My boobs, my business!

[StrangeThingsAfoot]

I see loads of bra size arguments on here, usually an individual is torn to shreds for stating she either has a 34 band at size 8-10 and is (god forbid it!) comfortable!
How dare she?? Doesn't she know that bra sizing is an SCIENCE that every woman needs to conform to??
Strangers on the internet know far more than you about what band size you ought to wear, and if you claim to be a 34A then you must be fooling yourself.

What the heck is all that about? It's almost militant. Not all bodies are the same. Some women feel better in a slacker band, and there is no perfect standard or science for comfort.
It is up to the individual how they choose to dress their boobs. But 'personal preference' seems to get a lot of people irate for some reason. There's this persistent myth that all women are wearing the wrong bra size, where almost every bra or boob thread gets derailed by.

Why are other women so freakily invested in the band size of other people? If men were demanding our bra choices were all wrong there's be a justifiable uproar. But for me the same applies to women - mind your own business unless the poster has asked for an opinion.

So currently the dogma (and it is fucking dogma) that most women are wearing the wrong bra seems to be acceptable. I have seen images of perfectly lovely silhouettes where the reaction has been extreme - she MUST be wearing the wrong size (God the hOrror!!!) even though she looks fantastic.

Back the hell off!
My body, my bra, my business. If my cup size choice startles you, maybe go for a walk in nature and get the blood pressure back down. Surely IANBU?

Apparently breast tissue is everywhere.

I have some skin near my armpit - breast tissue.
I have knobbly knees - breast tissue.
Back fat? Breast tissue, even if it is hanging in folds at the kidney region.

I think most women are actually wearing the wrong bra size.

There’s a website called booborbust that shows you how to measure correctly.

I was buying 34E for ages, they were too small but I was kidding myself.

After measuring with boob or bust I found I’m actually a 30F and I’ve never been more comfortable!

Can confirm that with a very narrow back and very big boobs, they start very far back. YMMV.

I had to leave the Boob or Bust Facebook group because of the frankly insane way that the admins and devotees on there talk to women about bras and fitting and comfort etc. YADNBU.

Sadly the boob or bus thing proves my point. I find it super weird to have all this conformity about bra sizing.

There is NO evidence anyone is wearing a wrong bra. It is not a science.
It is personal preference unless the woman asks for a change.
If someone else wears a bra that doesn't conform to BorB standards, who cares?

Bust, lol.

If you’ve got small boobs though it doesn’t really matter. When your boobs are big the band size does make a huge difference. I was measured as a 36 C by M and S when younger and wore the wrong size for years including during my first pregnancy. I wish I’d been measured properly earlier- I was actually a 28 F.

Absolutely!

there are so many factors that go into what bra and bra size is best for you.

boob shape, position, level of sway/jiggle, their weight, texture, firmness, even skin texture can play a part ime over which bra will work best. Before you even think about fabric type. A stretchy fabric is more forgiving than foam moulded bras in terms of size.

a silky smooth moulded bra would work great for a woman with little sway, good position and firmness as they wouldn’t slip out.

but someone like me with a lot of jiggle, weight and squishiness those moulded bras do nothing to help and the size I’d need would be significantly larger than my usual bra size from my usual store.

i need a bra fabric with a bit of grip like cotton rather than Lycra, minimal stretch to cut the jiggle and hold them in place, a decently structured underband.

and these considerations are significantly more important than the numbers on the label that differ vastly from store to store because no shops want to figure out a proper standardised system of sizing for bras.

they should all agree, like men’s trousers!, that a 34 inch back should mean your under bust measurement is 34 inches! This would help us all start finding the right underbust as this changes less ime than our cup sizes which can fluctuate week to week

exactly, we are all different. There are no rules, this is the point!

God same. As soon as I've stopped bfing all of my nursing bras are going on a ceremonial bonfire.

It is true that many (most?) women wear the wrong bra size, and that their size will change a lot during their life.

As proven when they finally meet a professional fitter and the difference is blindingly obvious. It is mainly band size too big with a cup too small. The shop lady in M&S and the rest, armed with her tape measure tend to get it completely wrong.

As proven also by the number of women who claim their bra is so "uncomfortable" and they must get rid of it the minute they walk through the door. If it's uncomfortable, there's something not right.

That said, if you are happy with your own bra, why is it anyone's business, and who on earth is commenting on the size of complete strangers on an internet forum 😂. If you want to wear sports bras, or padded ones, with or without underwire, who cares.

Good for you, but it is not a cult.

Ok, I was on the edge, but now you are becoming cleary unreasonable.

Do whatever you want with A/B cups. Be comfortable. From the biological point of view, you are lucky and it is totally your choice. (Society might be saying something different, but sod them).

Don't deny the science.
Breast mass has some volume and weight (and shape). Some women carry a lot of weight on their chest. The weight won't go away - it will be hold by boobs themselves, on shoulders through straps or on torso through the band. If the band is too loose it can't take care of it's part of the weight, simple as that.

Yes, the conversations around it might be a bit too happy to snap/share what they learned.

I know what you mean, OP.
I remember seeing the bra discussion on a different forum, also stating how most women chose the wrong band (too large) and I wondered how it was possible that all these women weren’t noticing that their bra band was too loose? Maybe because it wasn’t too loose really, but just comfortable?
I‘m size 12 and I‘ve been happily wearing bra size 38 B for years now. I can’t imagine a tighter band being particularly comfortable or improving anything.
On the other hand I don’t feel like taking my bra off first thing when I get home because I don’t find it restrictive.

it depends what you mean by "rules". There's the right size, and the wrong size, same with shoes. Now some will swear by stiletto, others by trainers, women can have different favourites in bras too.

Most women wear what they like, they are not wrong.

Honestly it sounds like brainwashing. Shitty little articles/research and someone with something to sell. On those bra threads certain brands must be shitting with excitement as the ££££ roll in.

Who the heck is so invested in my tits that they will fund research to get me into a different bra?

I'm 8.5 stone and wear a 36 bra. I cannot stand a tight band.
I've been measured several times and not had a comfortable fit ever so I don't bother now

No idea what this is about but I wear very very loose bands (and totally wireless cotton bras) for comfort. I don't even need to wear a bra anyway as my boobs don't need support. I swear the males in my family (who aren't fat by any means, and some are fit) have larger moobs than I do. Only reason I wear bras is society's nipple phobia

I have given up on underwired bras. They probably do make me look more sexy in the eyes of some people but I'm embracing comfort and ease these days.

I don't care if my nipples are visible through my clothes either.

Maybe this decision is annoying for men, but if so, fuck the patriarchy.

Breasts are NOT like shoes, at all.

I’ve never had a bra fitting, because it sounds awkward and I just try bras on until they feel comfortable. Do they measure you in your clothes or in your bra?

Also have nipple phobia. Easier to hide in certain patterns though fyi.

I once said that I sew up the back of my bras, then step into them and pull them up over my hips.

The reaction was as if I'd said I was going to shoot everyone in the entire lingerie business.

Utterly bonkers. My bras, my business.

Same as some of the others on here, I'm a tall 8-10 and wear a 36A. Not much boob at all, but all ribs and back! I have no covering on my ribs at either, so that literally is ribcage and skin.

I agree, the obsession that everyone else is wearing the wrong size and only these super niche places with £50 bras measure correctly, its like a weird cult.
People just seem to be happy to be told they've gone down in band size.
It's akin to vanity sizing imo.