How to choose the right bra?
Estimates are that about 80 per cent of women wear the wrong size bra. Not only can it spoil your looks, it’s also not healthy for your back and your breasts. Especially if the breasts are in a bra that is too tight.
The right cup and band size
- Get your band size measured or measure it yourself. Measure the size with a tape measure, just under your breasts, and around the back. Make sure the tape measure rests flat on the skin. It also has to go straight across your back.
- To measure the cup size the measuring tape goes on top of the fullest part of your breasts. Again, the tape measure must be straight across your back. Once you have the back strap and cup measurements you can use the difference between them to get a rough idea of your cup size.
- The band size (or chest size) is the number part of your bra size. The cup size is the letter part. For example: if you are in a 38 B, then 38 is the band and B is the cup.
- Not all fittings will tell you the right size, but it gives you a good place to start at.
Tips
- Having the straps in a position that's too short will pull the back band up and expose the bottom of your breasts. It will not lift them higher. This can cause shoulder discomfort and overstretch your bra.
- Look for a bra that is your size and fit the goal you buy them for: push-up, sports…
- Always try the bra so you can be sure it actually fits. Let that be the determining factor.
- Is the band too large/loose, you need to go down in band size.
- Try on different styles and sizes of bras. Every style fits and feels different and shapes your breast differently.
Your tips?
Comments
A size depends not only on the actual circumference difference between the fullest part of the breasts and the section just under them, but also (and perhaps most importantly) on the *shape* of your breasts!
According to the article here, I should be wearing 36 A when in reality such a bra is way too small for me! The cup of the bra must cover the whole breast so that it does not press against any breast tissue (causing discomfort and in the long run possibly causing more than just pain). After a proper fitting a few years ago, I discovered that the reason I was always uncomfortable with all of the bras I'd been buying (according to the principle outlined above) was simply that they were the wrong size. I am, in fact, a 36 C.
It's not just a simple formula that is based on circumference and maths, it's about the shape of the breasts! Different bra manufacturers make their bras to different "standard" breast shapes, which explain why a C cup with one brand isn't the same as a C cup with another!
It says: Not all fittings and measurements will give you the right size: it is a start! Always try it on!
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