I know it seems like I keep harping on the same old subject of correct bra fitting, but incredibly there are still 85 % of women wearing the wrong size bra!

Maria was wearing a 16c however after being correctly fitted she was told her true size was 12 DD. In all my years of fitting bras, this is the most common problem.

NUMBERS vs LETTERS

Confusing the back size and cup size usually results in a women who have been self-fitting to keep going up in back size to find a bra big enough rather than going up in cup size.

Numbers are the back size. Example: 10 12 14 etc.
Letters are the cup size B, C, F, DD etc.
Not all B cups or all C cups are the same size. For example – 10 G, 12F, 14E, 16DD and 18D are all the same cup size just different back sizes.

Perception

The next problem is a women’s perception of what size she thinks she is or wants to be and what size she refuses to believe she is. Ultimately she is herself the greatest barrier to finding her proper bra size.

Being fitted by an experienced, professionally trained fitter is the best thing you can do for the wellbeing of your health, comfort and body image. If you are a plus size women or just well-endowed, a correctly fitted bra can make you look 10 years younger and look 10 kilos lighter. It is so much more important to wear the right size and to be comfortable and supported then worrying about what size it is. It is only a number which can vary between brands and styles.

If the size tag bothers you – cut it off! Women with fuller breasts don’t want to admit to having fuller breasts, because a lot of well-known lingerie company’s only go up to a DD cup it gives women the perception that anything over a DD is off the Richter Scale. When in reality DD is more the norm now than a C cup. 40 years ago the average bust size was 12b currently it is 14DD, 16D and growing.

Whatever your bra problem, a proper fitting bra will solve these problems
* Bra riding up back
* Straps slipping off shoulders
* Bulging out the top of cup
* Breasts hanging out underneath cup
* Pinching and digging in of underwire
* Neck and back pain
* Bad posture

Your bra should fit snuggly around your back; if wearing an underwire the wire should fit around the outside of the base of your breast, straps should be adjusted to lift the breast into the natural position taking the strain off the Coopers ligaments that support the breast tissue. This helps prevents sagging of the breast . Cup should encase the breast without any puckering or overflow. Make sure you lift and ease all breast tissue on to the inside of the underwire if you are over flowing go up a cup size if you are not filling the cup go down a cup size.

Effects of Ageing

Vary rarely do women stay the same bra size as they age; we can change bra size many times through the many changes in our life due to pregnancy, menopause, weight fluctuations, health problem etc. As the density of our breast tissue and our body shape changes, so do our bra needs. Changing this will result in the best comfort, support, appearance and a better posture.

If you need assistance with finding your fit, come into the Fairy Meadow and Warilla stores and let the specialists at CasaMia Lingerie help you today.