'I went to a brunch for big boob gals: here's what I learnt from it'
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a complicated relationship with my body — particularly my chest. Let’s not sugarcoat it: I have huge boobs. I’m talking 36HHs, which is a lot to carry around. I vaguely recall being flat-chested my first year of high school, only to return in Year 8 with C-cups. That change did not go unnoticed. The boys made sure to comment, and from that day on, my chest seemed to take on a life of its own. Sixteen years later, I’ve been through it all — unwanted male attention, ill-fitting clothes, chronic back pain. Learning to love something that causes physical discomfort is no easy feat, but I can’t deny the occasional satisfaction of a fire bikini pic.
Of course, it’s hard not to roll my eyes when my smaller-chested friends confess their jealousy of the extra weight I’m lugging around. We all want what we don’t have, I guess. Personally, I’d love to be able to run up a flight of stairs without having to hold onto my chest like I’m cradling a newborn. I’ve toyed with the idea of a breast reduction a few times, and even had a couple consultations, but ultimately I decided I just needed to learn to love them.
Enter Jackie Adedeji: a broadcaster turned big-boob-community icon. Jackie is a force to be reckoned with in the media world, having fronted several Channel 4 documentaries, including one aptly named My Big Boobs. But she’s also the founder of the Big Bosom Brunch — a gathering for women who share the same “blessed” predicament, and which has been described as “Glasto – but for women with Big Boobs”. The moment I stumbled upon her event, I knew I had to attend. From what I’d seen online, this wasn’t just your average brunch; it was a sisterhood centred on body positivity and acceptance. So, I signed myself up for their fourth event, held one Saturday in mid-September at AllBright in Mayfair, a classy female-only member’s club.
I arrived feeling unsure – and worried I was both over- and underdressed, depending on how you look at it. I’d chosen a low-cut dress to showcase my cleavage, but when I walked in, I was met by fifty women in everything from everyday clothes to lingerie. And it was incredible. Some were in jeans with a lacy bra, while others went all out with sheer bodysuits, suspenders, and heels. The room was buzzing with confidence, and it hit me like a wave: these women were owning it.
What truly struck me, though, was the overwhelming sense of community. Within moments of arriving, I was greeted by Katie, or @missdaintykatie on Instagram. This 40-something mum had travelled from Yorkshire to be there, rocking a chic bra and jeans combo. She told me she creates content for larger-busted women and had finally found her tribe in the big boob community. She was here to meet her online friends in person and hopefully make some new ones.
As we tucked into smashed avo and poached eggs, we were joined by Canadian model Saterra St. Jean, aka @fullerbustbestie. She gushed about how life-changing the event and Jackie’s work has been for her. A few years ago, she was embarrassed by her chest and had been wearing a sports bra over her usual one. Like so many of us, she was terrified of bra fittings, assuming they’d involve stripping down and being measured. But one glance from an expert fitter during a trip to the UK changed everything. Her confidence soared, and now she’s the proud founder of her own lingerie brand, Monsera.
It turns out a staggering 81% of women are wearing the wrong bra size – and I quickly learnt at the brunch that I was one of them. While there, lingerie educator Katie Weir offered professional fittings, and when I shyly admitted I thought I was a 40G, she smiled knowingly. “We all know the women here have big boobs,” she said, “but they don’t always know their bra size.” A quick fitting later, and I found out I was actually a 36HH. That knowledge, along with a correctly fitted bra, was a game-changer.
The four-hour brunch was more than just good food and bottomless prosecco. There were breast-related games (such as a ‘higher or lower’ guessing game for boob sizes or sucking drinks out of a boob bra), dance sessions, boob tape demos, and even sex toy giveaways. It was a full celebration of womanhood, sexuality, and the power of feeling comfortable in your own skin.
I asked Jackie where she got the idea for the brunch, and she told me: “I had the idea back in August 2023. As soon after my Channel 4 Documentary aired, so many women DM-ed me. I instantly thought ‘I need to meet you all, DMs don't cut it! It's time for us to meet our tribe’. So I did it!”
By now, over 300 women have attended Jackie’s brunches – and that’s in London alone. At the one I attended, there were ladies who had travelled from all over. I met multiple from across Wales, a few from Manchester, Yorkshire, another gal from Fife in Scotland, and even one who’d come all the way from France. Women are clearly willing to travel (and travel *far* at that!) for the sake of finding this community, so Jackie has plans to expand. She’s heading up North first, to Manchester, but wants to take it global. In her words: “I have been asked to bring it to South Africa, Australia and Nigeria – and so that's all in the plan. Taking over the world, one nip at a time!”
Attending the Big Bosom Brunch left me with more than just a new bra size. It gave me a renewed sense of self-acceptance. Seeing women of all shapes and sizes celebrating their bodies, their busts, and their sexuality made me realise how much energy I'd wasted trying to conform to an impossible ideal.
For years, I’d often seen my chest as something to be hidden or battled against, but in that room, surrounded by other women who knew the struggles and the joys of being ‘chestly gifted’, I felt a sense of belonging I'd never experienced before. Being able to take off my jacket – which I had zipped to the top on the tube for fear of being harassed – and walk around freely, chatting with zero fear of someone staring at, or making comments about my chest, was incredibly liberating.
I walked in looking for solutions to my back pain and bra struggles, hoping I might make a friend or two along the way, but I left with something far more valuable: a new-found appreciation for my body, just as it is.
Find out more about the next Big Bosom Brunch here
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