UGH...BRAS!

Something has been weighing heavily on me lately so I have to talk about it. Sorry to my male readers, but I need to take some time to rant about bras!

Ladies, did you know that EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT of us are in the wrong size bras?! I know you may be thinking that this can't be right. You're possibly remembering the last time you bought a bra you had the store's "bra expert" come in and measure you. Certainly that means that you are in the right size. WRONG! Most stores will have you measured according to a formula they have been taught. They will measure you while you are wearing whatever bra you came in with. (You may be wearing a push-up, a strapless, or a terribly ill-fitting bra but this doesn't matter to them. SOME stores might have you try on a non-padded bra depending on their rules.) They will measure under your boobs where the band sits, over the widest part of your bust, and then, sometimes they add in your overbust measurement. 

We're going to use my measurements for a good example. My ribcage measures in at 37" and my widest part of my bust at 46". I went into a department store wearing a 38DD which did not fit me very well at all and the lady told me I needed a 40DD. I told the lady my 38" band was sliding around so could she please measure me again and she said "You're wearing the wrong style. I will bring you some to try on." Honestly, I was pretty angry at this. I KNOW MY BODY. I know that when I wear a bra that is slipping, squishing my boobs, not sitting flat in the front, or sitting higher in the back than the front the size is wrong. What didn't surprise me at all was that none of the 8 bras she brought me fit. Using a much more accurate calculator that you can find here, my 9" measurement difference would put me in about a 36G. 

Let's take a second to address this new information. Chances are you have been wearing something in the A-DD range your whole life. You may have an idea in your head that DD is huge. Women with DDs are just blessed by the gods and all men want DD women. I can't even begin to tell you how wrong this is. Believe it or not, DDs are pretty common on women who have been measured properly. There is a World beyond A-DD and so many women are scared of this World. It is also very difficult to accept that you have been wearing a bra that is sooo far off from the right size. 

Now there's a possibility the first bra you try on in your right size will be way too big. When this happens you will want to immediately dismiss this entire blog post and go back to your old bra. I beg of you, do not do this. Think about your pants. Do you have jeans that are anywhere from a size 10 to a size 16, or similar differences according to your size? I thought so. How about tops and dresses; is there about a 2-6 size difference there as well? Alright then, what have we learned? American companies suck! There is no universal size guide for these companies so finding the perfect bra will take a lot of work. That being said, the measurement you found earlier (36G) may not be the size you end up with. Maybe you fall in love with a Curvy Kate bra and it turns out you fit ideally into their 36E. FABULOUS! Now you know your size in Curvy Kate but keep in mind that size will be different if you look for another brand, such as panache. 

What is a good fit? You may be surprised to find out that no one ever told you how to get a good fit with a bra. Let's start with how you put on your bra. For comparison, put on the bra normally and look in the mirror. Okay, now bend over at the waist so you are perpendicular with the floor. Go ahead and put on the straps and hook the bra. Now stand up and see how it fits. A little different, right? Bend back over and take your hand and scoop the tissue from the back of your ribcage all the way forward. Rub and press your tissue forward about 5 times on each side and then stand back up. Holy cow! Look at how full and voluptuous those bad boys look! Why does the same exact bra fit so differently? The simple answer is that after years of being put in the wrong size bra, your tissue has started to migrate to your sides and even to your back. Bodies are weird like that. So this is how you look with all that wonderful breast tissue sitting up where it belongs. 

Now let's asses how the rest of the bra is sitting. Start with the straps: are they digging into you? If so, loosen them. The majority of the weight should be held up by the band of the bra, not the straps. Now peek at the way those cups are sitting. Is there gaps in the fabric at the front/top of the cup? If so, try going down a cup size. Is the cup pressing into you or sitting in a way where you are overflowing? If so, consider going up a cup size. If you are fuller on the bottom of your breast there's a chance that you fill out the cup perfectly at the bottom but there's a lot of space up top. You are not in the wrong size bra! What's wrong is the style of the bra. Consider a demi or balconette bra to better flaunt your assets. Now what is that little space in between the cups doing? If it is sort of bowing out, you should consider going up a cup size. You want it to sit flat against your body. The last thing to look at is the band. It should be totally straight from front to back! It may sit higher or lower than you are used to, but this is the proper fit. If it goes up in the back, it is too big of a band. You also need to be on the loosest hook when you buy a new bra. As time goes on, the fabric will stretch and you want to be able to move into all of those tighter hooks for longevity. 

This new bra may feel awful to you. Chances are the band is tighter than you're used to, the straps feel too lose, the band is hitting the top of your high waisted skirt, and the part in between your breasts seems to be too tight. I hate to break it to you, but this feeling will last a little while. Give yourself time to adjust to it. You have been wearing (most likely) a too big band and too small cup for most of your life so everything felt comfortable. I promise though, with time, this will be comfortable. To help move the process along, put on your old bra the same way you always did and then turn to your side. Look at your posture and at how your stomach looks. Now put on your new bra the right way and take a look. Are you standing straighter? Does your stomach look smaller with the girls hoisted up in the right place? And hey, do they look way bigger? Awesome! Keep this in mind while you adjust to how it feels. 

Two other big adjustments you are going to need to make are probably price and convenience. You have probably noted that just about every department store stops selling bras at a DD or DDD. Even worse, stores that do cater above a DDD hardly cater below a 36" or 38" band size. You will either need to go to a lingerie shop or go online. I know it's a hassle, but think about all the benefits! Also, your bras will probably be $30-$65 a piece now. The biggest change here is the idea that you sacrifice quantity for quality. You may have had 20 cute little frilly bras before, but now you have 4 really sexy pieces of lingerie that keep you looking your best. Your old bras probably broke after a few months right? The lace would tear, the straps would snap, or the underwire would give out. A big benefit to buying better bras is the change in quality. These bad boys are made to last! These companies make their bras with you in mind. They know how heavy bigger busts can be and how delicate smaller busts can be. They make bras for you. Enjoy it. 

The very last thing you will need to adjust to is the fact that so many other women have not made this life changing discovery. Remember that 85% of the female population has this issue! It may come up pretty often, depending on your friends, but there will always be an odd reaction if you tell someone your new found bra size. A lot of people will simply tell you that you are wrong and/or laugh at you. I really suggest you try to prepare for a huge wave of ignorance. It's not their fault though, so respond nicely. You can explain to them that you used to wear a 40DD until you realized how poorly it fit you. You have now converted to the beautiful World of proper fitting bras and you never want to turn back. Or you can rip off your shirt and prove it to them. Whatever floats your boat!