Wearing a bra is one of the many irritating parts of being a woman (even though you totally don’t need to wear one if you don’t want to). They’re constricting and they dig into our ribs, sometimes leaving half-moon circles under our breasts. They’re just SO annoying. But this shouldn’t be the case, according to a Bustle article: “If taking [your bra] off has become the highlight of your day, there’s a really good chance you’re wearing the wrong bra.”
So, let’s cover some of the sure signs you’re wearing the wrong bra:
1. Half circles of irritation under your breasts.
This could mean the fabric has worn thin and the underwire is causing pain, or it could be causing too much friction.
2. Straps are digging into your shoulders or falling down.
A simple fix would be to adjust the straps, but if you have indents on your shoulders, it shows you’re relying too much on the straps for support and not the band. A properly fitting bra shouldn’t slip off your shoulders or leave marks.
3. Too much movement or jiggling.
Your bra should provide a comfortable cradle for your breasts with enough support to jog without jiggling.
4. You’re experiencing spillage.
To offer more support and coverage, move up a cup size to avoid the quad-boob look.
5. Neck/Rib/Back/Headaches
This means that your body has been doing the work your bra should have been doing. Your body will begin to compensate to support your chest. This could also be linked to bad posture from lack of support as well.
6. You’re unable to freely move around.
According to Ashely West of Vanity Fair, “When the band rides up, that means the straps are too tight!” Similarly, if the band is too tight it leaves indents in your skin, you should look into getting a new bra.
According to a Cosmopolitan article, the easiest way to test what is wrong with your bra is something Ra’el Cohen, the chief creative officer of indie lingerie brand ThirdLove, calls “the T-shirt test” which she describes as follows “Put on a tight white T-shirt, and if you can see the bra very clearly, whether it’s the cup edge bulging or gaping, or the strap or the sides where it might be digging in, you’re wearing the wrong size.”
Cohen also offers some advice on how to keep your good bras in the best conditions possible. She urges women to not wear the same bra every day. Much like our bodies, Bras need time to rest–at least 24 hours will allow the elastic to return to its original size after you’ve stretched it out all day.
I know we’re all guilty of wearing unwashed bras for a terrifying amount of days, but Cohen suggests that “if you’re wearing it multiple times a week, definitely wash it once a week.” Regarding washing habits, she agrees that hand washing bras is the proper way to handle them, but you could use lingerie laundry bags to help bras keep their shape. That being said, she explicitly states to never put them in the dryer. Cohen explains that “Heat is the enemy of spandex, and every bra has a little bit of spandex in it. Heat makes it break down and lose its shape.”
Hopefully, these insights of the mean little cage around your ribs will motivate you to find a better match for your body type. Then, once you’ve found a perfect match, you’ll know how to treat your bra a little better.