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?

The point is that the "wrong" back size, and the compensating "wrong" cup size, are what is comfortable to the woman who has chosen then. I find a smaller back size uncomfortable. Yes, then I can hoik the boobs up higher (and yes, they will then have bigger cups to hold them) but why on earth should I? Some women feel more comfortable or think they look better, with more support. Good for them. But the same woman could also wear a bra with a wider back and a smaller cup, and there is no right or wrong choice.

I mean you can choose, you just choose to wear one. It's all a choice.

I have decently sized boobs for my frame, usually if I wear a bra it is purposely to minimise them as I hate looking booby.
I still choose to regularly not wear one though.

Have to add that I wear my bra the entire day too (sometimes even to sleep) so never understood the whole complaint about how bras are so 'uncomfortable'. I hardly can feel that mine's there.

Well it would fit fine if you went up 5 cup sizes. Even if your boobs look like peas in a tent, you have been doing it wrong!

We are all wrong because science.

An article in The Sun (seriously) told women they were all wearing the wrong bra. Women believe it.

I hate those boob or bust measurements- I think I frankly just have weird boobs/ weird ribs. No combination seems perfect but I'm certainly not the BoB measurement it gave me, unless I shave off the flesh surrounding my ribs. Yanbu.

I was once measured wrong by a bravissimo type store lady (it wasnt bravissimo, as it wasnt in the UK, but also catered to big boobs)
They had this "oh we go by look and feel", and coming at me with the whole "youre wearing the wrong size".
And I was adamant that I wasnt. I had measured myself, and got bras that fit and were comfortable.
The lady kept bringing me different sizes to the 34FF I told her I was. Until she brought me 34FFs and was actually surprised they fit perfectly.

I hate the feel of bras and i hate the feel of knickers. I should probably relocate to a naturist resort.

If bras dont feel bad to you, then great. Why suspect others are lying when they say they don't experience the same? It's all a bit sycophantic.

How is it sycophantic?

I also wear a 34 band and am a size 8. Funnily enough I used to be a bra fitter too so I know it’s not technically the ‘right’ size. Like other posters though, I just find 34 comfier! So I don’t particularly care…

@Peacoffee

I'm a 32GG and if I didn't wear a bra, I would need to walk around like a pantomime cat burglar or my breasts would be bouncing around so much I'd be at risk of injury.

No if it doesn't feed good you absolutely must be wearing the wrong size! You can't just not like them, its not right!!
And you must only buy your new obscure size from a small handful of online retailers at £70 each.

Do these women have shares in these bra shops? 😂

This

never understood the whole complaint about how bras are so 'uncomfortable'. I hardly can feel that mine's there.

is sycophantic in tone, insinuates that other women are oversensitive and wrong.. None of us are wrong, that is the point, we wear what the heck we like. It is no one elses business.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2275741/

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/diana-b1919925.html

https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Number-of-women-wearing-incorrect-bra-size-increasing-says-debenhams,689562.html

https://nypost.com/2022/10/20/heres-what-happens-when-you-wear-the-wrong-bra-size/amp/

Dr Alex Clarke of The Royal Free Hospital in North-West London, which routinely offers breast-reduction patients a free bra fitting, said: "Women have the opportunity to be properly fitted by an expert bra fitter when they visit the clinic.
"This may be the first proper fitting they have had. To date, 100 per cent of those fitted have been wearing the wrong size

There are a fair few studies. I mean how many women do you see where the back band is around their top of a vest top, or the straps are falling down or they have double boob?
M&S fitted me as a 40H, I could have wrapped it around me twice and I had three boobs. If I lifted my arms up, my boobs fell out the bottom
It's important mine fit as mine are so heavy

Please don't kill me
But I did wear 32b for years, relatively comfortably, measured the "proper way" at 28e (same overall cup volume) and these do fit much better as in boob coverage - I look silly putting my 32b's back on now as hardly covers my boobs - but I do agree with you, I feel like it just digs in everywhere.

I also get rubbing when the band is too big so I can't win and just wear crop tops now

I do get the logic, that it doesn't make sense to add inches, as you don't do that for any other clothing, and that a "B " isn't static, it depends on the band size (for those who say they can't fit in a smaller band, you're "meant" to increase the cup)- but I've never got it work for me!

I’m a 6-8 and generally wear a 34 band too, 32 is often fucking uncomfortable! I don’t take too much notice of bra sizes as they seem to vary in every shop so I just go with whatever fits best.

In all my time on mumsnet though, I’ve never seen one of these threads and I want to now! What section do they tend to be in?

I've bought in to the Boob or Bust way to measure bra size (must be quite persuadable 😀). I've found it quite helpful to explore why 36b for me was comfortable but not that supportive and how 32d is actually a better fit for me.in terms of feeling supported. Exactly the same cup size, but a tighter band. I get why the change might feel uncomfortable to some people, it takes a little while to get used to it but it works for me. If it doesn't work for you please feel free to wear whatever bra size you look. I would suggest engaging a little more with the rationale for the change before dismissing it though.

It may come as a shock to you but i dont watch, scrutinise or obsess over what other women wear. It's all stirring a pot that sets off the chattering, judgemental masses.

And before anyone tries to link bra sizing to cancer, don't go that low. Just let people do what they want with their boobs.

@Naunet I am a size 12 and wear a 34 band.🤔I don't understand bras tbh.

This is such an odd thread, do you not understand that there is the same volume of boob in a 28D, 30C and 32B bra, the only difference is the size of the band? No ones boobs are magically getting bigger because they are measured to need a tighter band.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

It's a bit of a feminist issue. There seems to be a huge fear of a bra not being 'supportive' enough and the sky falling in because the wearer ends up by with droopy breasts. Comfort seems to score low on the fitter's priorities and I'm very dubious about whether tight wires are healthy, particularly where they dig in. I think boobs serio a bit with age anyway and support is just not an issue for women with smaller breasts

I dont need educating by you, a stranger, online, no.

I am not over invested in other people's mammaries. I am sure many people do not consider a backlash to this type of obsession to be at all 'odd'.

Number of women wearing incorrect bra size increasing, says Debenhams

Bra shop tells women they need to buy new bras! Enlightening.

I’d annoy people as I wear pants 2 sizes bigger than my trousers and skirt size. I look better and feel far more comfortable with no digging in/bulging!

I'm not bothered what other people do - unless they're complaining their bra is uncomfortable and then I would try and help because comfort is important
So when my friend says "why is this sports bra so shit?" And it pulls out 10 inches from her back, yeah I'll say try this or that or go here

It's a compromise for me as personally I need a lot of support but luckily my bra fits and is comfortable so I just hope they never discontinue them