First bra help please for tween - 32G

[buckeejit]

As per title, DD has been wearing crop tops & think she needs something a bit more though crop tops are ok. Using BoB she measures 32G & I can’t find anything other than Doreen triumph.

can anyone recommend somewhere to order from or should we stick to crop tops or get some wired bras?

any advice appreciated! many thanks

I’m a 34 band and I’m a size 14. Loads of women wear the band too loose due to the old fashioned way of measuring and preference. Many women would be recommended a smaller band and larger cup if properly measured. My 5ft 4in 8.5 stone DD wears a 30 back although Bravissimo says 28, because she prefers the more comfortable feel. My sister is a size 10 and wears a 30.

oooh does it stop the digging in to your ribcage agony? Double JJ cup and really struggling with bras being so uncomfortable on my ribcage, when I buy boneless they just squash them both together.

It’s old style measuring vs new.

Old style: for rib measurements you’d + 4 to get the band size. Eg: 28 ribs + 4 = 32 band.

New style: 28 ribs = 28 band size.

The new way of measuring is theoretically based on the idea that bras used to be less stretchy. It’s not actually true though as bras have always been made with elastic since the sizing began. I have underwear that belonged to my grandmother. Not only are the bras elasticated she even had her own 40s version of Skims.

The reality is that as the population has got larger, clothing has supersized for vanity, and bras have done the same thing.

I don’t think spandex was invented until the late 1950s and prior to that corsetry involved rubber. A couple of my mother’s sisters made bras for a living in the 50s and they were very firm unstretchy garments I believe. I remember my mother having bras that did not have elastic backs, the hooks and eyes were on cotton fabric. Certainly if elastic was sometimes involved it would still not create the flexibility and stretch we see today. Editing to add that this doesn’t explain why we were still subjected to poor fitting long after Lycra became commonplace

Your sister needs a proper bra fitting. Size 34 band means she measures 34 just around her ribcage, not even accounting for the boobs. She would not fit into size 8 even if she was an AA cup.

As previously mentioned, my own 12 year old child is a 32G. She is also 175cm / 5ft 9in tall. She wears an adult size 10 on her bottom half and a size 12 on her top half. She is athletic and a healthy weight. Her size is little surprise to me - I was over 6' by the age of 15 and I wear a 30J bra. Outliers exist, although by definition they are rare, but we are more likely to be found on a board like this one because people of a typical size don't need help finding things to fit.

Bra sizes are poorly understood and only someone very experienced at sizing by eye would realise my DD's size. A 32G is really not that big, and although I am not going to give a detailed description of my child's breast tissue on the internet I think some pp are forgetting that young breast tissue behaves very different to that of an older adult woman who has undergone pregnancies and breastfeeding. My DD was comfortable and well-supported in firm crop tops until she started wearing wire-free sports bras a few months ago.

It's very hard to find age-appropriate, practical, comfortable clothing for atypically sized children, particularly when your daughter is already painfully conscious that she takes up a lot more space than her peers in a patriarchal context which rewards women for being as petite as possible and equates smallness with femininity. Fora like these are a godsend for mothers like me and the OP to share experiences and advice. I hope you feel that you have likewise added something helpful or of value to the OP in your contributions to this thread.

Elastic was used in underwear from the 20s. Lastex was invented in the early 30s. My grandmother had girdles that look similar to Skims and Spanx - slightly thicker but stretchy.

It’s a moot point anyway as current bras certainly aren’t more stretchy than the 80s when the old style measurements were universal.

That’s why I say that bras are now vanity sized same as clothing.

34 band and size 8 means she’s using old school bra measurements and her ribs are actually 30.

I’m 6-8 (in current vanity sizing that is, I’m the same size as I was in the late 80s when I was 8-10.) My ribs are 28, so that fits.

It does! That’s why I started doing it, I was getting so much pain from that and arm pit pain where the top of the underwire was rubbing. Give it a go with an old bra to see if you like it?

Next have loads of 32G bras on their website. Not sure if they deliver to NI though?

but bras are sold in the 'new' sizing - a 32 band fits a ribcage of 32 inches. My ribcage measures 30 inches and I wear high street 30 back bras (occasionally 28 if they have more stretch). I could not reasonably add 4 inches and wear 34 bras, those would be way too big and offer no support.

I have always been 36, measure 35 and my ribs have always been huge but I didn't add another 4 inches in the 80s or I would have been size 40. Then I used to buy bras in the local shop and I was size 36B or C as I am now, though I am usually C now

@DorotheaDiamond

I could probably hoik em up higher than this, but these are my comfy bras and tbh look fine even under tighter tops. To anyone else who didn't see my other comment - I'm a 34H, size 12-14, and this is a Medium bra from Feelingirl. I have breastfed three kids so without this my boobs are sagging to that waistline!

Yes I did have to manually manipulate my nips to get them even .

These are just so much comfier than other wireless bras.

Wow! Thank you there’s hope for me yet!

I'm a 32G and love Elomi - comfortable, supportive, great swimwear as well and they have plain styles. They are expensive but good quality.

Depends on the manufacturer

I’m 28 in the 80s I wore 32. Now I wear anything from 28-32 - entirely depends how it fits. Bra bands are not an exact science.

Agreed with this. They are very good. Once ahe has a view on a size / brand she can then buy online.
If she's big busted and small back (I am too) then Freya and chantelle are brands I've used. If needs be buy a few in different sizes and then just do returns.
It's miserable having such big heavy boobs so recommend underwired too. And a good sports bra to boot

She doesn’t have to get naked to do the online fitting. That wouldn’t be appropriate for a teen anyway-but it’s not how it works.

I don’t think she needs an underwire. I’m 32ff and wear Chantelle Norah which is incredibly comfortable and supportive (a bit pricey but worth it). You can get them in John Lewis.

Chantelle Norah easy feel is the non wired one

@VelociraptorsVelociRapping yes my dd sounds very similar - she’s 5ft 8 & doesn’t look like an adult G cup at all & still supported well enough in crop tops.

I do like the sound of the pantry so may incorporate a visit there with a trip to London for a show as a treat.

Once again thanks to those who contributed positively, lots of useful information here, (with just a sprinkling of dickheads 😉. God willing our dds never come across them irl)

I'm a size 12 with 32G boobs and often wear crop tops - only at home though because I am old and my tits are saggy! Enough support to keep them in place but sadly not enough for the outside world.
They're large but not massive and if I was a teenager they'd still be lovely and perky and I would absolutely be able to not wear a bra. For all the sceptics!

Another vote for Bravissimo.
Growing up I used to wear sports bras for school 🤷🏻‍♀️ It minimizes bouncing so it can make her more comfortable. But I would suggest one with less support though for everyday. Sports bras for that size can feel like straight jackets..... which is great for running!!!
❤️❤️❤️

Boux avenue is good for teens with larger cup sizes.