Beyond Chocolate

“What it boils down to is this: if we spend our lives focussing on our body size, rejecting the body we have and wishing it were different, dreaming of the day when, slim and perfect, our life will finally start, then we spend our whole life waiting and we miss the chance to live our lives fully now.” Beyond Chocolate.

In the early days of Busts 4 Justice, one of the things that affected (and spurred me on) the most was the amount of women describing how insecure they felt about their bodies.  It seemed wrong that so many people resented bits of themselves just because they didn’t necessarily match with a stick-slim body type regularly promoted as ideal.  We should be celebrating our individually beautiful curves, not wishing them away (though arguably that was harder to do when even our bra retailers were telling us that our DD+ cups were somehow difficult and unusual… but that’s another story.)

So I was very pleased to hear from the lovely and inspiring Audrey from Beyond Chocolate last week.  Beyond Chocolate helps people stop dieting, stop hating their body, and take back control of their eating.  It’s not a diet, and it’s not a faceless multi-million nutrition megacorp either.  It’s two sisters who – based on their own experiences of dieting – decided to fight back. It’s a very positive message and, with online support and workshops available to back up the lessons in the book, I thoroughly recommend it for anyone sick of being told what they should eat and what they should look like….

Find out more about Beyond Chocolate here.

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Come Brine With Me…

The last time I attempted to wear a generic sized high-street bikini, some poor guy almost crashed his bicycle.  So in the interest of health and safety, I vowed never to attempt it again and bought some properly fitting swimwear for my 30G lifebuoys.  It was a revelation. Sea swimming without escaping boobs, without having to change in and out of bras on the beach, without smacking myself in the face as I bounded to the shore… There’s no doubt about it: every beach-loving busty lady deserves cup-sized swimwear.

This year there are loads of delicious costumes to choose from, and because the sun is shining and it’s a Friday (and because I desperately want more people to come in the sea with me), I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you here for inspiration…


Freya are queens of swimwear, and they are spoiling us this summer with their colourful and cute ranges.  LOVE this Lunar retro polka dot print and, as it comes in a variety of cuts and shapes (including tankinis and swimsuits), you can pick and choose to find the perfect combination to suit you.  The Galaxy and Eclipse ranges are also worth checking out too.  Thank you Freya!

Since G-Unit arrived, I’ve had a mortal phobia of the onesy… Normal clothes logic dictates that, without a belt, it’s a recipe for more “when’s it due” enquiries than is necessarily good for your self-esteem.  However Panache may force me to reconsider with this one.  I’ve not had the pleasure of road-testing it, but as it’s fitted to your bra size rather than your body size it certainly promises to clings to your curves whilst supporting you in all the right places. Gorgeous.

Stumbled across this Fantasie Milan bra on the House of Fraser website.  By the looks of things they’re rapidly running out of stock but it’s so pretty I had to include it.  Love the colour and the cut, plus it comes as a tankini if you prefer a longer style. Cute bow detail on the briefs too. Grab it while you can.

See you on the beach!


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Coppa Feel!

Everyone needs to check out the frankly brilliant and inspiring CoppaFeel.  Kris was 23 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and now campaigns to raise awareness about the disease in young women.  With CoppaFeel she teaches us how to self-examine, and encourages us to get to know our own boobs as much as possible so that we can recognise quickly if something’s not right.  It’s a desperately important message presented in a simple and funny way that makes it impossible to resist warming up your hands and getting to grips with yourself immediately.  In fact, I’m off to get to know mine a bit better myself.  Although I probably will do it in the shower rather than the bus stop as suggested here; my boobs get me in enough trouble as it is…

Mish Online are giving you the opportunity to support CoppaFeel and get your hands on some fantastic lingerie while you’re at it. For the chance to win a Freya Sports bra, go here; or to grab either a Freya or Fantasie lingerie set go here. Or, do both.  It’s for a good cause!

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International No Diet Day

While we were all casting our votes and wondering who would be our next Prime Minister, we completely missed the fact that May 6th was also “International No Diet Day”.  Not to be mistaken for an “International Eat All The Cakes Day” in disguise, INDD is a celebration of diverse body shapes and a challenge to all things that ‘contribute to body hatred, weight preoccupation and eating disorders’.  Which is such a brilliant and positive message that I’m disappointed it’s taken me eighteen years to hear about it.

So, here’s what I reckon.  When Busts 4 Justice started out, it very quickly became a place where thousands of women could celebrate their body shape and support one another.  INDD may have been lost to Westminster this year, but I definitely think in 2011 we could somehow channel the force of our collective busts and get it pushed it up the agenda.  What do you think?  Any suggestions, send them on an e-shaped postcard.

(Thanks very much to @balhampeople for introducing this to me by the way, and for sharing the video too.)

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The Holy Fit.

Freya are a bit of a favourite of mine, not least because my sunshine yellow Freya bikini meant last year I overcame my fear of losing my boobs (and dignity) and got to swim in the sea for the first time since outgrowing a D-cup.

Now they’re doing a brilliant job of championing better fitting with their new Holy Fit campaign; encouraging women to get fitted professionally, but also – importantly – teaching us about recognising a good fit for ourselves.

Check out Freya’s campaign and more of their videos here at The Holy Fit.

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