Choosing a Bra

According to Choice Magazine in Australia over 70% of women are wearing the wrong size bra.

Why? Do we know what we are doing to ourselves?

A bra that doesn’t fit properly can cause pain in the shoulders, neck and back because of poor posture.

A bra that doesn’t fit properly can cause you to develop irritation and soreness of the breasts as they rub together.

A bra that doesn’t fit properly can make even the best outfit look terrible!!

So why do we do it?

I’ve been there….I actually thought……if I don’t buy the G cup bra then I’m not really a G cup. Denial didn’t get me anywhere except the chiropractor!!

There are hundreds of sites on the internet that will guide you through how to take measurements to find your perfect bra size. If you click on the shopping page, every one of those companies has a guide to help. And yet we all seem to be suffering from denial.

I watched a show that Oprah did not so long ago and she pointed out that a bra size is like a shoe size….once you’ve got it on nobody can see the size!

So…things to keep in mind when finding the right bra fit:

- If your bra band goes across your shoulder blades, it doesn’t fit. The band should be sitting level all the way around.

- When you try on a bra, lift your arms. Check to see if you are popping out the bottom…a sure sign of a bad fit. The same goes for the top of the cup. There is nothing sexy about having a double boob caused by a too small cup!

- Actually come to think…..lift your arms….bend over….jump up and down….stop laughing I’m serious! These are movements that women do every day so consider this a test drive for the new bra and a bit of incidental exercise.

- Underwire was not created to torture women. I know that’s hard to believe. Underwire needs to sit flat against your ribcage and it needs to be flat on your ribs under your arms.

- When I put on weight or lose weight, if the amount causes me to need clothes in a new size then guaranteed that I will need a bra in a new size.

- A new bra should fit comfortably on the loosest hook. Everything stretches with age so if you buy a bra that is already on the tightest hook….you have nowhere to go.

- Remember that all manufacturers are different…so if you are buying online make sure that you read their fitting guide!

- If you need to go up or down a back size make sure that you change the cup size because an F is not necessarily an F. What do I mean? If the back strap size goes down you need to go up a cup size…..if the back strap size goes up you need to go down a cup size.

And finally……

……yes.…it is a good idea to get a professional fitting. But not all bra fitters are professionally trained. Although I’m guessing you already knew that.

Why is this important?? Because you need to remember that it is you that has to wear this bra!

So next time you go shopping , remember these tips and if it doesn’t fit….well….it just doesn’t fit!!