Misadventures in Bra Fitting- Guest Blog

 The next guest blog post comes from Jessi.  She's long suffered from fittings that were just plain WRONG about her size.  She is finally taking matters into her own hands. 

"38 DD! Oh my god you're going to topple over!" 

That was my first ever experience being sized in a department store. The elderly Macy's employee loosely took a bunch of measurements, came up with that size and loudly exclaimed it for the whole store to hear. Heads turned and looked in my direction. It was humiliating. I was about 13, then.

When I was 17, I became pregnant with my first child, and my breasts jumped up in size. Motherhood Maternity, not wanting to miss out on a sale, decided I was probably a 40E. Some friends dubbed me "Jess-E."  You see - I've always been the girl "with the boobs." They've taken on an identity of their own, and people have always just affiliated me with them. You name it, I'm certain someone has said it or called me it. "Sugar tits?" Check. "Breastica?" Been there, called that. "You have the biggest boobs I have ever seen!" Cool, I hear that several times a day!And of course, the abundant "What are you? Like a DD?!" The real answer to that question?  Despite the girls having a life all their own, I still have absolutely no clue what size I am, or what brands work.

I very recently finally realized that I should not have to push my breast tissue back into my rib cage to force my breasts into my cups without spilling over the top, and started seeking other options. Until that point, I had been forcing myself into 40G's from Cacique by Lane Bryant, which gave me quad boob and rode up my back all at once. I was recently introduced to a group known as "Bravolution" on Facebook, and got a lot of sizing and fit advice. I measured myself and assumed I was probably somewhere near a 38J, and I know that the area where the center gore of a bra should sit on me is quite narrow, so I ordered a panache Ariza, and in a 38K to be safe. The cups were too small, the band was swimming on me, and the wires stabbed horribly into my arm pits. No go on that! I got a killer deal on a Curvy Kate Lottie in a 36JJ, so I purchased it. The cups flattened the tops of my breasts, thus making them have a football like shape. Hilarious, but clearly the wrong size. I ordered a Parfait by Affinitas Sophia in a 36K, the band is huge on me, and the cups are too small, and also too shallow in the bottom.

I've decided I need to go into a 34 band, because everything else just ramps up my back after a wear or so. Some people have told me that this could be because of tissue migrating. Who knows, at this point! I refuse to just give up knowing that I am so close, though. I am planning on ordering some Ewa Michalak and will update you all on how it goes, so stay tuned for my fitting misadventures!

Here are some pictures of Jessi's trial & errors:

I'm hoping to continue with updates from Jessi as she goes through her bra fitting transition.  The problem with not finding what fits you in a store is that you have to online shop.  Don't get me wrong- online shopping is great.  You get tons of selection you wouldn't otherwise have available.  However, online bra fitting can entail a lot of ordering, sending back, and re-ordering.  It all takes time, and can be frustrating.  There is one place that I know of that does a fit program- for one $45 refundable price, they send you five bras to try:   True & Co  They start at 32 bands, and worth checking out.  Stay tuned for more of Jessi's journey!

<3

Laura