Oh, breasts, breasts, breasts… One of the many things wonderful about them - no two pairs are similar. The shape, the size, and the placement - all unique. Today let's find out what's "wide-set" breasts and how to treat 'em nice.

Are your breasts wide-set?

Also called east-west, butterfly shape, and side-set breasts, wide-set breasts are a breast shape where there's a significant gap between the boobs. What gap is considered significant? Well, most sources say it's the width of at least three fingers. If you can place three fingers between the boobs without touching any breast tissue, your breasts are wide-set. Although any pair of breasts can be wide-set, the gap is most annoying with medium size breasts. This way the volume of the boobs is big enough to make the gap visible, but the breasts do not meet to cover the gap.

How to "fix" wide-set breasts?

Now, wide-set breasts might be challenging, but luckily there are ways to manage them. Firstly, we'd suggest doing it by choosing appropriate brasserie - that's what this article is mostly about. If you're craving a lasting solution, surgery might provide the answer, yet it's not a magic fix. In some cases, breast augmentation can enhance the existing gap, so we suggest you search for professionals who have specialized in performing such surgeries. When looking through the doctor's portfolio, search for Before and Afters where this exact problem has been tackled. Also note that it's common for the implants to displace, especially if the woman leads an active lifestyle. The third way to work towards a more narrow gap is to… work out! Although there are no exercises that actually reduce the gap, getting your girls into a bit more plump and perkier shape might do the trick.

Problems and solutions for wide-set breasts

Wide-set breasts are a tricky breast shape. It comes with pros (like decreased sweating between the boobs) and cons. Let's explore the cons and how to successfully overcome them!

Part of the cup - empty

When the breast tissue of your wide-set breasts is concentrated in the sides of the cup, part of the cup can be left quite empty.

Solution: Plunge bras - the holy grail for women with side-set boobs. As plunge bras are cut low in the front, there will be no annoying emptiness in the center parts of the cups.

Side spillage

Too much breast tissue squeezing upon the outer sides of the cups can result in a bit of side spillage. Not only does it look bad and uncomfortable - it's also harmful to your health.

Solution: firstly, you might want to go up a cup size (and down a band size, naturally). If this doesn't solve the issue, look for bras with higher cut armholes, side sling, or side support panels.

Little to no cleavage

Cleavage

We're no clairvoyants, but it's rather possible that you're here because of struggle in the cleave department. From time to time, every woman wishes to put their gals in the spotlight. But what if they won't cooperate? With wide-set breasts, that's often the case. There are dresses and tops, where the cleavage must be on point, or else the overall look is ruined. So how to make your boobs pop?

Solution: There are many, actually!

  • A plunge bra with side padding. A plunge bra is hands down the best bra style for wide-set breasts. When looking for the perfect push-up bra, check for the side padding. Side padding is your best friend, as it's responsible for pushing the breasts together. And despite how it sounds, the “pushing” does not have to be uncomfortable. The market offers a wide variety of paddings, but we believe memory foam padding to be the most comfortable. The memory foam adapts to the shape of your breasts, providing exactly the support you need.
  • A front-closure bra. Front-closure bras are SO underrated! Here's the thing. The front clasp is perfect for pushing the breasts together. The pressure is distributed so that the breasts move towards each other - just like in the good ol' corset, but with no discomfort. And not to mention the fact that a front clasp is much easier to open and close.
  • A racerback bra. We can't quite explain the physics behind that, but racerback bras do a perfect job at providing lift and pushing breasts together. Oftentimes reading ladies' recipes for the perfect cleavage, a racerback is one of the key ingredients. That being said, bear in mind the bra must have a plunging neckline and side-padding.
  • A little scoop and swoop. This goes out to all the big-busted ladies out there. To succeed in building the cleavage, you must get ALL of your breasts in the cups. “Well, how can you not do that?” you might think. But actually rather often the breast tissue ends up places it shouldn't have. So to escape that, do the Scoop-and-swoop method trick. Lean forward, reach all the way to your armpit and guide the breast tissue into the cups. You might be surprised about the difference it makes. It might turn out you actually need to go up a cup size!
  • Do not overdo. It might be tempting to shove your wide-set boobs into a push-up bra that's a size or two too small from time to time. You know, to get that Hollywood cleavage. And, honestly, there's nothing wrong with it - unless it becomes a routine. When we say it's fine, we mean once a month or so. The rarer, the better. Wrong size bras and barely legal tricks to make that cleavage pop can result in migrating breast tissue. Breast tissue usually migrates toward armpits, but when overdoing cleavage regularly the breast tissue might end up on your sternum.

Bras that work well for women with wide-set breasts

To illustrate what bras help deal best with the problems described above, let's dive into the world of bras that flatter wide-set boobs.

Characteristics of a bra that's fit for wide-set boobs

Before talking about specific bras, let's study the anatomy of a bra that's well suited for women with wide-set boobs.

  1. Cups – depends a lot on the shape of your breasts and whether they're center full or outer full. Make sure to get the right cup size and bear in mind that the cup size depends on the band size, too. For padded bras - look for support on the outer parts of the cup to center the breasts as much as possible. The coverage of the cups - up to you. Plunging bras are a fave of many women with wide-set breasts. It's because often the inner parts of the cups stay rather empty - so why bother covering them anyway?
  2. Gore – the thingy between the cups. The wider the gap between your boobs, the wider the gore should be. For cleavage fanatics -  higher and more narrow gore will do a better job for distributing pressure and bringing closer. That being said, do not over-exaggerate, as you might end up with inner halves of the cups being empty simply because the gore's too narrow for your boob shape. The gore should sit flat against the sternum. If it digs in and feels painful, keep on looking, as this is clearly NOT the right bra for you.
  3. The band – definitely depends on your body type, breast shape, and size. As the band does all the heavy lifting, the bigger the tatas, the wider the band.
  4. The closure – as mentioned above, many swear by front-clasp bras, as it's in their nature to bring boobs together.
  5. The straps – same as with the band. Dependant on your body type. Yet we all can agree at the end of the day, wider straps are way comfier than spaghetti ones. Cross or racerback straps help to bring boobs together if that's desired.

Push-up bras for wide-set breasts

As mentioned earlier, we suggest you choose a front-closure push-up bra, since it brings the gals together like nothing. Take a look at this gem we've found. It has the perfect side padding, adjustable straps and it looks sexy as hell. The size runs smaller, so size up if buying. Sadly the bra only goes up to size 38C, which would be your go-to if you're a 36C.

Another option that works well for women with larger boobs is this Parfait option. Although the side panels are a perfect way of managing the side spillage situation, the cut might be too high for some women. The retro-style seams are a question of taste, but we believe this is one sexy piece of lingerie.

Bralettes for wide-set breasts

These days, a bralette has become a fashion staple. Playfully hiding the breasts between layers of lace - it's not only beautiful. It's comfortable too. In the case of bralettes, there's usually no padding involved, so a halter-neck can really save the day. With the tension aiming upwards, boobs are naturally drawn towards each other.

Of course, a halter-neck will not work with all outfits. In this exact piece, the straps are especially wide and will show with most outfits. But, looking from a different perspective, this bralette is so cute, it can actually be worn as a self-standing statement piece.

T-shirt bras for wide-breasts

Let's stop here and talk again about bra gores - you know, the thingy that keeps the cups together. With the breasts wide-set, it becomes especially important that the gore's comfortable. It must lay flat against your sternum. It should not dig or levitate between your bosoms (which unfortunately is often the case with wide-set breasts). An old saying goes: no gore, no worries! So, on days where cleavage is not on your list of concerns, simply opt for a t-shirt bra with no gore. Instead of that, throw in some extra support on the sides to prevent the spillage situation. So we say you go for a wireless bra with a wide band that's smooth, soft, and invisible under even the tightest of garments. Sounds like love, right?

Don't change it. Embrace it! Nipple covers and boob tape

Frankly, many pairs of wonderful boobs just will not be able to achieve that classic cleavage look. Take for example this hilarious Reddit thread. User u/KtoL writes:

Hi, I've got smaller breasts and a wide chest, 36B to be exact, and they are really far apart, I'm talking separate zip codes. Literally I can put a clenched fist between them and that's about the same size as my breasts, totally plenty of room for a third breast (I should have auditioned for total recall).

Some bodies are just not designed for cleavage. You know, the traditional - “buttcrack” - one. ”What to do, then? Embrace what you have. Be proud and show them gals off! We'd advise you to go braless, as it's so hot these days. But if you're modest, grab some nipple covers or boob tape (if there's a bit of lifting and sculpting planned) and rock that plunging neckline top, dress, or swimsuit.

Mind the gap… Or don't!

Here at Bratag, we're all about body positivity - all boobs are beautiful. Love them, and treat them well. Since your wellness and confidence is what matters, so it's totally OK to look for solutions that improve the natural characteristics of your breasts. Be it bras, exercise, or surgery - whatever floats your boat. Be wise, be careful and you'll do just fine!