Of Inches and Cups.

January 2011

Living Magazine 

• Does your bust bulge out at the top, sides or bottom of your bra?
• Does your bust fall out or become visible beneath the bra?
• Do you have red marks and welts around your body after taking off your bra?
• Does the back band ride up above your shoulder blades?
• Do your bra cups look wrinkly?
• Does your bra centerpiece sit away from your body

If your answer is positive to any of the questions then it is high time you get yourself measured up for a correct bra size.

Most of us start wearing a bra from middle school but astoundingly enough, between all the numbers and formulas we are never taught how to wear and properly manage our undergarments. We wear a bra because of habit, because it is a feminine tradition and most of the times because we are dictated to do so according to the society’s code of conduct. What we do not consider is the fact that wearing the right bra is actually good health wise and psychology wise. For one thing it endows confidence and for another it makes the chest look its best irrespective of the size.

In spite of wearing a bra like a second skin, many women often forget the importance of wearing a right sized bra. And in Nepal, the problem is even more so. Women are entitled to wearing the size they have guessed and they continue claiming the wrong size irrespective of the pain and discomfort. But treating your bosom appropriately and wearing the right bra can as a point of fact reverse aging. It can actually make you look 10, even 20 pounds lighter.

Almost 85% of the women wear incorrect size bra and there are a lot of reasons for the question why. The most common being the plain “because they do not know what their right size is”. Bra is one of the essentials but getting measured for it is a self set taboo among many women. They are uncomfortable and thus never get their bust measured and go on wearing the “assumed” precise size. Sometimes even the women who get themselves measured don’t wear the correct size due to the measurer’s blunder. The person either doesn’t know the correct way of measuring or closes the deal by handing the undergarment that will make do. But make dos are just not acceptable.

The other most common reason is to reduce or increase the chest size. Many females think that their breasts are too large and opt for smaller sized bra to make their bust appear smaller and vice versa. For the mere bliss of acquiring a smaller torso they often pay no heed to the ills that they are bestowing on their health. And there are the women who are half correct about their size. They might be accurate about the band size but they are ignorant of their cup size and cup sizes matter a lot for a good fit.

Wearing a right sized bra is very important. Shapelessness of breasts, scarring, and bad posture are some of the minor evils unleashed by the ill fitting bras. Every women needs to know that her breasts do not retain same size throughout the years and the undergarments needs to be adjusted with time. Selection of wrong bra might lead to the stretching of fragile ligaments. It also brings with it back problems, and strain the shoulder and spinal cord that might be troublesome in the long run. The problem could even be as severe as resulting in a breast cancer but this is a controversial topic for there have been contradicting confirmation as well as rejection of the theory.

Since the late 19th century, after replacing the corsets, bra has been the conventional method for supporting a woman's breasts. Today an average woman owns minimum 6 pairs of bra including a strapless bra and one that isn’t white. Brassieres have taken up the station of a fashion statement and a sexual icon over the years. Women have a wider access to different styles of bras. There are the normal bras and full support bras with larger cups and demi bras with half cups. Adhesive bras that adhere to the breasts and bandeau bras, a single strip of clothes worn across the chest are also popular.

The existence of special bras have given females some control over the appearance of their bust with wonder bras that enhances the breasts or minimize bras that makes the chest look smaller. The fashion industry have shaped a plethora of novelty bras with a wide assortment of fabrics, some as bizarre as leather. Sports bra, tee shirt bra, attached bra, wired bra and scores of other designs have seen the light of day and bountiful names of brands expertise in these garments.

All bras are different and while buying bras this need to be kept in mind. Women need to understand that a single size is not relevant across all kinds of brands and just the tightening of the straps can not make a bra fit. We might have had your bra problems that we were too embarrassed to share. The whole reason for the troubles could have been a simple ill fit. The only way to know is to get measured by an expert (for both band and cup size) because health is a hefty price to pay for short termed embarrassment. If you are also a victim of wrong sized bra then I suggest you GO PROPER SHOPPING!