Where Has All My Cleavage gone?! {Being Happy with Less}

{bra}

My breastfeeding days have (at least temporarily) disappeared, and so has my cleavage. It's nothing new. I've always had a small chest. The exceptions being pregnancy and nursing. Also, when I gained 25 pounds in college, but who wants to fit into bigger jeans just so they can also fit into a bigger bra? Not me.

It seems there are two "solutions" to the flat-chest "delimma:" {1} boob job or {2} some sort of miraculous push-up bra that can add up to two cup sizes. Because, really, who wants to be flat-chested? Having boobs is an important part of being a woman, and somehow our society is lost in the misconception that bigger is better.

I'm choosing to not believe that misconception. This is my reminder to myself to be happy with less...

WHY AU NATUREL IS BEST {FOR ME}

I know people that have gotten breast implants, and I respect their choice. They didn't do it for attention or to flaunt oversized breasts. They were simply small-chested, like me, and got a little something extra to look "normal" for their personal body structure.

Despite it all, I believe breast implants are not a good solution for me. Here's why I'm choosing to be happy with what I've got:

• IT DISPROVES THE MISCONCEPTION. I'm bothered that women are expected to fit into a specific mold to be considered attractive, and top of that list is boob-size. I would simply be agreeing if I followed the boob job trend.
• IT'S GREEN AND MINIMALIST. Even though I'm not great in my efforts, I have a desire to be environmentally friendly and to become minimalist. Breast implants are neither.
• IT SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR MY DAUGHTER. I want my daughter's self-worth to be deeper than her appearance, and I want her to accept and love herself the way God made her. Initially, she'll learn by example. Even if I can't disprove the breast-size misconception to the masses, maybe I can at least disprove it to her.
• IT'S HEALTHY. As with any surgery, complications are not uncommon during breast implant surgery. I can avoid all of the related hazards by opting out of the surgery.
• IT PUTS VALUE WHERE VALUE BELONGS. Most of us have heard that we vote with our dollars. That's not just at the grocery store. That's true for things like voluntary surgery. The more media hypes larger breasts, the more people will get implants, the more value is placed on large breasts and the more advertising and other media are going to continue to emphasize it. It's a vicious cycle that can only be broken one individual at a time.

WHY A PADDED BRA ISN'T BEST {FOR ME}

The temporary solution to small boobs is pushing and padding whatever little bit you've got to make it appear larger. It's a simple enough solution that thousands (millions?) of women choose. There's a few reasons to ditch the extra padding and be happy with less...

• EXTREME PADDING IS FAKE. I'm learning to appreciate my body for what it is, and part of that is having small boobs. Adding padding to it feels fake, because it is fake.
• PADDED BRAS ARE FALSE ADVERTISING. In college, my now-husband and another friend were talking about girls wearing padded bras. The point was made that it was false-advertising and whatever man they end up with will be disappointed to see that they actually have small breasts. It was more of a humorous conversation, but it stuck with me. Why do I feel the need to false-advertise? What do I gain by making people believe I'm larger than I really am? When I answered honestly that I gain nothing from it, I decided it wasn't for me.
• PADDED, UNDERWIRE BRAS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE. I hate underwire. Always have. I also am not a fan of padding. It feels unnatural.
• MEN LIKE BOOBS, NOT PADDING. While push-up and padding looks attractive with nothing else on, it mostly gets in the way when it comes to alone time with the husband. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

BEING HAPPY WITH LESS

It's encouraging to know other small-chested women have avoided the breast augmentation temptation, and are looking great in the process. These are the women who remind me small breasts are normal and not a "problem" to be "fixed." It is possible to be happy and attractive with less.

{Kate Bosworth}

{Cameron Diaz}

{Kate Hudson}

{Julia Stiles}

{Sandra Oh}

{Ellen Pompeo}

{Natalie Portman}

{Gwyneth Paltrow}

{Keri Russell}

{Kelly Ripa}

 And part of being happy with a flat chest includes having a sense of humor about it...

{smallboobieproblems}