M &S bra fitting

[WinterRoad]

I had an interesting experience at M&S yesterday.
I went for a bra fitting. I know they're not brilliant but Bravissimo etc are over an hours drive from me.

Anyway,when I arrived I was told that they have changed the way they fit bras. No measuring. She talked to me about clothes size,bra fit,what style I liked etc and then disappeared to the shop floor. When she came back the bras she had chosen were a perfect fit.

She had used her judgement on fit and possible styles. All good. I was impressed.

Hm. I'm a 28F. Every time I go in they reckon I'll be a B cup, and tell me to go up a band size and down a cup because they are 'sister sizes', by which they mean, we don't stock your size but we still want to flog you something so that'll do.

That's been my past experience but it was completely different yesterday. Maybe they've read Mumsnet.

They’ve done this is Rigby and Peller since forever. I don’t think they are doing this because they want to improve but it will be something to do with the trans fitter.

Didn't think of that, but could you explain more?

There has been rather a furore that came to light after a male employee who identified as trans ‘just happened’ to be passing the women’s lingerie section and approached a young teenage girl that he apparently assumed to be in her own (the mum was out of sight and he scaroered when she turned up). The teenage girl was quite perturbed at being approached by a man when she was looking for bras and may have been concerned that he would be around when she went for her bra fitting.

Just for clarity, he was not a bra fitter and didn’t try and suggest he was.

The row has highlighted that female M&S bra fitting staff often have to deal with men who wear ladies underwear for fetishistic purposes and make bra fitting appointments. Some also wear ladies knickers and jeans reviews on the website. It is argued that not all men who identify as trans are doing it for fetish purposes but we know that some do and it’s not possible to tell the difference.

Maybe this new policy is designed to stop forcing female staff into very unpleasant situations locked into a cubicle with an undressed man who is quite excited at getting his ‘tits’ out?

There was a topless protest against women’s sports in London recently by some trans identifying men, they were very keen to display their ‘tits’ in public.

That was to @WinterRoad btw.

@BundleBoogie
Thanks for that. I'd heard of the trans man in m&s saga but hadn't thought about the fitters having to measure men. Maybe it is to do with that.

Unpopular opinion: I've found Bravissimo pretty poor on the two occasions that I've been fitted there.

First time I said I wanted the closest they had to the no-longer available Freya underwired padded half-cup. They kept bringing me different bras but not the currently available Freya underwired padded half-cup which I found later online on their website.

More recently, having lost a bunch of weight and with their online orders down, I went in and they were really reluctant to give me a fitting. Person who came in after me was offered one sooner. Again I was brought a bunch of bras completely different to the style I said I wanted (think sheer or silky when I said I'm only looking at moulded and or padded).

I’ve always found M&S to be brilliant at fitting my bras perfectly

Yes, with reports of staff having to clear up unspeakable things done by men on the women’s clothing, making the bra fitting rooms and staff available to men, apparently employing a male (who identifies as a woman) bra fitter in one store and enabling incidents to take place by removing signage to create a mixed sex changing room policy (men are allowed into any changing rooms they choose), M&S are not doing very well at ensuring the safety and privacy of female staff or customers.

You’d think they’d try a bit harder as we are their core customer base.

I worked in another big department store back in the day and this was how we always did it, no messing around with a tape.

You get very good at looking at someone and guessing what size they would be and going from there, as well as knowing what bra would be good for what shapes because they all fit slightly differently. I took my DD to M&S for her first bras because they were the only place in town that had a decent range of 30 backs, but I fit her myself because I still don't trust M&S fitters after seeing multiple women who had been fitted in the most ridiculous sizes that no one ever actually is 😶‍🌫️