I heart Maidenform

I have accepted the fact that I am a 36A, and do realize that there are some benefits associated with it (although I have yet to understand what is so great about sleeping on your stomach). I can buy a sports bra without having to worry about what impact level of activity it will be worn for. I can also go without a bra without it being a big deal. However, there are 2 drawbacks to going bra-less: the "headlight" factor, and the lack of underwire. It's not the lack of suport, it's the fact that gravity makes me look even flatter - with an underwire bra on, that bit of lift makes a difference in the silhouette. So, when wearing a top that either has wee skinny straps, or something that is off the shoulder/boatneck, there would be benefits to wearing a strapless bra. However, the companies that manufacture bras seem to believe that anyone who is an "A" cup wants to look like a "B" or even a "C" cup, especially when wearing a strapless bra. So small cup strapless bras have big time padding, often in the form of a "shelf" at the bottom of the cup. Now the padding on it's own isn't a problem, it's the fact that these bras have an outer contour to them. My experience is that the slope of the outer contour of the bra is totally different from the way I am built - so what happens is that once you get above the top of the cup, there is a noticable change in the angle, which makes for a very unnatural look. I stopped by a Maidenform store in an outlet mall a few days ago, and was thrilled to find that they sell strapless bras that have minimal padding, and which have an outer contour that has some basis in nature. Plus they have a super duper no slip band, which means that the underwire can actually hold things up. Even the one that is supposed to be for "Full Figures" works well for me. I bought one of each, but in retrospect, I should have bought a couple more.