Contrary to what Victoria's Secret or your mother would like you to believe, the best bra for you can't be chosen based on fabric choice, color, or whether the cup is a demi or trimmed with lavender lace. It's about your body in particular and how the bra fits. You can't listen to what your best friend says, either. Every body has a different figure and needs a different bra.
Do I Even Need a Bra?
Yup. Unless you are smaller than an A cup and are wearing multiple layers, you are essentially saying to everyone who passes by Please. Check out my breasts.' This is hardly the way to get anyone to take you seriously or to make sure that anyone of the straight male persuasion even hears a word you say.
If you are larger than an A cup, it is supremely uncomfortable, too. The bigger they are, the more they need support. You could incur back problems, stretch marks, and yes, seriously strain to the tissue.
Bra Sizing Basics
You could wear a bra 24 hours a day but unless your bra is fitted properly, you could still have some of the same problems that come with not wearing one at all.
A bra has two parts to its size: the band size and the cup size. The band size is measured with a number and the cup is measured with a letter (or two letters). The band size measurement describes your size around your chest and back. The cup size measurement describes the size of your breasts. To guarantee a good fit, both measurements need to be accurate.
Calculating Your Band Size
Unfortunately, this calculation is not so easy as a simple tape measurement around your chest, though it does start there. Make sure the tape measure goes all the way around, lies flat at the base underneath your breasts, and is neither too loose nor digging into your skin. To this measurement (in inches), add another 5 inches. You have your band size!
Another method is simpler but, some feel, slightly less accurate. Place the tape measure around your chest again, but this time, make sure the tape measure is under your armpits and above your breasts though at the same point in the back as in the first measurement method. No calculations. Your measurement is your band size.
If your chest measurement is an odd number (after any calculations), it is recommended that you round up to the next number as bra sizes are only measured in even numbers. A comfortable fit will be adjusted by the various hooks on the back.
Calculating Your Cup Size
You need your tape measure again and again you should be sure that the tape is neither too loose nor too tight. This time, if you have an unpadded bra that fits well, wear it while you take your measurement but no sports bras or pads.
Make sure the tape measure runs around the fullest part of your breasts. Note the measurement. Now go back to your band size measurement and subtract your band size from this new measurement. If the result is:
Adjusting for a Good Fit
Now that you have your accurate bra size, you may find that a bra bearing a tag with the right size may not fit seem to fit. Try adjusting the shoulder straps and trying each of the hook settings in the back. If it's neither too tight nor too loose around your chest, the shoulder straps don't slip off or bite into your skin and the piece of fabric in the middle of your chest connecting the two cups lays flat against your skin, then you have a bra that fits properly and won't um let you down!
