latifraise replied to your post â10 Things About Meâ
I would like you to explain to me this thing about the RIGHT size of bra? Does it apply to small breasts as well?
Oh absolutely! While I think the issue has been publicized more in the larger-breast community, I believe itâs an issue for all women. (Under the cut for those who donât care to see TMI)
Disclaimer: while Iâve done a fair amount of reading on the subject Iâm in no way an expert on lingerie or boob science. Iâm also at the larger end of the spectrum so can only speak from personal experience in that regard. That said, stats vary depending on where you look it up - Europe or Stateside - as to the percentage of women that are wearing the wrong size bra. Iâm not going to go into that kind of nitty-gritty detail, but just put forward some more general thoughts.
I think a lot of the mis-sizing happens in the first instance because of a lack of proper measurement - understandable. Iâm one of those women. And itâs also possible that a department store sizing by an assistant has its flaws too. Basically, you end up working on guesswork or âthatâll doâ, and are dependent upon the size offerings available to you even if none of them are quite right. For example, for the longest time as a teen I wore a D because that was all that was available to me, so I assumed Iâd just have to make do and that I must be a D. Thatâs not even getting into band size. Iâll save the availability and lingerie pricing discussion for another day.
I think the next factor that comes in is a misunderstanding of how a bra is supposed to âworkâ and how itâs supposed to fit. The bulk of the support should come from the band and not the straps, for instance, and the band under the cups (whether you have underwiring or not) should sit against your ribcage where your breast meets your chest rather than further down your torso - the breast tissue should sit securely in the cup rather than being strapped down to your chest like youâre smuggling something. Weâve also all heard by now the advice to avoid having a band that rides up or gaping cups (or spillage from the cup) or a center gore that doesnât sit flat against your chest. This is why I personally donât buy into that sister-size crap thatâs prevalent here in the US.
Add to this that different styles will hold your lovelies differently - and that a 36B by one brand isnât necessarily the same as another brand, or style - and it gets more complicated. Then youâve got all this padded versus non-padded, underwired or softcup, molded versus non, crap to worry about and itâs no wonder a lot of women say âEh, thisâll doâ.
But the biggest variable that I think is often missed is the shape and consistency of the breasts themselves. Itâs only recently that youâre starting to see vendors pop up that take this into account. Basically, not every C - or H, or A - is the same, nor does a womanâs breasts necessarily stay the same throughout the month much less year to year. For example, I have severe water retention around menstruation that means my ta-tas become fuller and firmer (not unusual), when theyâre usually fuller at the bottom and flatter higher up - I fluctuate between a G to an H throughout the month, and theyâre rather wide-set besides. What does all that mean for oneâs bra? Plunge styles are comfortable for me but I have to be careful that the cut isnât too low around the center gore otherwise the ta-tas try to make a break for it. This style also lets my ta-tas relax a bit and doesnât change their natural shape or the way they rest too much. Balconette styles tend to work better for me because they gather up all the weight that would otherwise sit lower on my torso and lift it up and forward, but to compensate, sometimes I have to have a half-size or full size bigger in the cup to accommodate everything thatâs being shoved in there. All in all, you need a bra that will hold what you have in the best way for you personally.
This isnât even touching on what you might prefer in terms of how the bra looks, or what kind of style you need for what you want to wear, or your budget, or whether youâre buying from an ethically- and environmentally-responsible company.Â
Considering the health issues that can arise from wearing the wrong size, not to mention just plain olâ discomfort and wanting to look your best with the shape you have, I think itâs important to make sure youâve got the right size, even if it takes a little trial and error.Â
