One Limassol resident is so happy with her outsize bosom, she’s made breasts her business! ALIX NORMAN finds out why big also equals beautiful
“Once, in a taxi, the driver turned to me and asked ‘How are you so fat?’” says Louise Nahaf. “I’ve had a stranger on the street stop me to say I should eat prunes to shed weight. And a Starbucks barista offered her unsolicited opinion by withholding the sugar shaker!”
But, despite the lifelong criticism, 30-year-old Limassol resident Louise has one of the most positive body images you’ve ever encountered. So positive, in fact, that she’s parlayed her love of her curves into a successful business that provides beautiful bras for the larger-breasted woman.
“In Cyprus, body shaming is rife – a lot of young girls here are tiny, and dieting to remain so,” she suggests. “The local mentality is still very 1990s: heroin chic and that Kate Moss figure!”
Fortunately, it’s not a mentality to which Louise ascribes. “Ask my doctor, and he’ll tell you I’m as healthy on the inside as I am happy on the outside,” she laughs. “But that doesn’t stop the comments – even from family sometimes. Although I was always playing sports as a kid, my parents did take me to a dietician when I was eight. When I was 12, I recall my mum’s friend said I’d never attract a husband because men only like skinny girls. And even my grandmother has often sighed ‘you’re so beautiful but so fat’.
“But inside, I’ve always felt great,” she grins. “I’m so happy with who I am. I may not fit the social construct, but I’m fine with my size 16 figure and 36H boobs! I love my body, and I’m going to use that confidence to empower others; not just larger sized women, but also skinny women with larger chests. Basically anyone with bigger boobs!
“You know that girl who gets boobs before everyone else?” she grins. “That was me! I went straight from a training bra to a D cup. And by the time I was 13 I was filling out an F cup. While my friends were busy popping socks in their bras and wearing cute little spaghetti strap tops, I basically spent my entire teenage years trying to stuff my boobs back into an over-the-shoulder boulder holder! And that’s the problem I set out to solve with Apricot.”
Launched in 2022, Apricot is Louise’s bid to bring the feel-good factor to women with larger breasts. “Our motto is that you should feel as good as you look. There are some gorgeous bras for the larger bosom: bras that are as sexy, as detailed, as lovely as anything you’d find in a B cup,” she adds. “They’re just not in Cyprus…”
As a teenager, Louise recalls her friends wearing bras in lace and silk and satin, in baby blue and hot pink and purple. “Meanwhile, I was relegated to a choice of black, beige or white bras that looked like something you’d find on a construction site! And it hasn’t changed much over the years,” she continues. “It’s like the local lingerie importers haven’t clocked the fact that women with larger breasts also want beautiful bras: just because our bosom isn’t a B or C cup doesn’t mean we shouldn’t feel comfortable and sexy.”
In the past, 34B was the norm. Now, the average is 36DD – the difference between a small orange and a good size melon! Meanwhile, the average dress size across much of the western world is now a size 16 – up from 12 in the 1960s.
“Globally, the plus-size market generates $150 billion a year, and lingerie is the fastest-growing segment of this clothing sector,” Louise reveals. “In Cyprus however, it’s yet to even fully make a debut. There’s the odd store that caters to those with an ample bosom, but it’s unusual to find a pretty bra in anything above a D cup. And that,” she explains, “is why I started my business….”
As Apricot, Louise sources the most beautiful, sexy and comfortable D to double-J cup bras the lingerie industry has to offer. “Bras are a necessity, not a luxury – especially when your breasts are on the larger side,” she says with a wisdom born of experience. “But that doesn’t mean you should be forced to wear something beige, boned and boring. And a beautiful bra can make all the difference for those who lack body confidence.”
Louise sources bras from international brands such as Curvy Kate, Gorsenia, and Cosabella, catering to an ever-growing number of clients with her online and in-person service. “It’s staggering how often women creep into my studio apologising for their size and assuring me I won’t have anything that fits them,” she laments. “Body shaming has a lot to answer for, especially on this island.
“But I’ve seen time and again the impact a beautiful, well-fitting bra can have on a woman’s confidence. I have mothers bringing their daughters; friends bringing their friends. I’ve helped women with mastectomies who can’t wear anything with wires, and women who need something beautiful but discreet to wear under their work shirts. Once, I had a young woman who was so shocked to find nice bras in her size that she promptly bought the entire lot!
“Those who don’t have outsize boobs may find it difficult to understand the difference this makes. But I have hundreds of clients – lawyers, musicians, doctors, teachers – all of whom can attest to the surety a perfectly fitted, pretty bra provides.
“It gives you permission to feel good about yourself, to break free of the box the body shamers have tried to put you in. In fact,” Louise concludes, “that’s exactly why I model the bras on my website myself! I wanted women to see that you can be larger, you can have big boobs, and you can love your body. And if I can spread a bit of this confidence across Cyprus, my job is done…”
For more information, visit https://apricot.com.cy/