Does anyone else now wince after reading the bra threads on here...

[showtunesgirl]

...when encountering people who go: Oh I'm a 34A when they really are most probably not?

I am finding it hard to convince people out of believing their M & S sizes and refer them to the bra gurus fitting guide. But it's so deeply ingrained into common thinking that anything over a D is massive and that they MUST be a 34/36 frame even when they are blatantly smaller than me and I measure as a 32!

My flabber is ghasted. I'll try a 32DD bra on as soon as I can, and report back! Thank you

My flabber got ghasted with PeppaFuckingPig

I'm a petite, not so flat chested size 8!!!

I am 32" under and 38" over - could some kind person tell me what size that is please?

dexter73 try a 32E and sizes around that (e.g. 32F, 32FF)

dexter73, try a 32E to start

I'm fitted properly but wince every time I go into M&S and realise they still don't have anything with a less than 32" back. Even there you only get up to a b cup. Completely rubbish.

Cheers! Will have a try on soon!

The back size thing irritates the hell out of me. I was looking at some strapless bras (not nursing) and the smallest back for an F cup was a 34.

Manufacturers just don't seem to have grasped the concept of real women.

42DD does me right every time. But according to DH, I'm "talented"

I love watching these bra threads unfold...
The scooping is so important ladies. Grab those norks and all of the backfat and scoop round into the cups Details on the Bra Guru website.
With regular scooping over the last few months I've retrained my nork tissue into its rightful place and have gone from 34D to DD and my last one was an E!

I must admit to being an mn heretic on this topic - I just don't believe that basically all mners are a 34 inch back or less. And who on earth has back fat that you can scoop into the front of a bra? Surely this cannot be a common thing?

(In my defence I mentioned it to a r&p fitter and she said it was bollocks that the band should be tight to the point of being uncomfortable - which seems to be what is advocated on here.)

angel - the back will feel tight to start with because someone isn't used to it.
And it is really common to have back fat that could be scooped into a bra cup. I see women all day long who have lumpy backs, bulging underarms, with the back strap halfway to their ears.

Discomfort is not advocated at all. Not at all.

You can't deny that changing from an ill fitting 36 band to a 32 (for example) that the wearer will need to get used to it feeling tighter. That may be slightly uncomfortable at first but if its prolonged then we've been urged to be refitted.

Well the support comes from the band, the shoulder straps should do v little
I'm a size 16 in a 34 band but can also wear a 32 and its not in the slightest bit uncomfortable

A lot of what we think of as fat is actually breast tissue which has been pushed out of place by underwires which are too small. That's got to be bad for you, having breast tissue being squeezed backwards

I've been a properly fitted bra fanatic for about 8 years, ever since my sister too me to a fab little independent bra shop. The woman there took one look at me, asked what size I was wearing, and immediately knew what size I should be wearing (a completely different size!) I went in a 40DD and came out a 36G.

She seemed to do what is suggested on here (and also told me never, ever to trust a bra fitter in a dept store) and she made me lean over and "jiggle" into the cup properly.

I now find myself itching to fit everyone at work properly, but it really isn't the done thing to go up to other teachers and say "you're wearing the wrong bra, let me help you with that", and it would go down even worse with the pupils.

Back should be firm not "tight to the point of uncomfortable". I don't think any of us have ever advocated that so maybe you've misinterpreted?

(and then relayed a blatant misinterpretation!)

We're not "all" 34s or under either. But I get fitted at Bravissimo and am a constant 30 at my current weight. I'm around a 14-16

Haven't read through this thread but will later and am sure what I will say has been said already but I was in a 34a/b but something wasn't right there was no support and I just looked saggy. The mn threads made me realise I am a 28e or 30dd and when you go to debenhams and ask for that size they look like you4

Oh god I had an accidental, socially inept attempt at a bra intervention yesterday. I am still and gnashing my teeth at the memory.

Please tell me where I can get a good, underwired nursing bra? I am stick of th mono-boob from rubbish unsupportive bras. This baby shows zero signs of weaning so I need a decent bra I can feed dd in and have the cups separated.

I restrained myself from saying something to my SIL on her hen night- it was one of those 'how much do you know about the bride ' quizzes that the groom filled in. She said she was 34B, and I very nearly exclaimed that she couldn't possibly be - but thought it probably wasn't the right time, as a dozen impending in-laws and relative strangers would think I was some kind of boob-measuring obsessive. (I know because I wear a 32 back, and she has a much narrower ribcage than me).

Somehow there's never been the right time to say "look SIL, do you think you should maybe try a 28 D bra?".

k8middleton - either the anita (figleaves stock it), or ewa michalak

I'm confused by this.... I'm 32 inches under and 39 inches leaning forward. I am genuinely have quite a small chest but according to that website I'm a G? Where have I gone wrong?

Thank you I'll look them up. I must also have a measure for my current sizing... or brave the local bra boutique where they are good but £££.

Bookfairy try a 32F as a start