Thread: cleavage or not?

Should a bra be padded up to add cleavage or should it provide coverage and support and cleavage is present only because it occurs naturally? I hope this question makes sense.

depends if you want people watching your chest or your dancing :P

Totally a personal preference thing. The "exploding boobs" look seems very popular among Dina and Randa K, while most of us go for whatever makes us look and feel comfortable and secure. All depends on your build, your costuming style and your comfort zone.

I'm an AA-cup and can't get cleavage even if I pad. So my options are rather limited

The flip side to what RaqOn writes is that some costumes really need a cleavage to look right, at which point people are still gazing at your chest wondering what's wrong ;) So don't choose a style that is going to emphasize what isn't there if you don't want to construct a cleavage.

Some venues want cleavage, as though it's part of the costume. At that point, back to RaqOn's remark.

Originally Posted by maurazebra

The flip side to what RaqOn writes is that some costumes really need a cleavage to look right, at which point people are still gazing at your chest wondering what's wrong ;)

This is exactly why I swore off "Dina" bras

Small boobies really are not the end of the world, costume-wise. A vast stretch of bony sternum in between cups? Definitely not something I'd go out of my way to emphasize

I'd also like to add that if you're looking to de-emphasize too much or too little cleavage, it never hurts to draw the eye downward. High slits and hip cutouts are where it's at ..g.:

I can't avoid cleavage unless I had a costume with a turtleneck. It's there, no matter what.

Its preference I think. To me a bit of cleavage looks great, its sexy and womanly but I dislike the "boobs on a shelf" look or exploding boobs as Satin puts it. I do not find this flattering, but if there padded up a little bit for cleavage and perkiness it looks good. Most of the time I try to downplay my breasts they are D or DD (depending on my weight) and I feel like they would be distracting if I showed a lot of cleavage. So I show some cleavage... or none depending on the costume and situation. I agree w/ Maurazebra that some costumes call for it.

If I were the perfect C cup I would do more to enhance cleavage.

I think cleavage is okay as long as you can't use your boobs as a shelf. To me it's enough when I see that my girls are creating a cleft in between.

I decided I needed more padding after seeing a performance picture that made it seem as though I had no boobs, my b-cup was decently put away into a bra with no push-up effect.

Now I have a c-cup which makes creating cleavage so much easier. I still gaze down in amazement myself every now and then. I had an a-cup until I was 22 and gained a couple of pounds.

Originally Posted by amarasdance

I can't avoid cleavage unless I had a costume with a turtleneck. It's there, no matter what.

LMFAO! L Rose makes a keyhole top with a slight turtleneck, lol.....l;,

I think it's up to individual taste, appropriateness for the audience/venue, flattering and proportional for the dancer as well as makes sense with the costume.
I'm all for Egyptian engineering, just no chin rests, please.

The only time in my life I’ve ever had cleavage is with one of my dance costumes, and I feel a little uncomfortable wearing it because people comment on that fact. (I don’t have it with any of my regular bras or my other costumes, so I think people mean to be complimentary but it just makes me feel awkward.) It doesn’t have any extra padding, but when I made it I sewed the cups very close together and changed the tilt.

Personally, I would feel uncomfortable wearing an overly padded top. A few years ago, I heard someone tell the story about another dancer who was changing after a show. She had on many, many layers and proclaimed, “There’s nothing like making A cups look like Ds!” Since belly dance is supposed to be okay with all body types, I don’t feel the need to change mine. Besides, I can’t recall the last time I danced when there weren’t a bunch of little girls and young women present, and they should know that women can function in society without humongous chests.

With other dancers, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal as long as the costumes fit. When dancers wear tops that are too small, it’s pretty distracting.

Think about how much bending over and head-slinging kind of moves you're going to be doing too. We're doing a rather high-energy number in a show coming up, and the two of us in front are going to be bending over (just slightly) and swishing our hair left/right for a good bit. I'm planning to wear a higher, more cleavage covering top to make sure there's no accidental flopping out!

Originally Posted by Karnak

Personally, I would feel uncomfortable wearing an overly padded top. A few years ago, I heard someone tell the story about another dancer who was changing after a show. She had on many, many layers and proclaimed, “There’s nothing like making A cups look like Ds!” Since belly dance is supposed to be okay with all body types, I don’t feel the need to change mine. Besides, I can’t recall the last time I danced when there weren’t a bunch of little girls and young women present, and they should know that women can function in society without humongous chests.

Yup, exactly.

Overpadding a bra is kind of like using too much self-tanner, or going brassy blonde when you're naturally an ashy brunette. Sometimes, the real deal can be way more authentic and beautiful than an effort to trick biology...

Originally Posted by Darbla

Think about how much bending over and head-slinging kind of moves you're going to be doing too. We're doing a rather high-energy number in a show coming up, and the two of us in front are going to be bending over (just slightly) and swishing our hair left/right for a good bit. I'm planning to wear a higher, more cleavage covering top to make sure there's no accidental flopping out!

Fer shur. For our special costuming, almost nothing worse than an ill-fitting bra! Cleavage or not & how to achieve = IMO a matter of personal preference, costume style, body type.
The "stars" such as Dina sorta make up their own rules... our imitations or admiring tributes run the danger of looking clownish.
But spilling-out boobage, too tight straps with flaps hanging over, too loose cups with gappage, bra too low-hung, etc. show poor fit & sloppy costuming = reflects on overall presentation. I find audiences get too worried about if a costume piece is going to fall off or break loose in those cases, & I want their attention on dancing!

It's also about balancing out the costume. I see so many dancers who are new to cabaret costumes and wear the bra top like a normal bra - sitting low on the the rib cage and giving coverage. It does not look good. You need to lift the bra (which also slows off the lines of the waist) and you need to show some cleavage (within your taste and natural ability). Not everyone is down with boob on a shelf, but I don't think you should wear a cabaret bra if you aren't willing to create some cleavage - it is part of the look, along with the chiffon and the beads and rhinestones.

I do like the look of cleavage and I will use padding to fill cups and get the right look even though I am a D to begin with. What I don't like to to see is any bulging out over the edges, either in front or on the sides. Like what we would call "muffin top" on a skirt. To me this says the bra is too skimpy. On the other hand, bras without enough lift or cups too large, where the breasts appear to be "hanging" into the cups at all or the cups seem to have an extra space in them; this looks equally bad. Cleavage or not, the breasts should appear to be lifted and supported as much as possible - more than what we expect to see in our everyday clothes.
Rosette

I think a dancer's physical proportions should also be considered. I know a lot of pear-shaped women who pad their bras to even out their silhouettes, while somebody who's more like an inverted triangle might downplay their bust and even wear what Anala has referred to as "tranny pads" to add volume to their hips and butt.

I'm well-proportioned, but with small boobs to match my small everything else. So I avoid certain bra styles, all while making sure to show so much leg that nobody even notices what size cup I wear ..g.:

A dancer who has nice cleavage but doesn't like her legs, naturally, would do the opposite.

I really don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer. You do what works for you.

Hi I'm Zaynah and I'm a padder. LOL!

I agree that the amount of cleavage is a personal choice, but I also agree that cabaret costumes look best with a bit of cleavage...or at least not "hiding" any hint of boobage. I've seen some dancers who look so uncomfortable about showing any skin, I've wondered why they don't just switch to a beautiful Beledi dress. You don't HAVE to wear a two piece costume to be feminine and beautiful.

Okay, guys, they're boobs. End of story. In this dance form, they are part of the costume. Look at dancers - not just Dina and Randa - over the ages and you'll see the theme. Now, does this mean that there is anything wrong with having small breasts? No. Not at all. DO you have to pad? No. Do you have to feel obligated to cover up? Not at all. It is, as said above, what you feel comfortable with and what is appropriated for your venue.

I have to be honest, I am much more comfortable with my D - DD bust line now that I have been belly dancing for 9 years than I ever was before. But I have learned to better appreciate the truth of my body.

Oh, and for those who think that the Egyptians don't pad, there is a man here in LA who sells costumes which where owned by some of the current stars in Cairo. Lucy's costumes are heavily padded! At least the ones when wore when she was younger were!

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by Rosette

I do like the look of cleavage and I will use padding to fill cups and get the right look even though I am a D to begin with. What I don't like to to see is any bulging out over the edges, either in front or on the sides. Like what we would call "muffin top" on a skirt. To me this says the bra is too skimpy. On the other hand, bras without enough lift or cups too large, where the breasts appear to be "hanging" into the cups at all or the cups seem to have an extra space in them; this looks equally bad. Cleavage or not, the breasts should appear to be lifted and supported as much as possible - more than what we expect to see in our everyday clothes.
Rosette

I agree. I don't like to see gaps between the actual breast and the cup. But what really bugs me is jiggle. If I have to pad the heck out of something to avoid jiggling then I will. I think jiggle is more distracting then cleavage or chin shelves.

I think it depends. Cleave is unavoidable for me -- I don't have ginormous breasts, they're a smallish D on (what's become) a rather large frame. But they sit close together. If they're supported at all, they come together and form cleavage. (right now I'm wearing a sports bra that's a hair too big for me and still have cleavage. WTH?)

How much cleavage happens for me isn't a question of padding or even fit, it's the construction of the bra. Halter straps or cups that are tilted toward one another or not much space between the cups = insane cleavage.

I don't necessarily seek to avoid it, as I don't find cleavage really offensive. I a hard enough time getting costumes that fit and flatter without yet another criteria. But I don't seek it out either, and I don't pad in order to achieve it.

Tip learned from another dancer backstage at the show the other night: push your nipples toward your armpit. Separates and gives nicer cleavage.

I like a little cleavage, I also like a little leg. I just like costumes to be done tastefully and to be flattering to the dancer wearing them.

I dream of chinrest. You know why? Because if I could be hiked that high I would have acres of torso to play with. I have a short waist and big boobs and if I lift my bosom as high as Randa's, my torso looks much longer and slimmer.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want cleavage, have cleavage. If you have cleavage you have no choice anyway.

I try soooooo hard not to have clevage as a DD/DDD but it's really hard with the skant amount of bras available for this size. I know there is custom order but those do not seem to be in my budget. I say wear what you are comfortable with.

Some of us don't have a choice. :) I agree with everyone who mentioned aiming for flattering the figure you have and making sure you have a good fit while also costuming to show off the dance best. I believe some lift and structure is necessary to show the torso as well as to make it clear this is a *costume*, not an everyday bra.

These conversations tend to remind me of something Dina Lydia, Costume Goddess, said in one of her books. To paraphrase, belly dance costume bras are designed to make a B cup look like a D cup, so we can imagine what they do to a D, DD, or E cup. Different issues for different dancers, as always!

Originally Posted by amarasdance

I can't avoid cleavage unless I had a costume with a turtleneck. It's there, no matter what.

..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,..l;,

Me to!!!

Originally Posted by Michelle75

I try soooooo hard not to have clevage as a DD/DDD but it's really hard with the skant amount of bras available for this size. I know there is custom order but those do not seem to be in my budget. I say wear what you are comfortable with.

email me sometime, you can order on a budget!!!! Go straight to the source. DD and on a budget and get all special order.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Yup, exactly.

Overpadding a bra is kind of like using too much self-tanner, or going brassy blonde when you're naturally an ashy brunette. Sometimes, the real deal can be way more authentic and beautiful than an effort to trick biology...

I'm glad to know I'm not alone!

For the longest time, I used to think that I was unusual for not wanting to pad, pad, pad my costumes. Everything I read online for dance costuming at first seemed to be tricks for padding costumes that are too big. I don't need to feel bad or out of place for being flat, despite what I've been told in popular culture. I'd just rather have a costume that fits well in the first place. If I'm sparkly enough and dance well enough, who is going to care about my proportions?

Yes. Ultimately, I have to get most of my costumes custom made, but that tends to look far more proportionate than wearing a C-cup costume with 12 lbs. of pillow stuffing in it. When you don't have any breast tissue to push up and out, the latter just kind of looks like you're obviously faking something that's not there. Plus, overpadding can make the cup stand out away from your body, which just makes the situation much worse ,r:;

Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it. If not, flaunt something else ..g.: