IT is commonly assumed that small-chested women feel that nature's lottery has left them coming up short. The parade of heaving bosoms in Victoria's Secret catalogs not only suggests that bigger is better but also that supersizing with a push-up bra is universally desired.
Wrong, says Ellen Shing, the owner of Lula Lu, a Web site and boutique in San Mateo, Calif., that cater to AAA- to A-cup sizes. She says that while a small number of her customers come in looking for padded bras and tell her, "Make me as big as you can," the majority "don't want to supersize themselves."
Those customers, including ones who are nearly ironing-board flat, "are happy with their bodies," said Ms. Shing, 42, who wears a 36AA. "It's a misconception still that you want to be bigger if you're smaller." She isn't sure if the small-and-loving-it attitude she has noticed is "about pride or more like being O.K. with who they are." But it's fueling her sales.



