To be so emotionally invested in other women’s bras?

[BuffaloCauliflower]

Just that really. (This is lighthearted before I get any ‘haven’t you got any bigger problems’ comments)

I’m just about constantly worried about whether other women are wearing the right size bra. None of them seem to be. In a group I’m in on FB a women was getting annoyed by suggestions she wasn’t a 38D. There was a picture of her whole body, she was a size 8/10 and her boobs were quite clearly bigger than than mine (32FF/G). She just wouldn’t have it despite everyone being quite kind and just wanting to help.

My size 8/10 SIL insists she’s been measured and she’s a 36C. I can see from looking at her that it’s clearly wrong. I asked her how she can be a 36 at size 8/10 and I’m a 32 at 12/14 but she won’t accept she needs to measure differently. Every time bras are mentioned anywhere I feel compelled to leap in with a booborbust link like some crazed bra pixie.

The ridiculous old school add 4 inches or whatever they’re still doing in M&S and Debenhams needs to stop, it’s doing women no favours. How many women must be uncomfortable and bra hating because they’re nowhere near the right size? I feel like there needs to be some mass PR campaign to teach women and the shops that only stock 32A to 44DD how sizes actually work.

@deeplybaffled def wait until you stop breastfeeding. Think comfort is essential just now. Sure they do no underwire while breastfeeding, well early days anyway. Do you have access to the 'bra woman' we do here, measure you for breast feeding bras.

A friend was a member of one of these Facebook bra groups and encouraged me to go up in cup size and down significantly in back size. The cup size thing was an eye opener (Jesus, my boobs are WAY bigger than I thought!) but the back size suggested for me was definitely too small! Restrictive, uncomfortable, a little painful. I lived with it for ages thinking my bras just needed to be broken in, but nope.

I went bra shopping recently and did some trial and error with different sizes...and now have bras that fit much better with a slightly bigger band. I think there’s some merit to these ideas, and a lot of women probably have bigger boobs than they think, but it’s just a starting point for figuring it out yourself and there’s no magic formula!

@HeckinHell absolutely agree, there’s still a human judgment element to it. I also measure differently at different times of my cycle, as I’m sure many/most of us do, so that’s worth being aware of as well.

AIBU? DH is away on a business trip for 7 weeks and plans to take a female colleague to a work related concert tonight?! I’m annoyed. Perhaps it’s just that I’m 2000 miles away, at home, with the kids that it’s bugging me? 😒

Yes, it’s staggering that the vast majority of women wear the wrong size bra. But then, the shops only stock bras up to a DD-E cup typically. So I guess customers pick from what’s available.

There is no comparison on how your bust looks and how is feels wearing the right size bra. I always thought I had saggy boobs, but when I changed from 38DD to 34GG, lo and behold, my boobs have suddenly become perky and now sit high on my chest. My shoulder straps do not fall down any more (was a real problem) any underwires do not dig in into the sides.

The best bit is my bosom isn’t even big, average at best, but it is a GG cup. At size 14 tops I think it’s about right. I would go as far as saying the overwhelming majority of women are above an E cup, unless you are distinctly flat chested.

The right size bra completely changes the outline of the body, the shape, will give you a waist etc So if you are wearing something like 38B or 40A, or 36C it is most likely wrong and is doing you no favours.

It's when people have the back strap up around their shoulder blades that it bothers me. Not that it's any of my business, but it just looks so uncomfortable!

It's ridiculous. M&S measurements are so wrong. For years I was wearing a 36D. Got measured in Ann summers and was measuring as 34F/32G depending style of bra.

Had to go to m&s recently for pregnancy appropriate bras and they measured me as 36 or 38! Absolutely hanging off of me! Had to convince her to get me a 34H. They really should look at changing there method

Back strap all the way up, central part nowhere near your rib cage - you can always see it when a big-boobed celebrity poses in a bikini.
And oh the 4 boobs - I also thought it was simply normal that big boobed women got them, and you had to stuff yourself back into the bra every now and then. Does not happen in correct size, who would have thought.

@KatharinaRosalie ah the central point miles away from the rib cage drives me nuts! The bra does not fit you!

My band size changes by 4" if I take a deep breath.

That's why bras are stretchy.

I don't care much about other people's bras, but what I know is that a professional measurer in a shop measured my small tits and gave me the bra to buy which, it turned out, was too small. It completely flattened them right to the chest. Ever since I never allowed anyone "professional" anywhere near. I try a bra on and then also see how the clothes fit, whether this particular bra gives a good shape. So, being size 8, I buy a 32C bra. ( I do fear that single letter cups will disappear soon and then what the heck would I buy? Everyone is well endowed these days)

So I finally found a tape measure an inputted my measurement into boob or bust. They say I am a 30 F or FF.

I wear a 36A and barely have enough to fill an A cup. The suggestion that I am F or FF is bonkers and I have such a broad back there is no way I could take a breath if I was squashed into a 30!

The suggestion that I am F or FF is bonkers

But a 30F isn't big at all. It's only a couple of inches different to what you're wearing at the moment

I wore 36D for years and I'm actually a 34GG! Which I cannot find anywhere! So I got a 34F instead and it's not too bad.

Also the 34 size from Primark was too small for me. But everywhere else they fit perfect.

Isn't it supposed to be better for your breasts (to avoid sagging and possibly for health reasons) not to wear a bra at all? Or am I misinformed?
Obviously I know some people get backache without bra support.

@Bringbackthestripes a 30F isn’t very big, because of the small back. Honestly go to Bravissimo, try some on, you will likely be amazed. Theyre not exact but if it’s saying 30F there’s no way on earth you’re anywhere near a 36A.

treacle but if I hold an A cup up next to a C cup (always envious of my sister) the difference is massive, an F is even bigger! The actual amount of material difference is quite big but I will double check.

Buffalo There is room to spare in my A cup....but I promise I will grab the size they suggest and smuggle it into the changing room to try.

Raven I also recently read about a study that said subjects that went bra free had less sagging. I never wore a bra before my 20’s and after reading the article I now remove it as soon as I get in....just in case

The study was totally bonkers. It compared women who were able and comfortable to go bra-less with ones who were not. Guess who had smaller boobs and therefore less issues with gravity?

And A cups are not the same. 36A cup is literally using the same underwire and is the same size as 34B, 32C or 30D

Morgan www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xbra+34gg.TRS0&_nkw=bra+34gg&_sacat=0

These threads always confuse me me.

I recently started wearing a bra at the age of 44. I've always been very perky of boob, so never felt the need to, but realised that they were starting to look a little droopy so thought I'd take the plunge.

I've read the bra threads on here and went and got measured at John Lewis and Bravissimo and am a definite 36D, they fit well and look great, but, I'm a size 10, always have been, I wear 27 inch waist jeans and size 10 clothes (that do not strain at the seams). Does that mean I have some kind of preturnateraly large rib cage? Am I a mutant? I have very little subcutaneous fat on my ribs, a couple of mm probably and have broad shoulders and am fairly tall (5' 8").

I feel abnormal!

treacle but if I hold an A cup up next to a C cup (always envious of my sister) the difference is massive, an F is even bigger!

If your sister is wearing a 30C it would be smaller than your 36A. But if she's wearing a 36C it's pretty similar to a 30F

I really need to get a better fitting bra but we don't have any shops near us that stock a decent selection of sizes so I can't just try them in. I have to order online. I'm wearing a 36G at the moment, the cup is a little bit too small and the band is OK, but only on the tightest setting. I know it's not quite right but I don't think it's far off. No idea what to try ordering though, do I go down a band size and up a cup size or does it not work that way? It's a minefield

@Glitterblue try a 34H (a 34GG would be the same volume as what you're wearing so you need to go one up)
If you go down in the back one, then one up in the cup it's the same volume

Thank you Ollivander, I find it all so confusing! I really want my clothes to hang properly and not feel like a sack of potatoes - I totally blame the wrong bra for this issue!