It boggles my mind how so many women, particularly in South Africa, are so convinced that they “HAVE TO” fit into a B or C cup bra. It’s as if we’ve grown up with an underlying message that if you’re bigger than a C cup, your boobs are freakishly enormous and you are broken. Well, I beg to differ. Squeezing the ladies into a contraption that is too small will undoubtedly cause mental instability and torture and you will end up hating bras in general. It’s time to stop. Please. I’m begging you. If you’re a G cup, that’s wonderful! Why?? Because when you’re wearing the correctly fitting bra, it fits better, you feel better and you look better in your clothes. Yes, it’s true, I know ladies who can confirm that last statement. I’m going to share how to know when your bra is too big or too small and what to look out for to know when it’s just right.
PART 1:
Why on earth do you want 4 boobs?! Here are the indications that your bra is too small for you.
1. You have a 4 boob effect going on, meaning that the breast tissue is spilling over the top of your bra cups. In other words, your boobs fill the cups, plus there’s extra boob spilling over the top of the bra cups with the cup fabric actually digging into your boobs. Ouch. Not a good look.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
The volume of the cup is not sufficient to cover the volume of your breast tissue, you should go up a cup size or 2, depending on how much spillover there is.
2. The underwire digs into your skin, either between your boobs in the centre of your chest or on the sides of your body, making you angry and hateful and wanting to throw your bra off the second you get in the door.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
The cup size is too small for you, there is not enough width in the cup to hold all the breast tissue so it’s digging into you. You should consider going up a cup size, maybe 2.
Pro Tip: the bra cup should stop where your breast tissue ends which is usually on the side of you, in line with your underarm.
3. Your boobs squeeze out underneath the cups, pinching your skin between the bra and your chest , or the bridge in the centre of the bra isn’t against your chest wall. Not great, why are you punishing yourself like this?
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
Again, the cup is too small for the volume of your breast tissue and it’s leaking out the bottom. This usually happens with boobs which are set a tad lower or which have softer tissue. Go for another fitting, either your cup is too small or the band is too big for you.
Pro Tip: The bridge of the bra is the small piece of fabric joining the cups in the centre of the chest. An ideally fitted bra has the bridge sit against your chest wall.
4. You can only ‘just’ hook the bra at the back on the biggest hook. This gives you extra back fat and constricts your lung capacity, making you frustrated and air-headed. If you’re hell-bent on wearing this bra you may have even bought a bra clasp extender to help close the bra.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
The bra is too small for your rib cage. When buying a new bra, the band should fit snugly but comfortably, ie you should be able to breathe when it’s on.
Pro Tip: A brand new bra should fit snugly on the first hook from the edge, not the first hook from the lace/material side. That way, as you wear and wash your bra and the elastic stretches, you have two more rows of hooks to use, prolonging the life of your bra. Ta-dah!
PART 2:
I’ve got big boobs and I cannot lie! Here are the indications that your bra is too big for you.
Just because you have big boobs, doesn’t mean your band size needs to be a 38 or more. Cup size and band size are separate things, please treat them separately!
1. Your bra band rides up at the back. Your boobs are not being supported by this bra and you’re wondering why the universe hates you so much because jumping results in injury.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
Firstly, the universe doesn’t hate you. The band of your bra should sit parallel with the floor, ie straight across at 90º to your spine. If it rides up, the band is too big, consider going down a band size or two.
Pro Tip: If you’re wearing a 38 band and it’s riding up, try going down to a 36 or 34 band size.
Pro Tip No 2: Scroll down to part 3 to understand the link between cup size and band size.
2. Your shoulder straps are digging into your skin, leaving red marks on your shoulders and you hating the universe and wanting to burn stuff.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
Your straps shouldn’t support your boobs, your band should. Your band is too big, go down a size or two in band ie 38,36,34,32 and see the difference. Scroll down to part 3 to understand the link between cup size and band size, you’ll need it!
3. Same story as the small bras in part 1. Your boobs squeeze out underneath the cups, pinching your skin between the bra and your chest. Not great, why are you still punishing yourself like this?
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, HOW DO I FIX IT?
The band and the cup are too big, resulting in your breast tissue falling out from underneath the bra cups.
Pro Tip: The bridge of the bra is the small piece in between the cups in the centre of the chest. An ideally fitted bra has the bridge sit against your chest wall. Yes, even with bigger boobs.
PART 3:
Cup size vs Brand size
Let’s chat about cup size vs band size, then we have a well-deserved glass of Prosecco to celebrate our newly found knowledge.
When you are trying on bras and decide to try a smaller band, stick to this general rule. If your band size is too big, go down 1 band size and keep the cup size the same to see how that feels. If you need to go down 2 or more band sizes, your cup size will need to go up a size (ie get bigger). Confusing, I know. Here’s an example.
Let’s say I think I’m a 36C and now realise, thanks to the amazing information in Jenn’s blog, that the band is too big because it rides up at the back. I can try on a 34C and all should be well. Let’s say the 34C fits nicely in the cups, but is still too big on the band (around the body) because I need to use the ‘tightest’ row of hooks. If I try on a 32C, the band will fit perfectly, but the cups will be too small or tight, so I should rather try on a 32D.
Ideally, your boobs should fit perfectly into the cups with no ‘leakage’. The band should support your breasts and fit snugly around you without constricting your ability to breathe. Finally, if you do a jump test, the ladies shouldn’t fall out of the bra.
Please remember there will always be exceptions to this rule, so if you’re ever at a loss as to what your bra size is or you can’t figure it out, please get in touch so we can help you find #brahappiness.
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