How to Measure for a Correct Bra Fit
Bras as we know them today have only existed since the 1800s. In the past, women primarily wore different kinds of upper-body undergarments, or none at all. Today, bras have become widespread throughout Western society. As a supportive garment, it is important that your bra be as close to perfect as possible in terms of its size and the way it fits you. Anything else will leave you with compromised support, indentation marks on your skin or other problems. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Measure your chest just below your bust line. Do this by lifting your breasts and wrapping the measuring tape around your chest just below them. Record the number to the nearest inch.
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2
Add 5 inches to this measurement. If the resulting number is odd, add 1 inch, since bra sizes are even-numbered only. This will be your bra band size.
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3
Measure your chest at the bustline itself. To do this, wrap the measuring tape around your breasts at their widest and record the number to the nearest inch.
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4
Subtract the first number from the second number. For example, if your chest is 33 inches below the breasts, and you add 5 inches to that, you get 38 for the first number. If your chest is 41 inches around the breasts, and you subtract 38 from 41, you get 3 inches.
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5
Determine your cup size by the size of the difference between the two measurements. One inch equals an A cup, 2 inches equals a B cup, 3 inches equals a C cup and so on. If your band measurement were 38 inches (the figure from Step 2), and the difference between your band measurement and bust measurement were 3 inches, then your bra size would be 38C.
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Try on bras at the store in or near this size. There will be some variation between different models of bra, so feel free to move up or down in chest or cup size if a bra feels too tight or loose around your chest or on your breasts.
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7
Select a bra that rests lightly on your skin. If it squeezes you at any point, it is too tight. If it sags or puckers or hangs freely at any point, it is too loose. A bra that is too tight or too loose will not give your breasts full support and may become uncomfortable to wear through the course of a day.
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Tips & Warnings
This method becomes less accurate if you are plus-sized. In the Resources section there is a link to a reference chart that you can use to determine the correct bra size for various popular brands.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit measuring tape image by Christopher Walker from Fotolia.com
