Boob or Bust, this can't be right?

[Notoutloud]

I don't think I've ever worn the right sized bra. I've always been fairly small but since breastfeeding two babies, I'm now at mosquito bite proportions. I've been wearing bralettes and crop top style bras for the last few years but I've recently realised how unflattering they are and that my chest is just a bit squashed and sad.

Anyway, I've just put in my measurements to the Boob or Bust calculator and I've come out as a 30DD/G - I would previously have said I'm around a 36A! Have I done it wrong?

If anyone has any experience or knowledge of bra sizing, I'd be very grateful!

I am a 30GG and size 12. I measure 29.5 under my bust and 37.5 over.

I am a size 8 and wear a 34B. Even then towards the end of the day I sometimes add an extender fastener to the back band! People have different skin, different lymphatics, different musculature, different amounts of flesh to bone. Not everyone can tolerate and not everyone even needs every day bras with such a rigid fit.

My Granny over ever wore a camisole....

Only

Agree with this - I measured 30D on BOB. Have settled on 32C though as 30 was super uncomfortable in reality and D came up too roomy.

I think if you have small boobs it doesn't matter quite so much about this tightness. I always thought I was a 34B, never mind that I often got quad boobs from wearing it, there was no way I was a C?! I then measured the new way and found I was more like a 30E! I found that uncomfortably tight, so have settled on a 32DD - I wear a bra more for shape than for support so having it a bit loose wasn't an issue.

You can be the opposite too - I'm squishy and measure 36 but wear a 34 band as I need the support and I'm comfortable in it

The cup size can also be affected by the shape of your breasts. You might have enough flesh to fit in a larger cup but that larger cup might be too round whereas your breasts might be fuller at the bottom. Even if lifted they might not be pushed into the top of a round full cup. Again this can be affected by the condition of the skin.

I tried BoB and just got an error message returned. I am literally such a strange shape that their system won’t work for me! Which felt really cruddy. Have now given up on bras as am tired of feeling uncomfortable and malformed.

I also found that BOB gave far too tight a band for me. I think it gives a good starting point though and I now think I've got the right size for me, although I try on bras a size either side if the matching size isn't right. They do come up slightly differently I find.

32C is the exact same cup size as 30D, just on a bigger band.

@AllTheChaos this is where the evangelism over a fitting method (of all things!) is so wrong!!!! Bras are for women not the other way around! They are there for your comfort! I would suggest trying one of the stretchy bralette / crop top / comfort bras. Or maybe go back to back to the old method of adding 4 or 5 inches to your back band actual measurement to get your back band size and then use the sister size information to workout your cup size.

I’m a size 6 and wear a 28 band.

I gave B or B a try but couldn’t make it work so I ended up going to bravissimo and got them to fit me.

I mean yes but they're also for support for bigger boobs and not supportive isn't comfortable
So many women have a back band that rides up and double boobs/no support and then say bras aren't comfortable which is more because it doesn't fit
Style is also a big thing, I live in Elomi plunge bras, panache feel like they're stabbing me in the centre!

That's what I'm going to do. My mom recently got fitted at bravissimo and said it was excellent so here's hoping 🤞

@buffyslayer

So many women have a back band that rides up and double boobs/no support and then say bras aren't comfortable which is more because it doesn't fit

Well, yes, I've been there too in my younger days. Used to hoik up straps and bra would ride up. Couldn't get small back sizes then. I used to end up taking bras in on the band!

Conversely, boob or bust for me ended up being like the third image on this post - dug in hugely despite being ‘right’. With smaller cups I think less support is needed so maybe looser bands are more manageable

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMu93vdHhsi/?igsh=dWhqeDZxd3U2bDlu

I think people typically underestimate their cup size and overestimate their bust measurement.

@SundayTulips that's definitely dependent on shape too, it's so hit and miss
My bra looks like that at the band, as if it's digging in but it's my shape IYSWIM
Even if I can pull it out 8 inches at the back, I have fat that means it looks tight at the sides

Bit like clothes I guess when a 14 in one shop fits your boobs in and another is built for a flatter chest

And then you have men who just measure their neck and waist for shirts and jeans and that's it

There's E, F, FF before G so if you're buying new bras look for 30DD or E not G or they'll be too big!

I agree. But after chatting about this on various groups it seems to apply to mainly smaller busted women when it’s come up.
Im about a size 6/8. If I were to order (because shops don’t sell them) a 26/28 size bra, I could barely breathe. In a 30 I find it tight. So I just stick to 32 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don’t have much to support so it’s not like I need it to be tight to hold anything up.
If I had a much bigger chest I could potentially see the benefits.

@SundayTulips I've had the same problem in recent years - I even got some bra extenders to deal with this! I have been aiming to combat it through exercise (lots on YouTube) and stronger muscles never hurt. I also find the way a bra is cut ( how deep or shallow bands are) can affect this. However also the sizing actually vary in measurement across brands. I've taken to measuring the back band on different bras stretched and unstretched to try and get a better indication of size. A firmer material has with less stretch will give a different type of fit (usually firmer) compared to a more stretchy material and they are cut with different allowances in terms of how much they are expected to stretch.

And I manage to be fleshy although I'm at the low end of my BMI and am 23/24% fat according to my scales. I also exercise a lot (run 10k a day and do weights and resistance exercises) I think skin and muscle firmness affects a lot.

Still it's 'gotta be a loose fit!' for me! 😂

I tried a bra letter, @heyhohello and looked ridiculous 😂 I think it’s just that I’ve lost so much weight and no longer have the shape I’m used to. Gone from marvellous norks (though I say so myself) to basically none, and it’s hard to get my head around 😞

Makes sense BoB being better for larger sizes. I struggle with clothes as am odd measurements. Eg my under bust is 32” if I pull so tight the tape nearly breaks, but main chest measurement is only 33”. Then my waist is low, and much smaller than my under bust (someone here said they are supposed to be the same but that sounds wrong), so waistbands in dresses etc are often too high. Then the waistbands are way too small as they are sitting on my damned ribs, but if I get a bigger waist to allow for this, the chest gapes. I should probably just go for boys clothes as that’s the shape and size I am now, but I don’t want to!