After composing yesterday's post about what breast, hip, and butt padding, if any, I use when I femulate, I thought about gynecomastia and wondered how other people dealt with it.
Searching the Internet and found a recent article from The Guardian about Matt Cornell, who "grew up with gynecomastia, a harmless condition that made his school days a misery.
From the bullying to the surgery that followed,” the article“looks back on what 'moobs' meant to him."
I identified with a lot of the experiences Matt went through while growing up. When I was young, my breasts embarrassed me. I did not know if my breast development was the result of being overweight, hormone imbalance, gynecomastia, or a combination of some or all of the above. Whatever... I had boobs that nearly filled a B-cup bra.
Often, I would notice people checking out my breasts and occasionally, I would hear hurtful comments like "He should wear a bra?" As I grew older, I began avoiding situations where I had to go shirtless and as an adult, I am never in a public situation without a shirt.
On the other hand, I am very happy with natural breasts when I am en femme and I seldom have to wear anything in my bra to augment my bust. The only time I stuff my bra is when I wear a low-cut top or dress and want to display some cleavage (as in the accompanying photo).
To achieve cleavage, I insert my homemade bird seed breast forms into my bra cups to offset my natural breasts, pushing them together to create cleavage.* But normally, the only thing in my bra is me.
Admittedly, my breasts are small for a woman my size, but they are all mine and they feel as natural as can be. And my breasts are no longer an embarrassment; they have become an asset.
* I used to tape my breasts together with surgical tape to keep my cleavage in check. I stopped using tape because it usually injured my skin and there was always slippage. Now without tape, I encounter about the same amount of slippage, but without the pain; a surreptitious readjustment puts my girls back in place quickly.
The positively gorgeous Phillipe Blond.
Wearing Nina Ricci.