Bra-wareness

Perusing through Facebook is a great distraction. I’m certainly guilty of doing that from time to time.

A few days ago, whilst distracting myself from some chores that really needed my attention, I noticed that almost all of the people appearing on my news feed were changing their status to a colour. There was no sentence before or after to explain what the colour meant. People were just posting words like, “orange,” “pink lace” and “white.” Clearly, I was confused – and terribly curious as to what all of this was for.

After sending what seemed like endless messages to friends, as well as reading other people’s statuses that read, “What is with all of these colours?” – I finally discovered that it was to raise breast cancer awareness.

The idea was to get people talking – and it did. It was such a neat idea and a refreshing way to see people utilize a social network like Facebook – especially since breast cancer awareness month isn’t until October.

This got me thinking about the way women generally regard breast awareness. About 80% of women aren’t wearing the right bra size, and most often, it’s because they don’t know what the right size is. It’s been years since Oprah gave us all the low-down on the do’s and don’ts of finding a bra that fits, and this startling statistic still continues to haunt my dreams – and most underwear drawers in the world, I’m sure. 

Not wanting to wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming about “double-boob,” underwires poking out of bra cups and other ghastly sights, I’ve enlisted the help of a professional bra fitter to spread the uplifting word about the proper fitting bra.

Aleksandra Trajkovic works for CHANGE of Scandinavia, a lingerie store dedicated to getting you into “The perfect bra at the perfect price.” Apparently, most women don’t know what their size is, because most women have no idea that the size they actually need exists. She said, “Think of it this way, it’s like North American buyers took European B, C, D, DD, and F cups and called them A, B, C, D and DD.” Let’s not get into the details of all of that right now – believe me, it only gets more confusing.

According to Trajkovic, figuring out your bra size on your own isn’t such a good idea. “You need someone to measure you,” she said. “A true professional will not only find your size, but help you to find the right bra style to fit your shape.”

Since self-sizing appears to be out of the question, here are some tips to consider to check if you’re wearing the wrong size:

Is the band of your bra loose?
A loose fit means that your bra is lacking support. Most women ‘solve’ this problem by tightening their bra straps, which is a definite don’t. “When you tighten your bra straps too much – regardless of your cup size or how much support you think you need – you put a lot of strain on your shoulers,” Trajkovic said. “That can get really painful as your day goes on.”

When buying a bra, make sure that it fits snugly on the outer hook – not the inner or “tightest” hook. This ensures longevity, because as your bra band stretches over time, you can adjust your hook to maintain that snug fit.

Are the cups fitting properly?
“‘Double boob’ happens when women are wearing a cup that is too small,” said Trajkovic. You’ll know if you have this problem when it looks like or you feel that you are “spilling” out of your bra. “Just go up one cup size,” said Trajkovic. “If that means going from a C cup to a D cup – then fine. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

At CHANGE, cup sizes range from an A cup to a J cup – so don’t be alarmed by the cup size you’re told you are. “Just focus on how great it’s going to look, and how well it’s going to support,” said Trajkovic.

Is your bra’s underwire causing discomfort/pain?
An uncomfortable underwire usually means that it’s too small. “Your bra’s underwire should fit around the circumference of the breast,” said Trajkovic. “Most women tell me that they’d prefer not to have an underwire bra, but that’s because the underwire they’ve worn pokes them.” If you’ve ever had welts on your skin around the underwire area, then your underwire was likely too small – yet another reason to get a bigger cup size.

— Kate Aenlle