CHOOSING THE RIGHT BRA
Most women pick the wrong one
Falling bra straps and shoulder divots. Bands that ride up. Wires that poke your ribs. The dreaded back roll. Breasts that spill out of cups. These are just some of the exasperating things women put up with every day.
Studies consistently show that more than 80 per cent of women — some say even more — are wearing the wrong bra. Many of the studies are done by bra companies, including Triumph and Jockey. One 2013 French study even advocated going braless because “medically, physiologically and anatomically” breasts don’t benefit from being supported.
Collette Hamon, owner of Bratopia, says the stats for ill-fitting bras are spot on, while Ashley Caron, manager of Knickers ’N Lace, thinks the number is even higher.
Since many of us are walking around in an over- or under-sized bra, it’s fair to wonder if it will affect our health. Thankfully, you won’t get cancer from wearing the wrong bra, a rumour that has been debunked more than once by both the American and Canadian cancer societies.
However, it has been proven that women of all sizes who wear the wrong bra can eventually suffer back, shoulder and neck problems. Wearing an ill-fitting bra can also influence how you view yourself in the mirror, since your clothes might not fit properly. It’s a bit like the pulling and gaping space on a too-tight blouse.
Women have been trying to corral and contort their breasts for nearly 500 years. A broad array of materials have been tried — including wood, wool, whalebone and wires, depending on the fashion of the day.
After half a millennium, you’d think this problem would have been solved. You might even think, ‘ hey, there should be an app for that.’ And there is.
A U.K. company called curvykate. com employs a “bra whisperer” who will guess your size when you send pictures of yourself from three different angles. The U.S.based True and Company takes fitting up a notch, with a fit quiz and online consultation.
Hamon sees women every day in her shop who wrestle with the negative self-talk that often accompanies the dressing room brafitting experience.
Is it any wonder that the majority of women have breast size hangups, which can start from the day they got their first bra? The constant fashion images of the ideal breast size (typically 36D) and pop culture articles about perfect breasts only serve to make many women feel inferior.
Fashion magazines, the fashion industry and postings on social media “can lead women to compare themselves to that image,” says Michelle Keough, who works with the Calgary Counselling Centre. “And that leads them to think that ‘my body is not normal,’ ” she says.
“The comparison can get in the way and take over.”
The standardized North American A to D cup sizes have been around since the 1930s. Little has changed, although there have been strides with features like moulded cups and more fashion-forward styles with Swarovski jewels and French lace. Although there is a dizzying array of brands to choose
from, department stores and retailers generally carry AA to DD in 16 sizes that range from 32 to 38, says Hamon.
The reason many women don’t get a proper fit is because, despite all the colour and brand choices, the sizing is limited at most big retailers, says Hamon.
“Women come in more shapes and sizes than just (the 16) offered.”
Hamon opened Bratopia after failing to find a suitable bra after the birth of her second child. She ended up hating the expensive bra she was fitted with, and resorted to wearing sports bras. “I thought there had to be a better way.”
Her first experience with a goodfitting bra was with Enell, which she now carries in her shop. The company was started by a female equestrian rider looking for support while riding, and it got a big boost when Oprah endorsed it. Enell comes in sizes from 00 for small-breasted women to 8, using its own sizing system that measure rib plus bust to determine fit.
Hamon sources brands that offer sizes beyond the standard offerings. She carries about 14,000 bras in sizes from 28AAA to 48 Hs, Js, and Ks.
Kate McGrath, who works with Hamon, says women with large, medium or small busts typically walk through the door, predicting there won’t be anything for them.
“We work hard to change the narrative, whether you’re curvy or slim and petite — it’s sharing body love,” says Hamon.
It seems the search for the perfect and discreet bra is more difficult for North American women.
“If you’re brought up in Europe, your bra is part of your wardrobe; how a bra fits, it’s part of your essence,” says Ashley Caron, of Knickers ’N Lace in Willow Park. “Here (in North America), we want the bra to disappear, we don’t want anything to show.”
Like Hamon, Caron encourages women to “embrace yourself and your own beauty and accept who you are.”
Rarely does a woman stay the same size for her entire life. Babies are nursed, weight is gained and lost, mastectomies and breast reconstruction are performed, and some women have breast augmentation or reduction.
“Everyone is comparing themselves to when they were 16,” says Caron.
That’s where a good fitting bra can make a woman feel better about herself.
“Absolutely, one hundred per cent,” says Caron. “If a bra is fitting correctly, your clothes will fit you differently and better.”