HAVING big boobs can come with big problems as Jackie Adedeji knows only too well.
The broadcaster, 30, from who grew up in Luton, Bedfordshire but now lives in London, has a size 36K chest and admits one major issue is finding clothes that are stylish, on-trend and flatter her bust.
She told us: “I want to take risks and have fun with my clothes, but fashion that is popular is always catered to women with smaller boobs, you can’t fit into fashion trends because they’re not made for you.”
And, this is where Fabulous is stepping in to help - we’re going to create our own range of clothes just for women with big boobs.
We need YOUR help designing the pieces, from what style is best to the colours, patterns and materials used. You’ll be there every step of the way.
Once it’s designed, a group of Fabulous readers will even get the chance to model the collection and help with the fitting - to make sure you really do love it.
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Then when it’s all ready to go, you’ll get the chance to pre-order your designs, with the chance to have items named after you.
Clothes FOR women with big boobs, designed BY women with big boobs - sounds like something that you would be interested in?
Fill in the short quiz below to get started...
Jackie developed size 30FF boobs aged 11, and says she has been sexualised for her bust her entire life.
She says: “They literally grew overnight and I noticed that I was treated differently. I started to get messages from friends and family asking if I could cover up more and dress more decently.
“When it came to sports at school I felt like I couldn’t participate. Boys in school would laugh at me when I was playing netball or running at the size of my boobs.
“At that age you boys and girls used to get changed in the classroom together.
I want to take risks and have fun with my clothes, but fashion that is popular is always catered to women with smaller boobs
Jackie Adedeji
“My teacher one day said to me ‘Jacqueline I’m really sorry but you can’t get changed in here because you’re far too developed’, so I was made to get changed in the cloakroom.
“I always felt like I was this provocative, promiscuous, unruly child who was distracting everyone with her boobs.”
After this Jackie decided covering up her chest was the best option - even choosing to wear her dad’s baggy hoodies during the summer.
As her boobs continued to grow she realised she couldn’t wear what her friends were wearing.
She says: “My mum took me to Marks & Spencer to get a bra and it was a horrendous cone shaped underwired bra, the lady had cold hands and I just burst into tears.”
However, after years of covering herself up aged 16 Jackie found that having big boobs wasn’t a bad thing anymore.
She says: “Boys liked them, they weren’t funny anymore, I became popular and I loved the attention.
“However, I started realising that people were talking to my chest and not my face.
Boys in school would laugh at me when I was playing netball or running at the size of my boobs
Jackie Adedeji
“So I dressed with my boobs out quite a lot because I was like, right, well, this is all I am, this is what I'm worth - I can use this to my advantage.”
And whilst Jackie may have enjoyed the new found attention her boobs brought, it was a turning point of realising she needed to start to love them too.
She says: “How am I going to make this work? Am I gonna get them reduced? Am I going to get them removed? Am I just going to be okay with them? How do I make peace?
“I realised that I was letting people define who I was. I was ‘Jackie big tits’ the funny girl at school, so I needed to figure out how to take my power back.”
Clothing was an issue, with Jackie often feeling that she couldn’t wear something because of her chest.
She says: “I realised a lot of the way I was feeling about myself was through what other people said to me, ‘Oh, your boobs are so big’, ‘Can you dress a bit more decently?’
Especially with my parents having very ''well respected'' jobs, my dad being a vicar and my mum being a magistrate, I felt like I was embarrassing them for existing.
“And you internalise those messages and think you’re the problem and distraction.
“When you remove all that and you think how do I actually feel about myself? I realised I didn’t feel so bad about who I was.
“My boobs don’t define me. They’re special because they belong to me. I taught myself how to fall in love with myself.”
Heading to university at 18, Jackie had a different outlook on her boobs.
She says: “I could rebrand and show who I am, I decided to reclaim the term ‘big boobs’ myself, then no one got to make me the joke, because I was laughing first.”
But then, of course not everyone is as confident about speaking on boobs as Jackie is.
She says: “Someone once said to me if I spoke about having big boobs it would ruin my career.”
Since then she’s gone on to be a successful broadcaster and podcaster, having her own award-nominated Channel 4 documentary My Big Boobs -
She says: “It’s so easy for women with bigger boobs to be sexualised, even when we’re not trying to look sexy.
“And that’s their problem not mine, you’re blaming me for being tempting when I’ve not done anything, that’s on you.
“When I was 14 a man stopped me in the street and asked what age I was, he then proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t be that age because of how big my bust was, I was shocked.”
Boys liked them, they weren’t funny anymore, I became popular and I loved the attention
Jackie Adedeji
But how does she feel now about dressing her chest?
“It all starts with wearing the right bra, people are wearing the wrong bra more often than not, which means then you can't dress for your body because your shape is going to look out of place.”
She adds: “I’d love to wear triangle bikinis, but they don’t even cover a nipple, a bandeau top would be amazing to just throw on, but I can’t just pick things up and wear them like that.
“Even if we got the basics that fit our bust, that would be amazing, because we could then build a wardrobe around ourselves where we look and feel great.”
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic Fabulous are doing a fuller bust collection - it’s time for women with big boobs to feel included and seen. It’s exciting that for many women they’ll get to finally enjoy dressing up and feeling like a queen!”
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And how does she feel about her boobs now?
“I love them, the relationship you have with yourself is the longest most important relationship you’ll ever be in.”
