Myth: If Your Customer Has a Large Bust, She Needs a Minimizer

Let’s talk honestly, designer to fitter:
How often do you hear a customer with a full bust say, “I just need a minimizer” before she’s even tried something on?

This isn’t just a common request—it’s a deeply ingrained belief. And as someone who’s been designing bras for plus-size women for over 30 years, I can tell you: this is one of the biggest myths we need to keep challenging in the fitting room.

Minimizers Aren’t Always the Solution

At Elila, we understand that minimizers can serve a purpose. However, they’re often misunderstood, especially when viewed as the only option for women with large busts.

Minimizers work by flattening and spreading breast tissue. That might reduce projection in the front, but it can cause other issues:

  • Tissue being pushed outward instead of centered

  • A bust line that sits lower than it should

  • Straps that dig in from overcompensating

  • A silhouette that lacks lift and shape

In short, flattening isn’t the same as fitting.

What Full-Busted Customers Actually Want

They’re not always asking to look smaller. More often, they want their bust to feel supported, their clothes to fit better, and their posture to feel upright. They want to feel balanced, not compressed.

And that’s where real bra design makes the difference.

What I Recommend Instead

When I’m designing bras for Elila, I focus on structure over compression. Here's what we build and what you can look for when helping your customer:

  • Full cup slings for internal lift and support

  • Side support panels to center tissue and shape the silhouette

  • Four-piece cup designs to contour the bust naturally

  • Firm fabrics like simplex and power mesh to hold and shape without bulk or flattening

These features support the body as it is. Not to hide it but to honor it, shape it, and lift it up.

How You Talk About It Matters

The fitting room is where the myth gets rewritten. When a customer asks for a minimizer, try responding with:

  • “Let’s see how you feel in this structured bra first—many women find it gives them a more balanced shape.”

  • “Are you looking for less projection, or are you looking to feel more supported in your clothes?”

  • “Let me show you something that lifts and centers—you might love how it feels and looks.”

Often, once she sees herself in the mirror wearing a bra that truly fits, she stops asking for a minimizer altogether.

Let’s Help Her Feel Supported—Not Shrunk

As fitters, you’re not just selling bras, you’re building confidence, one fitting at a time.

Let’s continue to educate, reframe, and offer solutions that support the whole person—not just the bust.

Thanks for doing this important work. I see you, and I design for you.

Ellen Jacobson