The breast pain and back pain associated with the wrong bra size can ruin anyone’s day. Let’s not even talk about how it could ruin your dressing! Luckily, there’s a solution. Buying undergarments of the right size and fit.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to be uncomplicated but, we’re here to help make it less confusing. There are many ways you can measure your bra size. Here’s how you can find the right bra size so you can strut that sidewalk with confidence and comfort.
How do you know whether you’re wearing the right bra size or not?
When you aren’t wearing the right bra size, the most obvious sign is discomfort. When you wear a bra and you find that it’s too painful or too uncomfortable, it’s not the right size for you. There are a few other signs you should be aware of. If the bra hikes up, the straps keep slipping, or cup spillage occurs, you’re not wearing the right size.
If you’re looking to find the right bra size, you can do so in 2 ways. You can visit a professional bra fitter or measure your size yourself at home.
Measuring Your Bra Size
If you’ve decided to measure by yourself, follow the steps below to make sure you’re doing it right.
1. Ready all the necessary materials.
When you’re measuring your bra size, you’ll need a measuring tape. This is necessary for you to be able to measure and find the right-sized bra.
2. Measure your band size.
When you have the necessary materials ready, measure your band size first. You can do this braless or while wearing a bra that is not padded. Take your measuring tape and wrap it around your torso directly under your bust. Make sure the tape measure is snug around your torso but not so tight.
Check the measurement of your bust in inches and round the measurement to the nearest whole number. If the number you get is even, make sure to add 4 inches. Add 5 inches if it’s odd.
Say you’ve measured your torso under your bust and the resulting measurement is 35 inches. Seeing as that number is odd, you’ll need to add 5. This means your band size is 40 inches. If the resulting measurement is 34 inches, you’ll need to add 4. Your band size would then be 38 inches.
3. Measure your bust.
Take note of your band size and move on to your bust. Take your measuring tape and wrap it around the fullest part of your chest. This part should be leveled to your nipples. Unlike the second step, wrap the measuring tape a bit loosely. Once you get the resulting measurement, round it to the nearest whole number.
4. Calculate for your cup size.
You’re nearly finished. This is going to be one of the last few steps you need to take in order to find the right-sized bra. To calculate your cup size, subtract your band size from your bust measurement.
Your band size is the measurement you got in Step 2 and your bust measurement is the number you got in Step 3. Subtract those two values. Let’s say your band size was 30 inches and your bust measurement 34 inches. Subtract those from each other. The difference is 4.
Take note of that difference and use this table as a reference for your final bra size.
Credit: Yeji Kim
The difference will be your cup size. Based on our example above, the difference was 4 therefore, the cup size is D. Combine the band size and the cup size. Your final bra size is 30D.
The Takeaway
The right bra can help you feel more confident and more importantly, more comfortable. It’ll help make sure you’re red-carpet every hour of every day. Unfortunately, lots of women wear the wrong size. If you belong to that population, that’s completely fine. It’s never too late to find the right size and feel as good as you should.