Take the weight off your shoulders
Proper fit is key when trying to find the right bra, experts say
Over the past two decades, with help from the media (especially Oprah), women are learning the importance of finding the right bra and the right fit. With an increase in demand have come specialty boutiques with bra-fitters at the ready.
Dawn Bell and Robin Molyneaux each own bra and lingerie shops in Edmonton and spend their work lives helping women feel more comfortable and confident — 80 per cent of women, says Molyneaux, are wearing the wrong size.
What does every woman need to know before she buys her next bra?
DON’T GO IT ALONE
Neither Bell nor Molyneaux let customers go into the change room without an experienced bra-fitter helping them. Bell doesn’t want women trying to fit themselves into a specific bra, rather, she’d like to show the customer several beautiful options that work for her body type. “A lot of women might be confused when they come in because there’s not a lot of stuff on racks, but we get the right fit first, and then you’re just looking at the product that’s going to work for you,” she says.
FOUR SIZES DON’T FIT ALL
The most common mistake women make when they’re bra-shopping, says Bell, is choosing the wrong size. “A lot of women are thinking department-store sizes, they don’t even know there are sizes bigger than that. So, they’re getting the best fit with the sizes that are available but it doesn’t mean that it’s the right fit,” she says. “We go from a double A cup to an N cup, and from a 28 band size to a 58 band size.”
Forget what you think you know about sizes, says Molyneaux. “... Once you’re in the right size it makes a huge difference. It takes the weight off your shoulders. A band is what should be doing most of the work — not your straps.” IT’S ABOUT YOUR HEALTH, TOO
Wearing the wrong- size bra “... can create headaches and migraines,” says Bell. “Or you could get back aches, shoulder aches, or pinched nerves in your shoulders, and it can go right down into your legs with muscle spasms. If your shoulders are supporting your breasts, you’re creating so much pressure on your upper body, and it really should be your back that’s supporting your breasts and holding you in a better posture.”
WASH OFTEN
Since the tension of the band is what’s holding your breasts up, keeping it in top shape is key to
your bra’s longevity. “Believe it or not, you should be washing your bra after every second wear,” says Molyneaux. “Most people think the fewer times you wash it, the longer it will last and, actually, it’s the opposite. The oils in your body get into the fabric ... Washing it cleans it out and it breathes again.” SPORTS BRAS AREN’T CREATED EQUAL
What sports bra you need depends on your bust size, the level of intensity of your sport or workout, and the strength of your breasts’ connective tissue. “You have to think: ligaments and your pectoral muscles are the things that hold your breast tissue to your chest wall, and those are the things that go first,” says Molyneaux. “This is where sports bras come in — if you’re jumping up and down and exercising, you’ve got nowhere to go but south, even if you’re small-busted. If you can keep your breasts supported, they’ll stay in better shape.”
GET FITTED OFTEN
Our bodies change over the years, and so, too, do our breasts. Weight-fluctuation, child-bearing, menopause and just plain aging can cause them to get bigger or smaller.
“Even if your weight doesn’t change, you should be re-fit every couple of years because your body still changes,” says Bell.