Is there a faja that works for a wide rib cage and a big bust?

I have a wide rib cage and a big bust, and for years that combination made me feel boxy in everything. Abs did not fix it, because you cannot train your ribs smaller. What a faja does is change how your waist reads under your clothes, and a built-in bra means one layer instead of two.

Video transcript

Oh my gosh, wait, did I just find my wide rib cage community? Girl, I spent years in the gym doing abs for us to not see them. I'm trying to make my waist look smaller, and especially with my big girls on top, sometimes I just feel so boxy, which is exactly why I started wearing fajas. Because I can't change my bone structure, but I can change how snatched my waist looks under my clothes. Waist training works, y'all. I don't care what anybody says. Look at my before and look at my after. So when I found this faja with the built-in bra from SHAPSHE, I literally cried, because this was made for our body type. My girls actually feel supported, so I don't have to wear a bra with it. And it is so seamless under all of my clothes. And I live in Miami, so everybody's been asking me who's my doctor, but girl, I'm literally just wearing a faja. So for my wide rib cage community, I feel like I just saved our lives with this faja. If you want to feel snatched and not boxy, I'm going to leave a link to this exact SHAPSHE faja, especially now that it's back in stock.

Is there a faja that works for a wide rib cage?

This is the one I wear in the video: the SHAPSHE corset with the bra built in. It closes with a zipper up the front and hooks underneath, so you can adjust it as your body changes through the day. The zipper and hook closure matters for a wide rib cage because you are not pulling anything over your shoulders or squeezing into a tube. You wrap it around yourself and set the tightness where you can breathe.

I cannot change my bone structure, and no garment can. What I can change is the line from my ribs to my waist while I am wearing it. That is the honest version of why I like it.

How do you size a faja with a built-in bra?

I am 5'4 and 130 pounds, and I wear a size small. That is only my number, not a rule for you. Use the brand's size chart and your own measurements, and if you land between two sizes, the listing says to go up to the larger one. Reviewers on the listing say the same thing about sizing: some size down because of the bust area, some size up for comfort, so your bust and your waist might not agree with each other.

If you have a fuller bust, try it on and check that the cups hold you without pulling the straps tight. If the straps are too long for your torso, adjust them before you put it on, not after.

Does it show under clothes?

Mine looks seamless under my leggings and jacket, and I live in Miami, so I get comments asking if I had work done. I did not, it is just a faja. A smooth top layer helps, and a zipper can show through a thin T-shirt, so I wear it under something with a little structure.

How long should you wear it?

Ease into it. Compression garments feel tight at first, and the listing itself says it can feel difficult the first time you put it on. Start with a short stretch, loosen it if sitting hurts, and take it off if anything feels sharp. Some reviewers find it gets itchy or warm after a few hours, so I would not plan on living in it from day one.

Who this is not for

If you want something that permanently changes your waist, this is not it. A faja shapes how you look while it is on, and that is all I am claiming. It is also not for you if you hate compression, if you need a padded bra built in (the bra is not padded), or if you are pregnant or recovering from surgery and have not asked your doctor first. And if you have a very long torso, a few reviewers said it ends higher than they wanted, so check the length.

No brand deal on my part, just the listing I link. I would rather you know the tradeoffs before you buy than find them out in your size.