Bem-Vinda!
Bem-vinda - welcome! My name is Claudia, and I'm in my early thirties. I'm a mother to two lovely children - my eldest, a pre-teen boy, whom I refer to as "S" in my blog, and my little girl "A," who is a toddler. I grew up in Portugal and moved to the UK when I was 18. When I turned 12, I felt as though my body changed almost overnight, from that of a child to that of a woman. Despite my innocence and naivety, the world started seeing me differently. The boys at school, with whom I used to climb trees, began looking at me differently. One of my dad's friends started giving me curious looks and making comments. My PE teacher pulled me aside and told me I needed to invest in a sports bra. Even my mum started making remarks about my body. To add to all of this, there was no bra available that fit me properly. At that time, especially in Portugal, bra sizes were extremely limited.
I remember feeling upset because I couldn't dress like my friends. I felt like an outsider, always being the friend with the ‘big boobs’. There were so many assumptions made about me just because of my breast size.
You are allowed to take up space!
The problem was:
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The comments that other people made about my body and their own preconceived notions
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The lack of good underwear that not only provided support, but also looked good and made me feel empowered
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Other solutions that helped me wear the clothes I wanted
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Clothes that suited my body type
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Changing my own mindset about my body
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The lack of representation
I know so many other women who struggle with the same things, so I want to share my story with them and keep reminding them that they should never feel ashamed of their bodies. They are allowed to take up space and should never feel like they have to make themselves smaller!
In 2018, I started my Instagram page. What began as a space to sell some clothes rapidly became a platform for me to share some of the struggles I have faced over the years as a woman with larger breasts.
I have worked so hard to break down the narrative I had to grow up with and to fight against the stigma and comments that growing up with a big bust brought. For years, I wanted them gone. I wanted a breast reduction, I wanted to stop hearing that it was a "nice problem to have". Until I realised that my boobs weren't the problem...
