SYNOPSIS: I first created the Big Busts shop in a story in 2002. I was frustrated as a writer that I couldn't find the kind of products which would transform my male characters into realistic-looking women. So, I set out to design my own fictional items which I developed in that and subsequent stories.

But look around the internet now, and you'll find many items which bear more than a passing resemblance to the fictional products in my stories. So I thought it would be both interesting and useful to review the real life items which are similar to Big Busts Products.

Big Busts - The Real Thing? A Review
by Charlotte Dickles

I first created the Big Busts shop in 2002, in a story of the same name posted on Fictionmania, writing as Marianne Nettes. I was frustrated as a writer that I couldn't find the kind of products which would transform my male characters into realistic-looking women. So, I set out to design my own fictional items which I developed in that and subsequent stories.

In real life at that time, falsies would be placed inside a bra or stuck onto the chest. Unless worn with a high neckline, a quite obvious join was exposed between real skin and plastic breast. There were panties with padding to enhance the hips and bum, but neither products gave any resemblance of being a real body part.

But look around the internet now, and you'll find many items which bear more than a passing resemblance to the fictional products in my stories. It would be nice to think that their developers followed my fictional lead, but I have no evidence to suggest that, and in all likelihood, there's absolutely no connection.

Still, I thought it would be both interesting and useful to review the real life items which are similar to Big Busts Products, and I have given prizes for what I consider the best. I must state that, in making these judgements, I have no personal experience or business connection with any of them, and can only comment upon the details obtained from their websites. However, if readers do have personal experience, or know of other products, please PM me or add them as a comment and I'll incorporate them here. I had intended to include pictures from the websites, but there may be copyright issues and it's easy enough for readers to click on the links for themselves.

WEBSITES

I think it's important to state at the outset that the products advertised may appear sophisticated, but that sophistication is not generally borne out by their websites. A website is a company's shop window - the only way by which new customers can judge it. Most have poor navigation, inadequate descriptions, a lack of clear photographs of the actual products in use (for example, showing "with and without" pictures of men from different angles)), lack of any information about the company, such as their legal name and address, and many are out of date. You may be considering buying a product worth hundreds or, often thousands of pounds/dollars/euros, but you get little confidence from most of the websites that the items will meet billed expectations. If you're thinking of laying out that kind of money, I can only say, "Let the buyer beware."

One of the notable exceptions is Hourglass Figure's website which gives me a confidence that few of the other suppliers do. It has company name and addresses, contact telephone numbers, a picture and details of the owner, "with and without" photographs, and user reviews, combined with simple, effective navigation. It's not rocket science - simply the kind of standard I expect of all respectable sites.

UPDATE: Well, I don't know whether Femskin read my comments, but they now have a new and very impressive website at Femskin. Unfortunately, it still does not show before and after photographs of men wearing the products - indeed, because the models are wearing masks, it's impossible to determine whether they are men or women! Castle Supply's website is also of high quality, and has some photographs of their use by customers. It appears the message is getting through.

Now, let's move onto my reviews.

BEST PRODUCT

The first item I review is not particularly similar to any of the Big Bust products in my stories but this product takes an innovative approach to try to make a man "turn into" a woman, in the same way that I have tried to do in fiction.

The device is called the Vee-String Vagina Prosthesis from Castle Supply. It's the basic shape of a G-string, but has the appearance of a vagina. It can even be colour matched to your own skin. There are several versions, giving extra features such as:

• a "Bladder" to allow urination;
• a Sheath which goes up the anus to allow "vaginal" penetration; and
• a "Masturbator" version where the head of the penis protrudes in the same position as the clitoris to allow both urination and "female" masturbation.

There are a lot of user reviews on Castle's website, and almost all rave about the Standard, Bladder and Masturbator versions (particularly the latter), with some users wearing them continuously for days on end. Some have even glued them semi-permanently in place with medical adhesive - remind you of anything? However, not many seem to rave over the Sheath. Anatomically, I suspect having a vagina in the place where your arse normally is looks a little strange. Maybe the idea I use in the Hiplet of having sufficient padding beneath the groin to allow space for a small vagina is still best.

The Masturbator version looks particularly interesting (although from the photographs I've seen, the hood could be a little larger to disguise what is obviously the head of a penis).

The downside of all the products is that, just like a G-string, the item is tied in place with a cord passing around the waist and between the legs, which not only ruins the realism of the product, but can also be uncomfortable, according to some reviews. You can find some suggested modifications to that on the internet. Of course, perhaps the best way of overcoming this would be to mold the device into a flesh-like brief, add a little padding in the buttocks and... Oh! You have a Hiplet!

For its innovative approach and realistic looks, it gets my OVERALL BEST PRIZE.

HIPLETS

For the item most similar to any Big Busts product, I have awarded my BEST HIPLET PRIZE to:

Femskin's Padded Girdle. It's very similar to the Hiplet, enabling (false) vaginal and (real) anal penetration, as well as urination. With this device, the genitals are held upright in front of the stomach, rather than bent between the legs, as is the case with the Hiplet. Clearly, this will be more comfortable than my arrangement, but presumably at the expense of a bulging tummy. It also means urination appears rather unhygienic, with urine having to pass over a U-bend called a pee-trap before exiting downwards. Presumably, it's called a pee trap because urine is trapped in the piping above the penis for however long you're wearing it. Urinary infections beware! The two methods available on the Vee-String appear a far more satisfactory arrangement.

FemPads by Femskin and Silicone Hip Enhancers by Hourglass Figure and In Shape (both in the UK) are similar to each other, and enhance thighs and hips, by means of pads. Whilst not falling within my definition of looking like a real body part, they are flesh coloured and might be disguised beneath a pair of tights. They will give feminine curves in the most important area of all - the hips and thighs.

Inflatable pants by 2nd skin also provide curves in the hips, thighs and bum, but presumably at the expense of not allowing access to the genital area, including not being able to urinate. I suspect that if you inflate them too hard, you may sit down accompanied by the sound of a large fart, as the air is expelled at the knees and waist from inside the pants! They look a bit Mickey Mouse, but may be better in practice.

UPDATE: I have now tried Silicone Hip Enhancers by In Shape, which you can usually see advertised on this website. I bought one pair of each size, on special offer. The smaller size, which they called CurvyPads, gives a slight extra curve to the hips. Fine if you already have a female shape and want to be a little more curvy, but for the normal cross-dressing male, especially one like me with a typical inverted triangle shape, their MegaPads (now called Large) gives 3" increase (ie 1.5" each), but certainly still not one I would label "Mega". In the photograph, you can see a picture of me with/without the megapads (only the face has been changed to protect the guilty).

You do need to experiment with the positioning, so I recommend wearing a control vest long enough to reach the hips, rather than panties, to hold everything in position. That way, you simply pull the vest up at the side to move one of the pads - much easier than trying to pull one side of the pantee up to your waist, or locate the pad through the leg of the pantie.

I usually locate the top of the pad level with my navel, which also has the effect of giving a higher waist. The front of the pad should be pretty well vertical, and try to get the thickest part of the pad over the widest part of the hips - it's fairly obvious as you look down on it.

Finally, these pads only enhance the Hips. FemPads apparently enhance the bum as well, and appear to look a much better shape. However, bear in mind FemPads only add 1 ¼" to the hip - fairly insignificant - so you're going to need at least two pairs on top of each other to get a decent improvement. (All the measurements I give detail the thickness of the pad, not the increase in hip measurement.)

BUSTLETS

There are now several products on the market which are similar to the Bustlet. Currently, limitations in the elasticity achievable in practice means that the fictional close-necked Bustlet cannot be yet matched in reality and, to permit access, they all have either some kind of neck fastening or a wider neck opening.

My BEST BUSTLET PRIZE goes to:

MakupArtist (stet) with their range of Breast Torsos, the Short Female Torso being most similar to the Bustlet, but there are longer torsos, available in a range of breast sizes going up to J-cups (and gi-normous!). They come with a lacing/zip arrangement at the rear of the neck, and for most, beneath the arms as well. I give this one first prize over the next, simply because it has a high neck, which will conceal the Adam's apple and can be hidden beneath the chin.

The Cleavage Range of the UK company ProActive Prosthetics come in cup sizes C, D and E. They appear good, but have a relatively low neckline which needs concealing with a scarf or necklace. The device is slit beneath the arms to allow access.

There are a couple of backless items which obviously cannot be classified as Bustlets, but provide a similar function when dressed: UK company Bountiful Bosoms comes in two sizes and is fastened by bra-type straps at the rear and narrows towards the neck, with a low neckline. Celes Masks Torso comes in three breast sizes and is fastened by a cord around the back of the neck and the rear. The neck can be trimmed to fit below the jaw-line.

BODYSUITS

There are two items in this category; the Femskin appears to be the main bodysuit on the market, but 2nd skin also make them. Neither look particularly impressive, but that may simply be the way they are presented.

MASKS

At last, there are some masks coming onto the market which appear very realistic. Have a look at Realfleshmasks. You can see videos of some of the male characters speaking with some realism. There are currently four female versions, with breast torsos. They're not cheap at around US $600 ($710 with eyebrows) but they do look good.

SUMMARY

There are now several items available on the internet which appear similar to the fictional Big Busts products created by me. They are not cheap and judging from most of the websites, I have low confidence they will perform as sold. This is made worse because there are few independent reviews from users.

USERS, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. PM me if you don't want your identity to appear.

This information has been obtained from the companies' own websites at the time of publication. Corrections or additions to this material are welcome - please either PM me or add a comment.

Charlotte Dickles