Hi! I have broad shoulders too, and you should be proud of them! They are the key to a classic feminine body shape, the hourglass figure, and a more modern feminine body shape, the "swimmer's body." Lots of actresses famous for their figures have had broad shoulders. Google Cindy Crawford. She was one of the first great supermodels and she STILL looks hot. Joan Crawford singlehandedly started a trend for padded shoulders in the 1930s when women tried to imitate her natural shoulders. OK, so they are both Crawfords. Ursula Andress, Raquel Welch both have shoulders wider than their hips. They appreciate our figures more in some decades than others...
It sounds like your mom might have some body image issues of her own that she is trying to lay on you, or maybe is stuck in an earlier time frame when only being "delicate" was feminine. Don't fall for it. (My mom had body image issues she tried to push on me too, but about my generous bosom, not my shoulders -- I later found out she was teased for being chubby when she was young.) Did she have her formative years when the waif/pixie look was in?
I do lots of upper body weights, both light and heavier. (30-35lb each arm right now for bent over rows, plus repeated 3-5lb hand weights for raises in Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.) When I lost weight my shoulders and upper arms did get smaller as the fat thinned out, but by the time I had reached my goal weight where my belly and hips were concerned, my shoulders were starting to look bony. Doing weights helps with that a lot. They also help add definition and make your upper arms look less flabby. They are also good for developing strong bones in your shoulders and back which are important as you age, to keep you from becoming a bent-over older lady. (Take your calcium now.)
There are different styles of tops and necklines you can choose to set your shoulders off to their best advantage. Maybe someone with better dress sense can chime in... Haltertops and deep V-necks look great, also crewneck T shirts. Boatnecks and round neck openings not so much. I can say from observation that broad-shouldered women look much better in skinny jeans than pear shapes do. The proportions work out much better. And nobody can rock a tight turtleneck like a woman with shoulders. Oh look, here's
Diana Rigg....
Oooh, here's a great one. Tell your mom to buy you THIS next time. In the right size. The
Diana Rigg Turtleneck Dress from the Neiman Marcus catalogue.