beauty & the bra

i recently moved and we all know what comes along with resting in a new home….unpacking!  after reorganizing my bra collection, i thought about how not many ladies are wearing their correct bra size.  i love my intimate apparel, but before i went to deep too soon, i figured let’s explore this topic first.  it’s a little lengthy, but please know you will get some valuable information from it.  a lot of times most fall in the bucket of shame due to the size of their breast.  as women, we should wear our breast as a badge of honor.  there are so many functions that our breasts juggle.  whenever we are not using them to nurse a baby or using them during intimate moments, they are to be proudly displayed resting inside a comfortable location.  did you know that wearing the wrong size can damage your back and posture, it can change the shape of your breasts, not to mention make you look bigger than you really are-not just in your bust area either!

i once read somewhere that 80% of women are wearing the incorrect bra size, and it’s not even necessarily their fault. DD+ sizes just are not talked about in the media. they are largely ignored, and sometimes considered ridiculously ‘big’ sizes because they haven’t been openly discussed. people are not quite aware of how common these sizes really are. put the shame away and run to get an accurate measurement!  also, it doesn’t matter what your actual size is, being large or small, many woman are still wearing the wrong size.

i used to work for victoria’s secret and that is where i “discovered” the wonderful world of women wearing the wrong sized bra.  geesh..  so, i thought i’d give a few guidelines on how a correctly fitting bra should look and what to avoid.

the “should’s”……what to look for

you should understand that tape measures are unreliable. however, if you have no clue where or how to start, you can use it to measure your under-bust.  for example, you measure 31″ underbust; that gives a pretty good indication that you should try both a 30 band and a 32 band, and see which one fits you the best. It is important to note that both band size and cup size can vary depending on which brand you wear. to finding the right cup size, try a few around what you already wear, and you may discover that some seem far more comfortable than others.

you should start-off using the loosest hook. bras loosen with wear and age, so you need those other two sets of hooks to be able to tighten it up over time. if not, within a few months your bra will become useless and unsupportive.You should comfortably be able to fit two fingers underneath the band; any looser and it will be too big, any tighter and it will be too small.

you should stand side-on, the band should run horizontally around your chest, and not ride up at the back. the band is70%- 80% of the support for your breasts, this means the straps should not be tight on your shoulders.

the centre gore (which is the join piece in the middle of your bra), should lie flat against your chest, and not pull away from it at any point. If it does pull away, then you need a bigger cup size. the cups should fully encase your breasts, and there should be NO overspill on top, (the four boob effect), or round the sides “side boobs”.

one should make sure the bra fits your biggest breast, not the smallest.

you should go to either intimacy or victoria’s secret to have a true bra fitting.

the “if’s”……. what to avoid

if your back band is riding up all the time  this means you need a smaller band size, and you current one is not supportive enough.

if the band feels tight instead, and is causing you pain – this means you need to try a bigger band size.

if the centre gore pulls away from your chest, then you will need to go up a cup size so it lies flat.

if the centre gore pulling away you will need to get a  bigger cup size. the same goes for breast over spill on the top (or underneath) of the bra.

if breast tissue spills out of the sides of your bra – this again means your cup size is too small. you may find you have excess material in the cups – this means you need a smaller cup size.

if when you put a bra on, you should be able to arrange your breasts inside them so they are properly encased. you will be able to tell if it is the right size.the most common mistake is wearing a band size too big, and a cup size too small.

if you have just discovered you are wearing the incorrect band size, and you need to downsize, remember that you must increase your cup size too. here is another example….. if you have been wearing a 34DD that’s too big in the band, you would be a 32E or a 30F. even then, if your original 34DD was small in the cup, you may still need to go up a few more cup sizes, and vice versa.  take me, I am a regular 34C, but if my size isn’t available, I can move up to a 32D; it fits me perfectly!

ladies, i hope that you enjoyed this post.  please leave feedback and your experiences. also, check out the “r beauty block” page on tips to caring for your bras!

~robin~