Many women are well educated about style. They know what outfits flatter their figures best and what hair colors suit their skin tones. Many women, though, are making one big mistake every day: they’re wearing the wrong bra. And wearing the wrong bra essentially turns even the best outfit to crap.
I was a sales associate at Victoria’s Secret this summer, and although I was only working there for the summer, I feel as though I have gained a lot of insight on the way bras should look and feel for all women.
Women wear the wrong size for various reasons. Some simply lack the basic rules about the way bras should fit. Others cannot fathom the thought of wearing their true size, whether it’s larger or smaller than the size that they think they are. I have personal experience with this: I once measured a girl that was wearing a 34 C when her measurement was a 36 DDD. When I told her her real size, she freaked out, and walked out of the store.
This blows my mind that women are so critical of their sizes! In my opinion, the actual bra size should not bother you. As long as you are wearing the right size for you, your breasts will look great, regardless of the number and letter combination on the inside of your bra. After all, nobody knows your size but you.
First off, some bra fitting basics:
1. Your bra should not ride up in the back
2. Your bra straps should not dig into your shoulders
3. Your “gore”- the center part of the bra- should not slide around
4. You should never have boob spillage (unintentional side-boob, for example, and also when your push up bra pushes up your boobs so much that you then have 4 boobs- such a disaster!)
To ensure that your bra is the right size, you can attempt a measurement yourself, take an online quiz, or make a trip to Victoria’s Secret and ask them to measure you. If you’ve never gotten measured before, and are embarrassed, don’t be! It’s a quick measurement over your shirt, and you don’t even need to be wearing a regular bra to get measured.
There are, however, instances where the in-store measurements don’t work right away. This is common because measuring with a tape measure is simply a guideline. NEVER buy a bra immediately after getting tape measured without trying it on first. If you get measured in the store, make sure that you have a sales associate nearby to grab you additional sizes and styles if needed.
Another thing to consider when bras don’t fit the best is your sister size:
Keep in mind, also, that it’s ideal to get a bra fitting at least once a year. Our bodies are always changing, and it’s completely normal to fluctuate in bra sizes.