Your boobs are unique and special and beautiful.
You (and they) deserve the best.
Yet most us don’t love the bras we wear.
Below digs into why and how you can access better bras.
The long version (link above) goes deeper into the why.
Meet June
June, just like the majority of people who have boobs, wears a bra.
When June is feeling her most rebellious and wants to shock people. Like on days when life is too much. She feels like the craziest thing she could do would be to turn up with no bra on.
How shocking. How casual. How avant-garde. It’s a whole step beyond not wearing deodorant. Which pair of eyes would people look at that day.
But it would be worse for her. It would be uncomfortable. Her boobs would bounce about. Her back would start to ache. She’d sweat in more places.
For June, most of the time, a bra is a necessary evil. That she wishes would fit just right.
There are three main factoids June needs to come to terms with when it comes to bras in order to find her fit:
June’s boobs need for support will lifelong.
People think this bra this can be a one and done thing and it’s really not.
You probably should go for a size check every three years.
Body changes that impact boob size, which impacts bra size, over a lifetime:
2. There’s no universal experience to suit all Junes.
No size is the same by retailer or brand, no bra is the same, no boob is the same.
And at this point in time, about 74% of bra wearers don’t know their bra size.
One major culprit is the bra calculators on all these bra sites.
We tested this out and plugged in the same measurements into all these sites - only two got it right.
2 out of 20 bra sites. See below.
(To the June walking around in a 40A bra from Target, please know that flopping less is available to you.)
Outputs from online bra calculators by brand based on 36G measurements
3. It’s not surprising that Junes don’t enjoy the shopping experience
We ran a survey of 210 bra wearers to understand their relationships with bras. They didn’t feel great about it.
When trying on bras June hates feeling the gross feels when it doesn’t fit. It’s too loose and her boobs flop around or the cup is too small and they runneth over or the cup is too big and suddenly it feels cavernous.
The feeling is an odd mix of embarrassment, discomfort, unease, and shock. There’s nothing like it. And it’s very personal. When it doesn’t fit, she feels like there’s something wrong with her.
It’s tiresome and tough and with everything else going on in life, an ok fitting bra works for now. Now being always and forever.
It’s no wonder the majority of women don’t love their bras.
If you feel like you’re a June, here’s some guidance to empower you.
The best thing June can do for herself is to physically go to a bra fitting.
It can be hard to find the time and could be confronting given her body will have changed. But a good bra fitting session can do wonders.
Go local and go IRL.
“Where should I go exactly?” asks June.
Go to your area on Google Maps and search for “bra stores near me”. Look for signs they are a small shop or boutique in the description e.g. “snug lingerie shop” or “compact, chic store focusing on ladies’ lingerie”.
Look at their website and especially their “About us” description – if it speaks to their personality and expertise, you’re onto a good thing.
Book an appointment.
If you’re getting the nerves on the way to the appointment just remember bra fitters have no doubt seen boobs like yours before. And if they haven’t, you’re adding a nice surprise to their day. They live for this.
Before you go… have a think about these things so you’re empowered:
Your boob shape. It will impact the bra type you’ll like. If you can discuss this with the bra fitter, you’ll end up in a better place.
Your possible bra size. The bra fitter will fit you (as per the job title) but if you have an idea of your current body (like your body today) this will also be a better conversation. If you feel like the size they mention doesn’t match up, you can ask why vs accepting the bra size presented to you.
There are also two online size calculators that can actually help find your size:
A complicated one: A bra that fits
A more simple on: Sizelytics (used on The Rack Shack)
What you like:
Cups – wired or wireless, more or less material?
Sides – does your current bra cause side spillage?
Straps – thick or skinny or none?
Materials – cotton, silk, lace – what feels and works the best for you?
At the appointment:
When trying on a bra, do a little dance. Just standing in front of the mirror looking at it won’t help you understand if it’s fit for purpose.
If the fitter isn’t listening to you, get out of there. Say anything from (if feeling bold) “you have been blessed to see my breasts, I must now leave” to (if feeling helpless) “thank you for your guidance, I have run out of time and need to head off”.
Some other good resources to prepare yourself:
This video is a quick guide from Caralyn Mirand Koch on what to look for: bra fitting video
This lady also has a really helpful Instagram for all sizes of bras and boobs: The Irish Bra Lady
Notes on the data
Data used was as follows:
Dataset 1: Survey “You and Your Bra” which explored the relationships people have with their bras. Data was collected January-February 2024. n=201
The survey respondents were sourced through social media and an email newsletter and therefore is not a complete representative sample of all bra wearers. To improve this data, please consider completing the survey (link above).
Dataset 2: Web Scraping across 16 major bra brand websites and 4 bra store websites (that sell multiple bras). Sites chosen were sourced through identifying the top selling bra brands in the US, from department store sites, and identified through the survey.
Sites were: Sites: Bare Necessities, Berlei (AUS), Bravissimo, Cacique (Lane Bryant), Chantelle, Cuup, HerRoom, Maidenform, Marks & Spencers, Nordstroms, Panache, Prima Donna, skims, Soma, Spanx, Target, ThirdLove, Triumph (UK), Victoria's Secret, Wacoal
This analysis does not include all bra brand websites, and focuses on the online experience only
Further supporting data was sourced from:
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/14/1196978231/find-a-bra-that-actually-fits
https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/47866-american-women-describe-their-experiences-with-bras
Please note that all recommendations are made by me and have not been endorsed by the site / person mentioned. I do believe these people mentioned are legends.