The DD Myth

I've been hoping to have the time to write a post about this for a few weeks now!  One of my friends read my fitting advice and measured herself.  Then, she sent me a message about how I was right- that the band size went down, but the cup size going up was scary.  I asked what cup size the measurements gave her, and she said D.  Why are so many women scared of D+ cup sizes?

As a society, we are constantly deluged with images of women, quite frankly, wearing bras that don't fit them!  We are shown over and over again, thanks to advertising from the likes of Victoria's Secret, how a "DD" woman should look.  Trust me when I say that the models of VS are nearly all in the wrong size. They should wear larger than a DD cup.  But nevertheless, we are taught that any cup size over DD is unusual and has a stigma attached to it.   There are many women who don't even know that sizes over a DD exist, and the sad part is that some of them work in department store lingerie departments!

A grand example of a VS sizing mishap is Ms Tyra Banks, who has said on national TV that she is a DD cup! 

I'm sorry, Tyra, but this bra does not fit!!  The cups are smooshing her boobs, the center gore (where the cups meet in the middle) isn't laying flat on her ribcage, the underwires aren't touching her ribcage, and she is getting the side boob effect.

Nevertheless, women believe two things about this picture: A) This is how a bra should fit; B) That DD boobs look like this. 

Ah, but maybe it's just the bra that is the problem, and it just didn't fit quite right because of the style?  Surely a VS model would know her own size!?

Okay, this one doesn't seem so bad!  Ha!  I KNEW Tyra was a DD! This bra fits...right?

Erm, not so much. Her band is riding up her back!  I didn't mean for this to turn into any kind of Tyra, or VS bashing.  However, this post IS about the DD myth.  A myth that has been brought about by years of women publicly declaring that they are a DD when they are not, making the rest of society think that A)there is no way they could ever possibly fit into a DD, no matter the band size!, and B) If this is a DD, then anything above that must be freakishly huge.

It's really not, in my opinion.  Here is where I think Tyra fits a little better, the G range:

What do I see when I look at this? Average, everyday women wearing bras that fit them well, owning their size.  There is nothing wrong or freakish about it.  So why do so many women scoff when they hear of any size over a DD?  It is appalling that it happens, but I think it is due to the wrong information and women being fitted into the wrong bra size!

Another example of a mis-declaration of DD-ness comes from sexy, curvy, Christina Hendricks 

Christina, please stop telling the world that you are a DD!  I believe it was Vanity Fair that she said she was something like a 38DD.  She has a tiny ribcage- she is no 38!!  And if you go down in the band, you must go up in the cup to get the same coverage.

So, for all this telling you what DD doesn't look like, let me share a little of what it does look like. These are all D or DD women:

Not what the media portrays, but real life D/DD women. Perfectly normal size, and nothing to be scared of, no?  Perhaps you see someone who looks a bit like you, but you are still wearing a band that is too big, and the wrong cup size?

I often say that women have to see to believe.  Moreover, they have to try on to believe!  Since I do my own fittings for people (mostly, I take over Nordstrom's for an hour or two...), I do try to have some example sizes on hand.  One such bra is a 30D by Betsey Johnson.  I have made two 32A's believers with just that one bra.  Both of whom, even after looking at the bra, thought a D could 'never fit' them. All the while, the band was too big on one of them, so she would need a 28DD!  Another girl that I refit from a 34B to a 30DD actually bought my 30DD Betsey Johnson from me because she was so happy with the fit. 

The point is, DD is not as large busted as the media portrays.  Most of the women who claim to be DD really should be wearing a smaller band/larger cup.  Keep in mind that the cup size is all relative to the band size.  And as the band number decreases, so does the physical size of the cup. 

Here is an awesome example of how the same cup letter is not the same cup size:

Yes, this is done with A cups, but the fact remains true for every cup letter there is!

I hope this will lessen the fear out there when it comes to D+ cup sizes.  I can only hope that one day, this knowledge will be more widespread, and the stigma surrounding DD will be erased.  There are many of us out there trying to spread the word- changing women's lives, one bra at a time! 

Check out one of those places, called The Bra Band Project. http://www.flickr.com/photos/76304212@N06/   It was put together by a few of my fellow bra bloggers. The primary goal is to get manufacturers to see that there is a demand for band sizes under 32.  All the women in the photos are 24-30 bands and D+ cups.

Remember, we are all beautiful, no matter the cup size.  And if a bra fits you well, does it really matter what the numbers and letters attached to it say?  I dare to think not!  So go out and find your perfectly fitting bra, and to hell with what the tag says!

<3
Laura

My Guest Blogging on FullerFigureFullerBust

A while back, I'd asked friend and fellow blogger, Georgina of FullerFigureFullerBust, if I could possibly do a guest post for her on the breast reduction I'd had almost 10 years ago.  She didn't hesitate to say, "Of course!" but then I became really busy with my upcoming wedding.  While I was actually going through my decision I'd kept a really detailed notebook about it all, and since we've moved, I have not been able to find it!  So, I wrote another one and sent it off to Miss Georgina, with all the details I could remember.  Perhaps one day, I will find my original musings on the subject, but  for now:  http://fullerfigurefullerbust.com/2012/07/13/my-breast-reduction-journey-by-laura/

I know a lot of women don't like to talk about this subject.  Some women are insulted that anyone would want to get a reduction, and for that I am sorry.  It's not up to anyone else to decide these things, but the person going through it.  For me, it was more than a minor annoyance.  It was an obsession, and a lot of self hate for years and I finally decided that if I was able to change it, then I should.  And honestly, I think it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  Have my breasts grown back?  Yes.  But the reduction wasn't all for nothing.  I got my self worth back in the process. 

<3
Laura

What is a BRAvolution?

As I said in my previous post, the US is really in dire need of a bra fit make over.  A Bra Revolution, or BRAvolution, if you will.  And not just for larger cup sizes, either.  Smaller chested women are wearing bras that don't fit too.  It frustrates and saddens me when a smaller chested woman tells me that it doesn't matter if her bra fits- because she is too small for it to make a difference.  It does make a difference for you too!  I'm not just talking about what size you get to tell people you are (because it will change), but having better lift and coverage will keep your girls looking perky for longer.  Even smaller breasts suffer the dreaded tissue migration over time. 

So how and why does the method I am imploring you to use differ from the way any store would do it? 

When you go to a store for a fitting, they will measure you around your ribcage just under your bust, or as Victoria's Secret does- ABOVE the breasts?!,  (except for Intimacy, but I'll discuss them later).  They get a number (lets use 30).  Then, they add on 4-6 inches (Nordstrom's adds 2).  So, if you were shopping at good ol' VS, they would suggest a 34 or 36 band for you.  Then, they measure you across the fullest part of your bust (lets say 36).  They would then take the bust measurement, and subtract the new band size (we will say 34 for today) which gives us the number 2, which then corresponds to a cup size: A,B.  In VS land, you would go home with a 34B, and a bra that will ride up your back and barely touch your body.

But WHY do they add inches on?  When bras were first introduced as something more then a couple of hankies tied together, they were mostly made of cotton.  I'm sure we all have right now, in our heads, an image of the stiff, white, cotton bras that our mothers used to tell us about.  The point is, there wasn't much stretch to the material, so they added inches in.  Bras these days are made out of much more elastic material. They are made to stretch around and hug your body.

Lets try a bra fitting without adding in those inches and see what we come up with.  Measure around your ribcage, right under your bust (never measure OVER your bust, unless you are planning on wearing the bra upside down...? The band will sit under your boobs, so we will measure where the band sits).  Make sure you measure level all the way around.  We will use the same number 30 from before, but this time it will be our band size.  Then measure (level all the way around) your bust.  Again, we get 36.  Subtract the bust number from the band number- we get 6.  Again, each number corresponds to a cup size: A,B,C,D,DD,E.  30E verses 34B! 

Again, this is a starting point.  All bras are made with tighter or looser bands, bigger or smaller cups for the same sizes.  It really is trial and error. 

So why don't stores measure like this?  One issue is the product line just isn't there.  And they don't want to spend millions making new bra sizes.  People are still buying sizes that don't fit, but are widely available, so the companies are still making money.  Why change?  Another reason, which I have discussed at length with Nordstrom's Fit Coordinator, is that they think that smaller chested women would not be comfortable wearing bras that fit snugly.  They fear that there isn't enough breast tissue to make it comfortable (but having a bra that shifts around all day, rubbing up on the body causing irritation is MORE comfortable?).  Being large chested, like myself, they know that a snug band will help support the large chest, so it makes more sense to them.  I say- Boobs are Boobs and should be supported equally, whether large or small. 

I have re-fit a handful of VS 34B's into 28/30 DD/E's and they really cannot be any happier with their bras.  They will never go back to their old size, because even though they may have a smaller chest, they still love the support that a snug band offers.  They love that their bra doesn't ride up their backs, that their straps aren't always falling down, that their center gore stays where is it supposed to stay. They also love their new size, and explaining all about the BRAvolution when someone tells them that they can't possibly be a DD.  They can, they are, and they are more comfortable for it!  We say "cup size" like each letter is the same size cup, no matter the band size.  This isn't true.  Each cup letter varies in size, depending on the band.  A 30DD is much smaller physically in the cup than a 36DD.

If you plan on going with this method (you can thank me later  ;)  ), I will give you one warning.  Going from a 34/36 back to a 30 (or the like) will feel very different.  At first, you may feel like it is way too tight.  But remember, you have been wearing bras that had virtually NO contact with your body.  I suggest for the newbies, invest in a bra band extender.  It is relatively cheap to buy and is essentially just an extra hook set for your bra.  It will allow you to get a bra in your true size, but also give you the benefit of easing into wearing a more snug band.  It usually takes four or five wears to get used to something more snug.  Most people can't go from a 36 to a 30 straight away.  But once you get used to it, you really won't go back!

So to re-cap, don't add inches onto your ribcage measurement.  Use your ribcage measurement AS your band size (if you measure in-between band sizes, 27,29,31,33,35,37,39, try bands in the sizes above and below your measurement. Each bra will have a different stretch to the band).

Oh, and I almost forgot to get back to Intimacy!  They are a boutique lingerie store in the US, and they don't use measuring tape at all.  They fit completely on the rules of good fit.  My one gripe with them is that they still don't carry much under a 32 band.  They have an alteration program there, so they will take a 32 band and alter it down to fit.  But this also has an effect of distorting the wires in the cups a bit, so I'd rather just get my size to begin with.  I'd rather use alterations to have them take my worn & stretched out bands back to their original size.  ;) 


<3
Laura

BRAvolution blogging, here we come!

Hi all!  My name is Laura and I hope if you have stumbled upon my humble blog it is because you are a woman (first and foremost) who is fed up with her ill fitting bras.  Or you are a woman who thinks bras are supposed to be uncomfortable (they really can be comfortable!!)

I started my BRAvolution as a Facebook Group (still running- and for women's eyes only!) last year when, yet another, specialty lingerie shop in my area did not carry my size (at the time, I thought I was a 30G).  My frustration lead me to lead a lot of conversations with my friends and co-workers about bras and how they fit, and to start my Facebook group.  Stores in the US rarely carry any band size under 32, which is unfortunate.  I realized that many women just don't know how bras should be fitting them.  I am not as thin as I used to be, and certainly not the thinnest person I know, and I was wearing a 30 band, but being told over and over again that there 'just is no demand for 30 bands.'  (Well, of course not if these stores are adding 4-6 inches to your natural ribcage measurement to get your band size)

If there were ever a less true statement...  The real issue, I've discovered, is the lack of bra fit education.  How many of you went in to the local department store, specialty store, or Victoria's Secret, and have had a "professional fitting?"  Surely, these women are trained professionals who will find me my perfect bra....right?  Sometimes, the answer is Yes!, but more often than not you leave the store depressed and feeling "freakish" for having such a hard time finding something that just semi-fits.  You put so much trust into the woman who is fitting you.  Keep in mind that a lot of these stores work their fitters off of commissions.  They need to sell you something, anything, to make extra money.  But if you are willing to educate yourself on how a bra should fit, you can be confident in what you buy. 

While I am keeping my closed BRAvolution Facebook Group as a closed group (you have to ask to join, or be added in by a friend who is already in the group- I will not add you in if I am not sure you are a real woman & not some slimy guy who is just posing to get in).  It is a closed group for those of us who want to ask questions or post photo examples or photos of issues in a safe and positive environment.  We are a friendly group who help each other out and I aim to keep that kind of atmosphere.  But I do recognize that a closed FB group limits me to how many women I can reach, which is the reason I am starting a blog. 

The United States is epically failing at bra fitting, and it is my mission to change this- one person at a time.  The more women who become educated on bra fitting, the more women who will be buying their sizes. This means stores here will have no choice but to take a look at the sizes they carry and begin to offer a better range AND better fitting advice.  Bras are actually pretty darn comfortable to wear, I promise!  I have re-fit enough women to know that although you'll be skeptical at first, wearing a band that is closer to your natural ribcage measurement is more comfortable and better for you long term.

Who will stand with me and challenge the way bras are measured for in the US?

<3
Laura