Small bust, big heart

A push-up bra circa 1880

Cleavage, decolletage, frontage… whatever you call it, the media loves it. How to hoist them up, what to dress them in, the creams to beautify them, who’s had them ‘done’, who’s flashed more than intended… boobs are good headline fodder. This month is no exception.

Here’s my April round-up…

• I’ve already mentioned this on Twitter and Facebook, but SBBH was sad to hear about the demise of Kate Hudson’s perky barely-there chest, replaced by a curvier bustline. The new Hudson chest provoked a wild spectrum of opinion. But Kate seems happy — and relished the chance to flash her bra-less assets at a recent red carpet event.
• The Sun revealed a map of the UK’s glamour credentials — and credited Bournemouth with being the town in which the push-up bra boom began and where British women buy the most “chicken fillets”.
• Bras can be big business said The Daily Mail in its report about British “golden girls”: self-made women millionaires, the number of whom has risen 40% in five years. Among them is Sarah Tremellen, founder of large-cup lingerie specialist Bravissimo. Here’s wishing our small-cup experts similar success.
• Primark committed a terrible boob by peddling a glittery, padded bikini-bra to girls as young as seven years-old, sparking outrage from the public. The scandal, falling as it did in the middle of the UK election campaign, prompted Tory leader David Cameron to wade in, dubbing the lingerie “completely disgraceful”. Not Primark’s finest hour.
• Closer magazine reported on Heidi Montag’s alleged surgery addiction, as Heidi unveiled the result of a £20k plastic surgery binge — including a series of 10 procedures on one day alone — that has left the 23 year-old looking like a sad Barbie with scarily stretched F-cup breasts.
• Sales of saucy lingerie are soaring in the UK among 40 something women said The Daily Telegraph — and industry experts are dubbing the trend the “cougar effect” as they believe it is linked to the popularity of TV shows like Cougar Town and Sex in the City in which older women are allowed to look hot.
• The Daily Mail reported on the first push-up bra, which dates back to the 1800s. The original breast enhancer, fashioned from two white pads joined together with flamboyant lace and feathers, was on display at London’s Science Museum as part of a display featuring 19th century cosmetic devices.
• And finally… The Sun sent shockwaves through the nation when it warned that a vote for Labour or the Liberal Democrats in the UK General Election could result in the end of a national institution. No, not the NHS: Page 3 of The Sun, the home of the British glamour girl. Gathering the Page 3 girls together in a photo, The Sun warned that they could all be on the dole soon unless we see a Conservative victory — SBBH thinks this must be the most creative tactical voting plea ever.

Tags: boob job, bra business, chicken fillets, push-up bra