Post-male-puberty "Broad Shoulders" Vs. Strappy tops

[Heather Nicole]

I had a little bit of a theoretical panic just thinking today. I know that one of my favorite things about women's clothing is the possibility of strappy, shoulderless tops. I hate collars and sleeves, even short sleeves, and (in private) absolutely love the freedom of low-cut, shoulder-less spaghetti-strap tops. (Such as my favorite nightie!)

 

But I'm close to 40, I went through full male puberty, and I'm a bit on the large side even by "guy" standards. Obviously, FFS and SRS (and presumably HRT) aren't going to have any effect on masculine "broad shoulders".

 

So, are tops like this something that are just a fashion no-no for people like us, or is there any hope?

[tracy_j]

It's a bit tricky for me to answer you directly on this but my take was to look around at cis women, their shapes and what they wear. I was thinking that I do tend to wear slightly wider tops as they look better and, having a very quick search, found this page which seems to support my view: http://bodyshapestyle.com/2011/04/28/what-to-wear-tops-for-broad-shoulders/

 

A lot may also depend on what women wear in the places you go to as well as it is obviously easier to fit in.

 

Tracy

[Jackie C.]

I don't know, I look pretty hot in a tank top and I have wide shoulders. I think a lot of it comes down to color choice to de-emphasize features you don't like and highlight the ones you do. There's some skill involved and body contouring with makeup is a thing (not a thing I can do, but I've seen some awesome examples). I think you'll be fine. At the end of the day, I wear what makes me feel good. Sometimes that's something with straps.

 

Hugs! 

[Sally Stone]

I always worry about my shoulders too, but several of my favorite dresses are sleeveless and being perfectly honest, I think my shoulders look narrower.  It could be wishful thinking I suppose, but I'm more inclined to believe that sleeveless really does have a narrowing effect.  I mean think about it, there's no fabric there to add to the shoulder width.  I think to get the most flattering effect probably depends on the way the top is cut around the shoulders, so I say experiment with different tops. 

[KayC]

Good topic @Heathick!
I was fortunate (at least now I think so now) that I have rather narrow and not very muscular shoulders.  I really love how sleeveless blouses and dresses look on me.  And I have to agree with @Sally Stone that I think wider sleeveless tops actually can narrow the appearance of your shoulders. 

Spaghetti straps are another story, and I have a terrible time keeping blouse (even bra) straps from falling off my narrow shoulders.  So, in that case a broader shoulders might be a bit of a benefit.

@tracy_j's link is a great source.

Maybe the best part is the Fun of trying on different styles and seeing how they look.  Then you'll really know.

 

[Bri2020]

2 hours ago, KayC said:

Spaghetti straps are another story, and I have a terrible time keeping blouse (even bra) straps from falling off my narrow shoulders.  So, in that case a broader shoulders might be a bit of a benefit.


 

I have broad shoulders and still can't keep straps from falling off. lol

[Heather Nicole]

Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone!

[Lee H]

13 hours ago, Bri2020 said:

Spaghetti straps are another story, and I have a terrible time keeping blouse (even bra) straps from falling off my narrow shoulders.  So, in that case a broader shoulders might be a bit of a benefit.

The straps on any cami large enough to fit around my ancient manly-man beer gut are too far apart to stay on my shoulders. Wish they made sweet feminine clothes for old fat guys....

[Heather Nicole]

2 hours ago, Lee H said:

The straps on any cami large enough to fit around my ancient manly-man beer gut are too far apart to stay on my shoulders. Wish they made sweet feminine clothes for old fat guys....

 

Omg, yes, the enormous circumference of my chest/ribcage (fifty-something, not counting cup size) and "beer gut" are easily the biggest problems I face finding anything whatsoever to fit the upper portion of my body. (Heck, at my size, it's even a stretch to file male clothes that fit well...not that I've ever cared much for them...)

 

I do have one or two nighties (which I LOVE) that fit in that regard...despite being much shorter on me than they're intended to be. But, to find a bra, or even a sports bra, or any nice top...ugh!! I feel your pain!

[Jackie C.]

Wow, fifty? I have trouble finding one with a 46" band that doesn't assume I have gigantic breasts. Currently wearing a sports bra that's mostly just elastic and spandex for an A/B cup. I'm headed to the gym and realized that this tank fits loosely enough that if I don't wear a bra, there's a good chance that I'm flashing everyone.

 

Hugs!

[Heather Nicole]

Yup, fifty-something! The nightie i mentioned is..I think a 4XL..? Maybe 5? The male puberty fairy hit me pretty hard! (Didn't bother me at the time, I saw it as "rite of passage" and much-desired "growing up", but now I envy the transwomen who started early and avoided it.)

 

I think that size will go down a little bit when I lose the weight I need to, but even before I ever started considering transitioning, I'd already been thinking "Yea, I really should get a good sewing machine and learn how to make alterations and make my own clothes." At least I'm not totally a novice at it, I have sewn before, just not often enough to remember how to do it...and I never could keep a straight line!

 

I heard about a documentary series called "My Giant Life" about a few very large-frame women, probably even bigger than me from the sound of it. I should watch it, hopefully they'll talk about how they deal with clothing.

[Lee H]

I've found a fairly good selection of 44A bras on ebay, and I use bra strap extenders to reach 46. They fit ok, depending on where in Peking the sweat shop was which made them. At least they're cheap, especially compared to the fashion engineering masterpieces from places like Vickie's Secret.

 

I don't know about 50" sources there, but just a cursory search came up with "Silk Ladies Bras 36-50 AA A B C D Lace Sexy Bra Lingerie Underwear Brassiere BH." 8 bucks, but delivery sometime in Nov. via "Express China Shipping" -- a masterpiece of oxymoronic description. 3 hook, black or pink. Sheer, lacy, pretty.

 

Should we start the Fattytrans Wishful Weightloss League?

 

~~Here's a big hug for a big girl, from another one, Lee~~

[KayC]

Hi Girls!  @Jackie C., @Heathick and @Lee H   check out this Amazon link for Glamorise brand full figure A-cup.  It goes up to 58A.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Glamorise-Womens-Perfect-Wireless-3010/dp/B076LVRGDT

I have one (in the pink) and its the best bra I've ever bought, that fits me naturally .. with a nice little "boost up" to boot!

[Heather Nicole]

@Lee H : Thanks so much for the tip! I looked those up, and OMG, its so pretty I immediately ordered one. And then a couple others I found through the suggested links there I have a bad habit of always equating online shopping with Amazon these days, so I never thought to check eBay or anywhere else. And this is the first I've ever heard of bra strap expenders! That's a complete game changer! I'm totally ordering some tonight.

 

22 hours ago, Lee H said:

Should we start the Fattytrans Wishful Weightloss League?

 

~~Here's a big hug for a big girl, from another one, Lee~~

 

Hah ha, yes I think we need that league! And a big hug right back to the big sweetie!

 

@KayC: Wow! All the way up to 58A? Oh geez,  I think I'm going to wind up going from a sparse bra drawer to overflowing in no time, flat! Sorry, checking account!

[Heather Nicole]

Eeeeee!!!! Ok, I just got paid today and I totally splurged, but I'm sooo SUPER excited about it!!!!!!

 

I took all my own measurements (best as I could), and I ordered the bra @KayC linked to (like you, the pink one - it's sooo pretty!!!!), and a rush-order on a custom-tailored dress - I've been wanting to get to wear a dress SOOO BADLY for soo long lately! This will be my first dress ever!! OMG, I'm so excited I cant wait to get to wear a dress!!! My own dress!! Of course, it's a light pink dress, naturally . My favorite colors for the past 20 years have been pink, purple and indigo. Ha ha, generic girly-girl I guess, but I have sooo much catching up to do! I was never a little girl!

 

Hee hee, I'm feeling so totally girly right now and I absolutely LOVE it!!!

 

Oh, and as an experiment, I also just shaved off my Will Riker beard for the first time in...probably over five years? Since I started growing my hair out...a couple years ago?...I realized I've never seen what I look like with both long hair and no facial hair. The results are...umm...weird, a bit... Mainly because I've spent nearly all of my adult life with facial hair (avoiding the "baby-faced-boy" look I was never a fan of on me), but also "weird" because of now seeing all the facial fat deposits that my beard had been hiding. Well, all the more reason for more much-needed weight loss!