Singapore women are getting bigger

Singapore women are getting BIGGER

THE notion that many Singapore women are flat-chested has been busted.

Sales figures from three bra retailers here show that Singapore women are getting bustier.

The demand for bigger-cup bras has been growing steadily over the past five years. It's an increase of 10 to 15 per cent, say the retailers. To cater to more well-endowed women, retailers like Triumph International are increasing their supply of bigger bras.

Five years ago, the majority of our customers bought C-cup or smaller bras. Now we have gradually seen a 15 per cent increase in the number of customers who buy bigger sizes."

The change in the demographic of Singapore women can be a reason for this increase in bra sizes.

Ms Teo said: "While we've observed that local women are getting bigger, the increase in expatriates coming into Singapore is also a reason for the increase."
Aesthetics are a big part of their campaign to sell bigger sized bras.

Said Ms Teo: "The bras that we are selling to bigger cup women are not just plain, boring styles. We carry our hot sellers such as the Deep V bra and the T-shirt bra in bigger cups."

For example, she said, the Maximiser bra came only in the C-cup size and below. Triumph is now offering the Maximiser in bigger sizes such as the D-cup and the F-cup as well.

"More of these well-endowed women don't want to hide their assets, but want to show it off", she said.

"So, they no longer want the traditional bras. They want the more fashionable cuts."

Asian and European sizes are different. Ms Teo explained: "The space between the cups for the European bras are wider as compared to Asian bras."

The increase in demand for bigger bras was confirmed by two other bra retailers - Ero Lingerie International and La Senza at Plaza Singapura.

Said Ero's operations executive Sharon Low: "Our demand for bigger cups (D to F-cups) has increased by about 15 per cent over the past two years."

Ero has even come up with a new line of bras with thicker bands behind, which is more comfortable for bigger women.

Plastic surgeon Woffles Wu has seen a 20 per cent jump in women seeking breast enhancement - usually from a B-cup to a C-cup - in the past five years.


But he said, very few come in looking for enhancement from a C to a D-cup.

He said: "Asian women generally don't like breasts which are too big. For every 20 customers who want to enhance their breasts from B to C, only one will want to increase their breast size from C to D."

There are more overweight women seeing him nowadays for breast-reduction surgery.

"There are more big-breasted women now than 40 years ago and a lot of it is due to nutrition," he explained.

"Fat does make the breast become bigger. When you lose weight, the breast size reduces as well."

A well-endowed consumer, administrative assistant Venessa Benjamin, 26, welcomes the increase in availability of bigger bras but want bras that offer the right support.

Said Ms Benjamin, who wears a European size 36F: "So far, it has been hard to find the right size at local shops. But even if they are offering bigger bras, it is the support and not the aesthetics that matter to me."