was b/f baby, now I'm a C cup) a B. The best thing to do is to take her to a fitting.

[SarahB]

22. You can get 38 A's, but they're harder to find.

My daughter's 15, tall and thin, but has a wide chest frame. She used to be this size in 7th grade maybe (at the same height). Um, she grew up a couple inches and out a little more too, so you never know. Thankfully, I think she's done at a nice, normal C. Unlike her mom, no back pain and she'll actually be noticed by males for something else once in awhile.