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dragonlady7As many as 8 in 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra, all these sites say.
Why do you think that is?
Maybe because the bra sizes are meaningless?
I buy from UK manufacturers because I can understand their fit directions. Measure your body where the bra band is going to go. How big is it? That is your band size. Measure the fullest part of your bust. How big is it? Look on this chart! That is your cup size.
Even that is a bit tricky, as the measurements don't take certain aspects of your shape into account.
And then the numbering system breaks down. DD is stupid-- sometimes there's a DDD, seldom there's a DDDD, occasionally there's an E or an EE, and occasionally, very occasionally, they'll double the F too, but once in a while they just go on straight to G.
Why not just have one letter be one size? That's so stupid. And at that size, it's starting to really matter.
Then I found this page yesterday. A US company! That has large-cup bras in attractive designs! And has a how-to-fit page! Wheee!
This one tells me to do something I have never ever ever done before: measure a part of my body where the bra does not go. It wants me to put a measuring tape under my arms, over my shoulder blades, and over the top part of my chest.
A bra does not go there.
It makes more sense, however, than the US manufacturers' charts that say, "Measure where the band of the bra will go, and then add a random number." This chart cracks me up because then it says, "Beware, because European sizes run small!" No they don't, they just measure a different part of the body-- a part of the body where the bra actually goes.
Depending on where I put the measuring tape, I get either 36 or 38 inches. Which is kind of a big difference; if it's 38, then I'm a DDD, which would be a relief because sometimes department stores carry DDDs-- but I know it can't be true, because I've tried on DDDs and bulged out of them to a ridiculous extent. But if it's 36, then I'm an FF, which is ludicrous because I've never seen an FF in any store anywhere. I know Frederick's of Hollywood's largest size is a DDDD which they call an F, and I don't fit that one. So I think I probably am a FF, by this chart, but sweet Jesus, could they make it more confusing?
Ha ha ha ha, I'm looking through their site now and they have both DDDD and F, and then FF. How's a girl to know which size she is, if one of those isn't on the size chart? They're listed separately.
I don't like buying British bras because they're so expensive, but this site is sort of showing me that it sort of doesn't matter. Apparently bras for normal people can be $25 if they want, but large-cup bras are $60 or more no matter what currency I use. Bah.
Head a splode.
I'm going to come up with my own measuring system, and make up a massive list of what bra manufacturers' bras are in Real Sizes. That's going to be my crusade.
Why do you think that is?
Maybe because the bra sizes are meaningless?
I buy from UK manufacturers because I can understand their fit directions. Measure your body where the bra band is going to go. How big is it? That is your band size. Measure the fullest part of your bust. How big is it? Look on this chart! That is your cup size.
Even that is a bit tricky, as the measurements don't take certain aspects of your shape into account.
And then the numbering system breaks down. DD is stupid-- sometimes there's a DDD, seldom there's a DDDD, occasionally there's an E or an EE, and occasionally, very occasionally, they'll double the F too, but once in a while they just go on straight to G.
Why not just have one letter be one size? That's so stupid. And at that size, it's starting to really matter.
Then I found this page yesterday. A US company! That has large-cup bras in attractive designs! And has a how-to-fit page! Wheee!
This one tells me to do something I have never ever ever done before: measure a part of my body where the bra does not go. It wants me to put a measuring tape under my arms, over my shoulder blades, and over the top part of my chest.
A bra does not go there.
It makes more sense, however, than the US manufacturers' charts that say, "Measure where the band of the bra will go, and then add a random number." This chart cracks me up because then it says, "Beware, because European sizes run small!" No they don't, they just measure a different part of the body-- a part of the body where the bra actually goes.
Depending on where I put the measuring tape, I get either 36 or 38 inches. Which is kind of a big difference; if it's 38, then I'm a DDD, which would be a relief because sometimes department stores carry DDDs-- but I know it can't be true, because I've tried on DDDs and bulged out of them to a ridiculous extent. But if it's 36, then I'm an FF, which is ludicrous because I've never seen an FF in any store anywhere. I know Frederick's of Hollywood's largest size is a DDDD which they call an F, and I don't fit that one. So I think I probably am a FF, by this chart, but sweet Jesus, could they make it more confusing?
Ha ha ha ha, I'm looking through their site now and they have both DDDD and F, and then FF. How's a girl to know which size she is, if one of those isn't on the size chart? They're listed separately.
I don't like buying British bras because they're so expensive, but this site is sort of showing me that it sort of doesn't matter. Apparently bras for normal people can be $25 if they want, but large-cup bras are $60 or more no matter what currency I use. Bah.
Head a splode.
I'm going to come up with my own measuring system, and make up a massive list of what bra manufacturers' bras are in Real Sizes. That's going to be my crusade.
