The first picture is a collection of bras that I wore at various times before banishing them to the Lingerie Drawer of Disappointment. Most are 36Bs. There are also a few 34Bs and 38Bs. I did not understand the relative nature of bra cup sizing, and I can’t even recall anymore what made me so sure I needed a B cup in the first place, other than thinking I “looked like about a B-cup.” (Again, I did not yet understand how bra sizing worked.) I was walking around in bands up to 4 inches too loose, cups up to 2 sizes small, or some awkward combination of the two. The second photo is a selfie I took during that time period, provocatively eating a giant calzone by myself, face blurred to protect the ill-fitting. 😅 That was my favorite bra for at least a year, a Victoria’s Secret 34B, and everything about it is a hot mess. It barely covered me.
The absolute worst bra I ever owned, top right in the first photo, was supposed to fix all this. I bought a Jockey Bra Fit Kit, which circumvents regular bra sizing. Instead, they mail you a color-coded measuring tape and a set of plastic cups, which you place on your breast and decide which matches your volume most closely. I ended up with a 2/32 and wore that bra twice at most. It was almost impressively uncomfortable. The shape didn’t match my body at all; the cups were so shallow that the curve on the cup underside was practically vertical. Worse, for some reason the underwire was as thick as a pen and angled into my sternum, actually digging in and gouging me as I moved. It was miserable.
Eventually I stumbled across r/abrathatfits on Reddit. Newly empowered with bra fit facts, I measured myself… wildly inaccurately, unfortunately. I decided that I needed a 30 band, which I discovered wasn’t sold by any local retailers. I ordered a bunch of bras online and was upset when none of them fit at all. I ended up keeping what I thought was the best of the bunch, a Wacoal 30D (top left). I had to wear it with a band extender because I couldn’t even clasp it without one. I’d gone from bad to arguably worse… I was still 2 cup sizes too small, but now my bra band was also crushing me.
I may never have gotten straightened out, except I finally admitted that I needed professional help and made a trip to Necessities by Sherrie in Snellville for a fitting. The difference was incredible. I walked out of there in a Natori Feathers bra, size 34DD (the cups on Feathers run a bit small), a bra style that I still adore and wear regularly. The experience left a huge impression on me and stoked my desire to better understand the nuances of bra fit. It was the point at which the struggle became the journey.
If you come to me for a fitting and your current bra is a disaster, you have my promise that I’m not casting judgement! Most of us have never had bra sizing or the characteristics of a good fit explained to us. It’s super normal and easily remedied! I’m here to be your resource. 😊
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