Busts are expanding, with the North among the leaders in bigger cup sizes BRITAIN’S busts have grown by three sizes in just two years – and many are wearing bras that are too small – according to research by high street retailer Debenhams.

The best-selling bra size has gone up from a 34B in 2010 to a 34DD this year and it’s women living in the North, the Midlands, Wales and Ireland who are making the largest contribution to this trend, while women in the South and Scotland have grown by a more modest two sizes. Wales is firmly in front, with size E as the average bra size.

An astonishing 78 per cent of women surveyed by Debenhams admit to previously squeezing into a bra that was a smaller size than they should be wearing.

“Sales suggest that breasts are bigger and better than ever before,” says Debenhams’ head of lingerie buying and design Sharon Webb.

Voluptuous role models such as Dita Von Teese, Kim Kardashian, Nigella Lawson and Beyonce Knowles are constantly flaunting their assets and in turn have encouraged women to embrace their breasts and celebrate their curves.

Seventy per cent of bra sales in Debenhams stores across the UK this year have been for padded and push-up bras compared to 36 per cent in 2010, suggesting that women are now proud to show off what they’ve got.

“Confidence is changing the shape of the nation.

Fit is of paramount importance. A greatfitting bra makes you look incredible on the outside and feel fabulous on the inside,” says Sharon. “If women want a bit of enhancement then they can invest in a simple padded or push-up bra and see instant results by the fasten of a clasp – no expensive surgery required.”

Debenhams’ bra fitters are helping as many women as possible during this month, to show the importance of wearing the right sized bra and the dramatic difference it can make to a woman’s figure.

“We’ve seen a lot of women wear ill-fitting bras. It seems that they weren’t making the best of their bust so we sized up the problem,”

says Sharon. “There’s no excuse for women to wear the wrong bra size. The bra-fitting service is free and we have hundreds of expertlytrained lingerie fitters.”

  • During this month, 50p from every bra sold will be donated to the Debenhams Think Pink campaign, which is donating funds to Breakthrough Breast Cancer (45 per cent), Breast Cancer Campaign (45 per cent) and the Pink Ribbon Foundation (ten per cent).
  •  Think Pink will fund research into finding both the causes and treatment of breast cancer, as well as promoting Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s TLC (Touch, Look, Check) message which is vital in helping to prevent the disease.