Li Lanning's boutique caters to women who aren't satisfied with domestic lingerie brands. Photo: Courtesy of Li Lanning

When Marissa Kennedy told her Chinese friends about her struggle to find a good bra in Beijing, they had a big laugh together. Her friends joked that she should get "smaller boobs."

Two years ago, Kennedy ran out of the bras that she had stocked up on in the US before coming to China. She went shopping at many stores and encountered shop assistants who were very willing to help, but she never found a bra in her size. "They were so very small," said Kennedy.

"The problem is that most of the stores keep large stocks of sizes 32A to 36C, with very limited options," said Li Lanning, managing director of Le Macaron, a local lingerie store that imports luxury European brands.

The size issue is not the only problem for most female expats. Kennedy, who has lived in China for six years, also finds Chinese lingerie to be "too heavily padded" and very stiff compared to the soft fabrics that she's used to, with "too many laces and buttons and crystal decorations."

Li, who grew up in the UK, agrees, pointing out that the stiff bra cups can be very harmful to breast health, causing discomfort and even breast lumps.

She thinks the problems are rooted in the twisted perceptions of female body image here. "The media and advertisements are all about big breasts and showing cleavage - Hollywood-style, you know," Li said. Because Asian women's breasts are comparatively smaller than those of Western women, domestic designs usually use thick pads and high sides to squeeze the breasts up and towards the center, to resemble the movie stars and models.

Based on her experience of buying brassieres all over the world for her store - and her personal collection of 200 luxury bras - Li points out that Americans usually like push-ups, while European women, especially the French, prefer comfort. "That's why we don't import French brands, since they don't sell in China," said Li. 

The global lingerie industry is very segmented, with many foreign brands targeting different breast shapes and sizes. However, China's 3,000 or so domestic brands, including major labels such as Aimer and Ordifen, do not offer highly differentiated products in their aim to appeal to the largest possible market.

"Almost every bra you see in a Chinese store has lace and embroidery, usually in the same patterns, and three-fourths cups with thick pads," Li said.

"Everybody is 34B now!" she said, adding that 90 percent of Chinese women don't know their correct bra size. She observes that because many girls are shy about buying bras - and the sales assistants very pushy - customers usually just take the size recommended to them.

The emphasis placed on matching one's bra and panties is yet another major difference between Chinese and foreign women. To Sherry Miao, 26, who is studying in the UK, wearing non-matching lingerie is no big deal, but Li always advises her customers to wear a matching set, especially on a date night.

Miao has been amazed to find that foreigners are not shy about showing a glimpse of their pretty bras, while most Chinese women, including herself, are not ready for that. "Even when you see them by accident [in China], they are not pretty - probably with yellowish straps," Miao said. 

Kennedy is fine with showing her straps if it's handled in a classy way. Li would agree. "Bras with crystals and silk lace are meant to be displayed," she said.