robotrecall wrote:
No idea what my actual bra size is because I'm pretty sure I'm wearing the wrong size. Calculators don't help either. I have 5 bras I own, and 3 of them don't fit right. I have 3 34b's, a 34c and a 32d, and only the one 32d and 34b actually seems to fit me correctly. The bust sizes for the other three fit right, but the bands are too big. I'm not sure if I'm a 32e or a 32d really tho. My bust is 37" and band is 32". Also tired of the stereotypical crap of people think cup size= bigger. No, that's not how it works. The cup sizes means the difference between your band measurement and bust measurement.
Unfortunately, you really have to try things on to figure out what really fits, but most women wear too big a band, and should go down a number (or more) and up a cup size (or more). When you buy a bra, it should feel snug while on the loosest hook. Not snug enough to dig into your skin, but enough the band doesn't shift around or creep up in the back. And no boob spillage, even when your shoulders are back and you've pulled your whole boob up fully into the cup.
Once you are pretty sure you know your size (likely 32d or e), you'll still find that in some brands and styles going up or down a bit makes things fit better. And on top of that, some bras just won't fit right because there are lots of different shapes/placements of boobs, and different shoulder widths, etc, and different bras were made with different boobs/bodies in mind. *sigh.*
The site "bratabase" can be helpful if you are ordering online - users input measurements for different bras, so if you measure one that fits you well, you can find similar ones.
One last note - if you find that going up a cup size means the boob part of the bra is too wide for you (because some bra makers use the same underwire for 36b and 32d, despite the fact that the torso dimensions are different), you may need to go up a band size (34c, using the current example) and then take in the band. You can also bend the underwire to fit the curve of your ribcage to help with that issue. Because underwires digging into ribs/poking armpits are no fun.
_________________
~AQ 32; not formally diagnosed.~