Bottle and Bag Breasts: Narrow on Top, Full at the Base

Q: What does the folklore say about women with bottle and bag breasts?

What the folklore says. The Russian breast-shape lists that have circulated online since at least 2007, and that this chart is drawn from, give every shape a character. Here is what they say about this one, with the unkind parts left out. The bottle woman lets reason lead her feelings. She is organised, fair and hardworking, relies on herself, and will move mountains if she believes it is her duty. The bag woman, a separate entry in the lists, chooses her partner herself rather than being chosen, and shows her real depth only to that one person. Much of what the lists say about both is unkind, and we have left it out. What is left describes a capable, self-possessed woman, which could be said of almost anyone.

Bottle and bag breasts start narrow where they meet the upper chest and become fuller and rounder towards the base, like the shoulder and body of a bottle or a soft bag holding its contents at the bottom. They tend to be longer than they are wide, to sit lower on the chest, and to sit close together. It is one of the most common shapes in adult life, at every size.

What do bottle and bag breasts look like?

From the front, the upper chest above the breasts is relatively flat, and the breasts themselves become visible lower down than with many other shapes. Each one is narrow at the top and rounded and full at the bottom. Side-on, the fullness is almost entirely below the nipple, and the nipple usually points forward or slightly down.

The chart's two names describe the same thing at two scales: a slimmer version like a bottle, and a fuller, softer version like a bag.

How do I know if I have bottle or bag breasts?

Look side-on in a mirror. A flat upper slope, a long length and a full, rounded base that sits low on the chest point here. Pears are the closest neighbour, with a teardrop profile that sits a little higher, and mangoes and watermelons are the longer, heavier, tapering relative. Many women move between these three over a lifetime, and the two sides often differ; see One Breast Is Bigger Than the Other: The Honest Answer.

Is it normal for breasts to sit lower on the chest?

Yes. Where a breast sits is shaped by its size and weight, by skin and connective tissue, and by everything a body has done. Two studies by the same plastic surgery team looked at which factors went along with breasts sitting lower, which surgeons call ptosis. They found that age, body mass index, the number of pregnancies, pre-pregnancy bra size and smoking were each associated with it, and in the second study significant weight loss too. Breastfeeding was not, in either. Neither was a lack of upper-body exercise. Both studies looked at women who had come for a surgical consultation, not at women in general.

That list is mostly a description of a life: years, children, body changes. None of it is a failing, and a lower-sitting breast is not a problem that needs fixing.

Which bras suit bottle and bag breasts?

Two things do almost all the work: a cup that lifts from underneath, and a band firm enough to carry the weight.

Seamed full cups, especially three-part cups with a vertical seam, are built to cradle the base and lift it forward. For fuller bottles and bags they are the most comfortable choice by a distance.

A firm band carries most of the support. If the band rides up at the back, the straps end up doing the lifting and your shoulders pay for it. The band should sit level and snug.

Longline bras, with a deeper band, spread the load and feel supportive without extra tightness.

Balconettes suit the lower fullness if the wire is wide enough for your base.

Shallow moulded cups may leave a gap at the top, because the fullness they are shaped for sits lower on you. A deeper cup or a stretch lace upper edge fixes it.

Wide, padded straps help comfort on fuller sizes, though they should not be carrying the weight.

Sports bras: encapsulation plus compression, with a firm band and adjustable straps.

For the cuts, see Every Bra Type Explained. For the numbers, the bra size calculator and the fitting guide.

What does the folklore say about women with bottle and bag breasts?

What the folklore says. The Russian breast-shape lists that have circulated online since at least 2007, and that this chart is drawn from, give every shape a character. Here is what they say about this one, with the unkind parts left out.

The bottle woman lets reason lead her feelings. She is organised, fair and hardworking, relies on herself, and will move mountains if she believes it is her duty. The bag woman, a separate entry in the lists, chooses her partner herself rather than being chosen, and shows her real depth only to that one person.

Much of what the lists say about both is unkind, and we have left it out. What is left describes a capable, self-possessed woman, which could be said of almost anyone.

Is any of that true?

No. None of it comes from a study, and no study we could find has ever tested whether breast shape and character are connected. The lists name authorities that do not hold up. The "Italian sexologist" is a real author of popular books on the history of erotica, not shown to be a sexologist, and the system credited to him changes from one outlet to the next. The "Japanese doctor" cannot be found at all. The "eighteenth-century Spanish" origin has no source behind it. Where the lists disagree, and they often do, they disagree completely. Read the box above the way you would read a horoscope: for fun, and about nobody in particular.

The short version

Narrow on top, full and rounded at the base, sitting lower and close together. Seamed full cups, a firm band and a longline all help. Sitting lower is a description of a life, not a defect.

Sources

Read as abstracts on PubMed.

Rinker et al. 2008, The effect of breastfeeding on breast aesthetics - factors associated with breasts sitting lower after pregnancy.
Rinker et al. 2010, Breast ptosis: causes and cure - the same question in a larger group.