Rarely does a day at Grail pass without some version of the following scene: a customer, having just put on a new well-fitting bra, points at their underarm area and asks, “Is this normal? Does [anything lumpy, bumpy, or squishy] mean there’s a problem with the bra?” Our fitting team likes to say that “bodies are squishy,” which is true! We’re not trying to be flippant, though. The fact is that, like other facets of the body images we’re regularly exposed to through social media (or print advertising, depending on your influences), we’re so inundated with doctored or misleading depictions, a lot of folks aren’t aware of what are or aren’t “normal” characteristics of a human body.

Let’s start with extra skin in the armpit area, which might be seen as fullness or a sort of bulge above the bra band. Depending on the bra and on your particular body, it may even slightly overhang the top of the material. Clients sometimes refer to this as “armpit fat,” but much like “back fat,” on many of us, this is really mostly just skin.

Some loose skin in the underarm area is a normal, healthy, and functional feature of a human body! Why? We need it for proper range of motion in our arms and torsos. When we stretch out, it takes up all the slack. If our armpit skin was already super taut while we rested in a relaxed pose, we wouldn’t be able to reach, extend, or rotate normally. The skin might even tear, which sounds super awful.

What if you’re really bothered by how a properly snug, well-fitting bra band makes this area of your body look, though? Your aesthetic preferences are valid, and fortunately, you have options. Different bra styles have different coverage levels, not just with respect to the cups, but also for the band as it traverses your sides and back. If you feel that a particular bra creates an unflattering underarm effect, look for a style with a wider band. Although side squishiness is quite normal and not indicative of a poorly-fitting bra, that doesn’t mean that a well-fitting bra has to make your sides bulge.

I’d say that most of the folks we work with probably prefer more side (and back) coverage on their bras, for appearance-based reasons. For your comfort, though, just watch out for bras that hit too high under your arms or cut too close to the fold of your arms. I would also advise against increasing your bra band size only for aesthetics. It’s your body and your bra; the wearer always gets the final and only vote on the matter. However, compromising a bra’s function based on looks isn’t ideal. When possible, it’s much better to experiment with different bra styles until you find one that can meet the benchmarks for functionality without making you feel self-conscious about your own body. The materials of a brand-new bra are also tighter and stiffer than they will be after they break in, which can somewhat affect how the bra behaves.

Next, let’s talk about the fold of tissue right at the corner of your armpit. It’s that little bulge between your boob and your underarm. Clients have also described this feature to me as “armpit fat” and expressed dissatisfaction with its appearance. BUT, this is a 100% normal, completely natural and healthy part of your body! It’s called the Tail of Spence or the Axillary Tail. It’s not fat; this structure is breast tissue (though generally not considered to be part of “the boob” per se) and contains a pair of lymph nodes. If you have developed breast tissue, and you have not had any surgical alteration to the area, you have a Tail of Spence. It is more prominent on some bodies than others, but it is there.

Your Tail(s) of Spence aren’t bad, gross, or indicative a poor bra fit. Most bra styles will not cover them, since they’re so close to the fold of the armpit. A few very high-coverage styles might, though, or possibly some styles with less coverage if you have a shorter distance between your armpit and underbust. There’s a great piece of art from @Selflovable_, formerly @the_motivat_her, that gets right to the point:

There is one sign of a poor bra fit that can show up under the arms that you should be aware of because it indicates a potentially significant problem. When a bra’s cups don’t have enough space to contain the entire breast, tissue can be forced out of the side of the cups. This may or may occur along with spillover or a “quad-boob” effect at the neckline. Folks sometimes have a difficult time telling the difference between the normal armpit area of fullness caused by the Tail of Spence and the abnormal bulge of too much breast tissue trying to escape from undersized bra cups. Observe the picture below to help differentiate between the two.

There you have it! Bodies are squishy, underarms aren’t smooth, and any Instagram or other images that would lead you to believe otherwise are the result of strategic angles and/or photo editing. Your bra cups should be sized & shaped appropriately to contain your entire breasts, though.

(Thank you to our lovely pigeon model for humoring me for this post!)