Dear Jellybean,
I know you get these kind of questions a lot...but here it goes anyways. I'm 16 years old, and my boobs are really small...I wear a 32A! I've read that underweight girls tend to have small breasts. I'm petite, so is this the reason my boobs are so small? It can't be genetic, both my dad and mom's side have "normal" sized breasts. I always thought they'd grow bigger, but they haven't. Do I have a hormonal disorder? I just want to learn to love my body, or in this case, my boobs. But how can I when they're so small? Please help.
-Too Small
Dear Too Small,
Only a doctor can tell you if you have a hormonal disorder. What I can tell you is, smaller girls tend to have smaller breasts. Breast size is determined by a number of factors, and one of those is having a healthy weight. If you are very skinny, your breasts will probably be small, because breast tissue is made up of fat. Some girls find that when they put on weight, so do their breasts.
Another factor that plays a huge role, as you say, is genetics. That is, you are likely to have a similar breast size to the women on your mom's side of the family. So if your mom has fairly "normal" sized breasts, that might be your destiny too. You could ask your mom how old she was when her breasts started developing, because it is usually about the same for mothers and daughters. Even though you are 16 years old, you still have time to develop. Many girls don't really see a change in their chest size until they are in their late teens, and some even continue to grow in college.
Try not to worry too much about this. Big breasts are not everything, and you can waste a lot of time focusing on them. They are only one part of your body, and nobody else cares about them that much. You are not just a collection of parts - breasts, butt, etc. - you are a whole person. Believe in your beauty and let others see your confidence. That will make you seem beautiful to others.
If you're really stressing, by all means go and see your family doctor. It can't hurt, and it might help you to find out if there is any reason - besides just your petite frame - that your chest size is on the small side.
