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Minimizer Bras 101
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: "Minimizer Bras 101" Length: 2:30
What is a minimizer bra?
What does a minimizer bra do?
Do I need a minimizer bra?
These are some of the questions my team and I are frequently asked.
The name is a little misleading. A minimizer bra does not actually reduce your breast size or bra size — you can never get rid of or reduce your breast tissue volume.
Instead, it can very effectively reduce your breast projection and thus your chest circumference by flattening your breasts and giving them a wider base to spread out your breast tissue in all directions — up, down, left and right.
This is achieved primarily with a wider and higher "under the arms" underwire shape.
Reducing your breast projection with a minimizer helps reduce and even eliminate that pulled look on a button-down blouse.
It can also eliminate that horizontal pull line on a form-fitting top.
A minimizer bra can have seams in the cups or be seamless.
They also come with and without underwires.
But, a minimizer bra does not have padding because women who want a minimizer do not want to add any size to their bustline.
If you want modesty with a minimizer, you will need to also wear a pair of nipple covers, or select a minimizer with seams in the cups, and then line up your apex so it rests on a seam.
A minimizer is also the one bra style where the center panel does not need to rest against your sternum to have a proper fit.
Additionally, a minimizer is not able to minimize a breast that has an implant.
Minimizers come in a fairly narrow size range.
They usually start around a C cup size and stop around a D5 cup size.
This is because larger breasts really cannot be effectively minimized in their projection.
Their vast breast tissue could fold “skin on skin” and thus create an area that holds moisture and be uncomfortable — especially in the underarm area and along the bottom of a bra’s cups.
Instead, most women larger than an D5 cup size would prefer their breast tissue to be positioned up and forward to give the appearance of a smaller waistline.
What size minimizer bra should you buy?
The answer is your normal bra size.
The manufacturers have already designed-in the minimizing effects, so no size change is needed.
Minimizer Bras 101
If you have a larger bust, say a C cup or higher, you’ve probably had difficulties fitting into certain types of tops at one time or another. Having larger breasts means you tend to have more forward projection, which can make button-front tops gap and not lay flat against your chest.
You may have tried other bra and shapewear styles made to flatten you, but then you get that washboard silhouette, which isn’t feminine or sexy at all. Having larger breasts doesn’t mean you can’t make every top style work on your shape. You just need to find the right bra to help keep you contained without completely taking away your curves.
The solution: the minimizer bra. Minimizer bras are a great choice for women with larger busts who want to minimize the appearance of their breasts under different tops without sacrificing their shape and pretty silhouette. While minimizer bras do make your breasts appear smaller, they don’t literally reduce the size of your breasts. Instead, they resituate them by redistributing the breast tissue up, down, left and right in the cups so you don’t protrude as far outward.
Minimizer bras are designed to flatter your figure and give you a nice, rounded shape while also reducing breast projection. By reducing your chest circumference, you can fit better into those close-fitting or button down tops you never thought would be an option for your larger bust.
Want to learn more about minimizer bras? In this video, Tomima gets into all the details about this popular bra style. She explains the uses for a minimizer bra, who should be wearing them, and what options are available. From underwires and soft cup to seams and seamless, there is a variety of different minimizers to choose from. Learn everything there is to know about this helpful and flattering bra style and then shop all our minimizer bra options at HerRoom!