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AIBU?

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Original poster

Boob or bust - surely that's not right??!!

137 replies

HariboLectar · 07/04/2020 19:37

I've not bought bras in a long time, about 20 years ago I was measured in M&S as 34a... I've not massively changed size over the years (no kids) when I do put on weight it goes around my stomach not my boobs.

Decided I would measure myself using boob or bust method and it has me at 30FF Hmm seriously can't see how this can be right? For a start, I can't see how I've lost 4 inches from the band(?) size.

Has anyone else used this method and found their new size to fit well?

OP posts:
trulyconfuseddotcom · 09/04/2020 10:27

I'm going to try this, but have a question for you all: do you not find the bands really tight around your rib cage? I hate feeling constricted by my bra, so the idea of going down a couple of band sizes sounds a bit terrifying! Thanks.

StatisticallyChallenged · 09/04/2020 10:39

It will feel firmer round the ribcage, no denying, but it shouldn't be constricting or painful. Bigger bands can cause pain as the weight is then carried on the shoulders.

And my backfat is worse in a big band as breast tissue slides out. The swoop and scoop move is essential

Mystraightenersarebroken · 09/04/2020 10:45

34B to 30DD here - miraculous! I wish I'd found this out 30 years ago.

Bras never fitted properly and I thought I was just a weird shape.

HelloViroids · 09/04/2020 10:48

@StatisticallyChallenged I did the measuring and also went to Bravissimo and they confirmed I was a 34E, which makes sense as I was a size 14-16 - and when I tried the bras on they felt really great but by halfway through the day they are agony, and as a result I haven’t been wearing them Blush Am now pregnant, need to remeasure and get maternity bras, but don’t want to make the same costly mistake - any advice?! Thank you!

Beldon · 09/04/2020 10:51

As others have said M&S are awful at bra fittings. I always measured 34b when I went in for bra fittings but they never felt right, but the ladies always said it was perfect fit. Eventually went somewhere else and measured 30DD. Felt and looked so much better.

SarahTancredi · 09/04/2020 11:08

I was measured in la senza years and years ago. They put me in a 36b. I wore that size probably for over a decade Blush got measured at john Lewis 4 years or so ago and they put me in a 36d. I was smaller back then so no way I could have been a 36.... seems there measuring was shit too

CMOTDibbler · 09/04/2020 11:18

I was an M&S 34b. I'm actually a 30FF or 32F.

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 11:32

@awkwardbuttons did you actually try them on and swoop and scoop your breast tissue forward into the cups?

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 11:34

@cz123 most of that ‘back fat’ is usually breast tissue squashed backwards due to the cup being much too small and the fit not being right, not from the band being smaller. If you’re properly swooping all the breast tissue forwards that won’t happen.

hibbledobble · 09/04/2020 11:35

I tried boobs or bust, and ordered the size they suggested. It's far, far, too big in terms of cup size. And the band felt uncomfortably tight.

I'm stumped as to what to do now, as I imagine bra shops are all closed. No idea what size I am.

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 11:41

@hibbledobble it’s a starting size, not an exact science. The cup shape will also make a big difference - some women are better with a full cup, others a plunge, for example. So it’s not just the size on its own. Different brands will also fit differently, as with all clothes. You can be different sizes in different brands, and you can get 5 bras that will all fit differently.

Understanding how a bra should fit helps you find what’s right for you. The Boob or Bust Facebook group is a really helpful resource

StatisticallyChallenged · 09/04/2020 11:42

Hibbledibble did you do a very thorough scoop and swoop? When I first put my bra on you'd think it doesn't fit, they always look half empty if i do it standing up.

Firstly, the best way to put it on is to put your arms through the shoulder straps then bend forward and let your breasts drop on to the cup. Fasten at back.

Then take your right hand, put it inside the left cup and reach right back past your armpit and pull forward all soft tissue you can reach in to the cup. Do the same at the other side. Stand up, and repeat to get any missed tissue.

There's also still lots of variance between brands and shapes. Buying bras is like buying jeans for me, try on 20 pairs to find the right one.

StatisticallyChallenged · 09/04/2020 11:45

Helloviroids I'm wondering if you got basically the right size but maybe not the perfect shape for you.

In general when you buy a new bra you want it to fit well on the loosest hook. This is so you can tighten as the bra stretches. During pregnancy is the opposite - buy so it fits on the tightest hook so you have room to expand. It is ok to wear wires in pregnancy so long as you are meticulous about fit - the wire should never be allowed to rest on breast tissue

hibbledobble · 09/04/2020 12:20

statistically probably not thorough enough. I'll give it a go again, but I can't imagine it fitting. It's only a 28 back size, so I haven't got a huge amount of extra to scoop. It's difficult finding something that fits now that shops are closed.

Tigger001 · 09/04/2020 13:47

I wear a 32b normally (padded wonderbra type) and this is saying I should be a 28 F, I really can't see me having an F cup.

Might buy one online just to see.

awkwardbuttons · 09/04/2020 14:26

Yes Buffalo. It wasn't a swoop issue. I could have fitted my whole bloody toddler in the cup. I guess it doesn't work for everyone.

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 15:02

@awkwardbuttons see my post to Hibbledobble above, the same may apply. Might be a brand or cup shape issue. I always measure a cup bigger than what generally fits me though, the shape of your breasts can play a big part. Much like trying on 10 pairs of jeans with the same size in the label, not all will fit

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 15:05

@Tigger001 a 28F is really not very big at all, and much more likely than a 32B.
Also it’s basically the same as what you’re wearing
32B = 34 inches overbust
28F = 34 inches overbust

amicissimma · 09/04/2020 15:42

It doesn't work for everyone.

I wasted a lot of time being told that I was a 30D or 32C according to the Boob or Bust method. The 30" wouldn't begin to meet around my chest, the 32" just about did with a lot of stretching, but was really painful. 34B was OK ish but a bit tight - it left a mark on my skin.

The size that fitted was the 36A, the size I originally thought I was. Snug but comfortable, no riding up, boobs properly supported and contained, and no extra boobs under my arms. I'm not aware of my bra during the day and certainly don't want to take it off as soon as I get in.

Those of you who think that an A cup is flat should have a look in a bra department. It's not huge, granted, but it is distinctly there.

Walkon · 09/04/2020 15:44

I was wearing a 34B now I wear a 32DD and it fits perfectly

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 15:50

@amicissimma sounds like the issue there was too small a cup, not too small a band. If the cup is too small and you’re squashing all your breast tissue down into the hands that’s obviously not going to fit right.

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 15:50

Down into the band*

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 15:54

An A Cup also isn’t a size in itself. A 36A is 37 inches overbust, so is a 30F

Tigger001 · 09/04/2020 15:54

@BuffaloCauliflower I 30" back fits me better, so that where I was planing on moving to. I was measured in store before my DS and they said a 30 DD, so I'm just trying to find my size again.

I was always told a "30" was your back fit and a "B" was your cup size, so if you have a smaller back with a bigger cup size it meant you had a bigger bust?

I will order this size and see what happens.

BuffaloCauliflower · 09/04/2020 16:00

@Tigger001 I explained this in a post above, but yes the number is your measurement around the ribs, the cup is how many inches bigger that the band your overbust measurement is. So a 28D and a 36D for example are not the same D cup on a different sized band, it’s just that your overbust is 4 inches bigger than your underbust