Bra gurus, have you seem this BuzzFeed article?

[YesThisIsMe]

Woman gets fitted at 6 US stores.

Interesting although a bit of a "Look! Boobies!" clickbait thing.

The US state of play seems better than the UK

Enjoyed if not a little depressed at this article as I bought my wedding bra and I just picked the size I thought I was 38 DD and it's loose on the cups and tight on the band.

I think if you've got large boobs bra buying is just depressing.

Ouch some of those supposedly fitting bras in that article look positively painful! And I would say she does not look like 40 back size either.

but in my experience, US is terrible for bras, especially if you happen to have smaller than 34 back size and more than D-cups.

She does not look like she should have a 40 band size , I would have guessed she was a 36g but obviously not!

The US state of play is generally far worse than here. There are barely and large cup sizes available - they skip cups in US sizes so it can seem better than it really is. And trying to find a small band is nigh on impossible. I went in looking for me UK size (30HH) or the equivalent US, to numerous shops. Couldn't get it. I'm part of a facebook group for big boobs and the US ladies are pretty much all buying UK bras, either from specialist retailers or online.

1: Intimacy - awful. She needs a good scoop, she's got underarm spillage and gaping at the top of the cups. Doesn't even remotely fit - she needs taller and wider wires that will actually contain her breast tissue. The Prima Donna is the wrong shape and is pulling her fairly close set breasts apart

2: Bloomingdales...these bras fit better. A lot of the bits she's pulling as evidence of the bras being "too big" are down to the fact they are moulded bras which don't perfectly match her shape.

3: Macys - the one she declares as the best fitting bras has blatant orange in a glass effect. The third one is just horrific

4: Victorias secret: bra 1 isn't lifting her, is too small in the cups and looks like it's digging at the back but that's cos there's nowhere to scoop to. And she doesn't seem to know to scoop so, y'know...Bra 2, half of her boob is hanging out of the cup. Bra 3 likewise.

5: Nordstrom - these look better, but I think they're probably too big in the band. The bands don't look like they're under any tension, which means they're not going to support as well. I'd say she needs to go down a band in these. The Chantelle gives no lift either. I hate to say it but this lady has clearly never actually had a bra which truly fits and suits her shape so doesn't know what good looks like IME.

6: Lane bryant...too small in the cups. AGAIN.

This is the way bra sizing in the US goes - D cup is big but still not quite right and the bands are enormous. She looks like what she really needs is a ticket on Virgin Atlantic. But if you ever wonder why porn stars and plastic surgeon see D cup as big, that's their rationale... The US systems still largely follows the old rules. But I have to say that for women with smaller busts, the US system can still be really good, many of my best-fitting bras are American. I'm A/B in the US and D/DD in UK.