BUSTED---Everything You Need to Know About Proper Bra Fit: Part One

Did you know that 70% of women are in the wrong size bra? Chile, I was one of them until recently, and for who knows how long! I remember going shopping for my first bra with my Mummy and Aunt, it was a pretty simple (yet far from exact) process--some of you may relate:

1. Head to store (not a dept store, think Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshalls) and "bra" section
2. Mother and/or Aunt takes a glance at your chest, and if further "sizing" is needed takes a peak down your shirt.
3. Determines appropriate size (read: takes a wild guess)
4. Chooses several appropriately sized & priced bras
5. Proceeds to make you try on
6. Repeats glance at chest to assess fit

*No measuring tape was used in this process.

Dassit. Seriously.  And really, no shade, my peeps are old school. That's the way they've always done it so why fix what doesn't appear to be broke. Truth be told, now that I've gone through a lot of this information they may have actually been right--back then-- and somewhere I failed to keep up with the magic ::sobs::

Truth be told our bodies change. I don't mean just puberty. Particularly regarding bras, for many women when our weight changes so do our bra sizes. It is probably important to note here that we women tend to speak about the size our breasts as purely a function of genetics (what runs on each side of the family, etc), and while that IS part of it, breasts are also made up of a large amount of fat tissue. So without getting into scientific details, your breast size is likely to fluctuate throughout your life as your fat content does (and/or shifts). So get sized every 6 months. Simple right?

So the first part of this BUSTED series is to alert you that there's a 70% chance you are in the wrong size bra, to provide the guidelines to determine if you're in the 70% or the 30%, and identify the pros and cons of good fit vs bad fit.

Benefits of a properly fitting Bra:

Insta-Slimmage

• slimming effect
• clothes fit better

Poorly fitting bras:

• can cause back problems due to uneven weight distribution
• don't provide enough support
• can cause shoulder ditches

Rules of Thumb, Your Bra Is...

1. Too Big If:
• The cups crinkle--cup is too big
• It rides up in the back--band is too big
2. Too Small If:
• Thy cup overflow
• You can't slip two fingers beneath the band
• The band digs in
3. Just Right If:
• Straps are comfortable and stay in place
• Center front is flat against chest

Common Bra Mistakes

1.  Selecting by cup size: cup size is related to band size. 
2. Wearing a bra that is too small
3. Fastening on the tightest hooks--elastic in the bra will stretch over its lifetime so get sized for he outermost hooks so you can tighten as the bra ages if necessary
4. Letting the band right up--back band should never sit higher than the underwire
5. Wearing a bra two days in a row-- rotating bras will allow the elastic to return to its natural state. 
6. Keeping a bra for too long-- worn and cared for correctly a bra's life spand is ~8 months after which the elastic is no longer providing the proper support

Part Two of the BUSTED series covers everything you need to know about proper sizing. Stay Tuned!!

Do you have any interesting experiences with bra fitting? Any tips or tricks? Comment below!