A correctly fitting bra provides long-lasting comfort, but all too often women are wearing the wrong sized bra. If you’d like to know how you can find the right size bra, read on!
Suffering from discomfort, having straps constantly digging into you or having no support where you need it sounds mad, but many women continually wear the wrong bra and have just these sorts of problems.
Feeling embarrassed about having your bra size measured by a professional bra fitter, or just sticking with the bra size you’ve had for years without considering it may have changed, are two of the common reasons why women carry on wearing the wrong size.
Your bra size can change considerably during life, influenced by changes such as age, pregnancy, losing weight or putting on weight.
Getting measured at regular intervals to ensure you’re wearing the right size is highly recommended and will ensure you’ve always got access to proper fitting and comfortable bras.
Although it is possible to measure your own bra size, it’s much better to go and make use of one of the many free bra measuring services on offer in high street stores.
Not only will you gain the expertise of an expert, but it’s often easier and more accurate to have the measurements taken by someone else. What’s more, they’ll be able to advise about any particular issues you have.
It’s also important to keep in mind that, like clothing sizes, different manufacturers use slightly different measurements.
So where you’ll be a perfect fit for a 36DD in one bra make, you may need a 36D in another.
If you’re using a bra measuring service, they’ll be able to tell you of any instances like this with manufacturers, to save you the hassle of not being able to find a comfortable fit.
The correct bra size is gained by taking two measurements:
- The underbust or back measurement, where the ribcage underneath your bust is measured.
- The overbust or cup measurement, where the fullest part of your bust is measured.
When these two measurements are obtained, a bra fitter can then look at a chart and convert the measurements into your bra size and cup size.
Although you can get charts to do this yourself, the information offered by different companies can vary considerably, and you may still end up with the wrong size.
Signs You’re Wearing the Wrong Bra Size
If you’re not sure if your current bra size is correct, there are a number of signs you can look out for that will indicate that it’s wrong. These include:
The shoulder straps digging in to your skin. Although it’s possible that the shoulder straps are digging in because you’ve got them too tight, it’s also a sign that your bra is the wrong size.
Riding up at the back. If the band at the back of your bra is riding up your back, then this means the band is too big for you. In a correctly fitting bra, the band will fit firmly against your body and won’t ride up.
The centre front of the bra is raised away from the body. If the centre front part of the bra isn’t lying flat against your body, this is a sign that it doesn’t fit. It could be that the bra cup size is too small for you, which is causing the centre to be lifted away from your body.
The front band is pulling down. If the band at the lower front part of the bra is being pulled down, then this is a sign that your bra isn’t fitting properly. The front band should like just under the breast.
The bra cups are baggy and loose fitting. If the cups on the bra seem to be a bit baggy and loose, then this means you may be in the wrong size and could do with going doing a cup size or trying a different style of bra. In a perfectly fitting bra, the cups will fit snugly against your body.
The side of the cups are digging in. If the sides of the bra cups are digging into your flesh, either on the breasts or under the arms, then it’s a wrong fit. This is generally a sign that you’re wearing the wrong cup size and need a larger size.
Your breasts are bulging out over the top of the cups. If the bra doesn’t seem to be able to hold all your breasts, so they’re bulging out over the top of the cups, then this is incorrectly fitting. It’s a sign that the cups are too small and you need a bigger size.
Once you’ve got any of these problems fixed and are wearing the correct size of bra, you won’t want to go back!
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