Do you know what I’ve realized? Most women don’t wear the right size bra. The bra industry is woefully letting us down. Even places that ‘fit’ you may not have your size or may not get you into a proper bra. This is much worse for women who have remarkably large breasts or remarkably small breasts. And unfortunately, since every woman is unique in every other way, that means each breast is also unique. The kind of bra that is perfect for one woman and her lifestyle needs may be horrible for another. On top of all that, bras are stupid expensive. You can buy a $5 bra at Walmart, but it’s not going to last like the $50 one. Underwear shopping in general is kind of a pain. This is why you may know a woman who only owns 3 bras and cycles through those 3.
When I go to look for a bra I’m looking for comfort first of all. If I can put on a bra and not realize I’m wearing one, that’s the best. Most of my bras now are a sports bra style because they fit into my needs. For my rare fancy dress occasions, I want a bra that’s going to hold up my boobs and give me support. I’ve breastfed two babies, they aren’t what they used to be. I need that support. When you look for a bra, find your biggest priority. Is it the shape and look it’ll give your breast? Is it comfort? Is it keeping them in place even when you’re active? This will inform what style bra you buy.
After you decide the style of bra you’re looking for you need to know what size to buy. A surprising number of women aren’t wearing the right size bra. So I’ll explain a pretty simple way to measure yourself. Using a tape measure, measure around your chest directly under your breast where the band of your bra would rest. This number is the number on the bra size. 36, 40, 42. Now, measure around your breasts. Make sure you are going around the biggest part of your breasts. A good marker is to measure on level with the nipple. This will be a larger number. 40, 45, 47. Now subtract the two numbers. The difference translates to your cup size. So if 36 was your first number and 40 your second, the difference is 4, the 4th cup size is D. So you would be a 36D.
Your bra size will change throughout your life. Even if you have no children, your body will still change as you grow older. So measure yourself every so many years and adjust sizes as needed. Obviously if you do have kids, you will need to remeasure after you have a baby and stop nursing. For those of you who have trouble finding bras that fit you, my heart truly goes out to you. I’ve heard that some online stores sell bigger sizes, and I’ve also heard good things about Aerie but never purchased there. And if you are nursing, I got most of my nursing bras and tank tops from Target. They were the most comfy and fit the best.
And washing advice, do not put your bras in the dryer. This is hard on a bra and will wear it out more quickly. Some women don’t even put their bras in the washing machine, or they will only wash them on delicate. But whatever setting you do or do not use in the washer, hang them up to dry. Always hang your bras to dry.
But if that is you, or you don’t have the money to drop on a bunch of $90 bras, I get you, I am there with you. I think its ridiculous we are paying that much for a bra. Especially those of you with lots of breast who can’t just go braless or in a bralette. I want every woman to know, it’s ok to only own 3 bras you cycle through. It’s ok if you bought the cheap $10 bra because you needed one and didn’t have the money for a nicer one. It is ok. It doesn’t make you gross. You are not the only one. We are all in this bra game together.
Dose of Sunshine 