How to Spot Women Wearing the Wrong Bra Size?

Wearing the wrong bra size is a very prominent issue for many women. In fact, roughly 80% of women are wearing the wrong size. But the big question is, how can you tell? Spotting issues on other people is usually easier than spotting issues with ourselves. Here are a few telling signs of an ill-fitting bra that you can tell on most women.

• Are the straps too tight? The straps are about 20% of your support and should stay in place. Straps should not dig into your shoulders. Often times, even looking at other women, you can tell if her bra straps are digging in too tight. This is an indication that she’s wearing a bra that is too small for her. The band of your bra and the straps work together, if the straps are too tight and digging in, this could be a sign that she has to overcompensate on the straps because the band is too big and isn’t giving the support needed. If she goes down a band size, this can take some of the weight off of the straps allowing her to wear them comfortably and not have them dig in.
• Or are they falling down? On the other hand, if her straps are constantly falling off of her shoulder, this can mean a couple of things. Either her bra doesn’t fit her correctly, it’s old and worn out and stretched out, or she doesn’t have her straps adjusted the way that her body needs. Either way, her bra isn’t giving her the support that she needs.
• Oh, the dreaded back fat. If you have skin spilling over the top of your band, then your band is likely too tight. Can you loosen the band? If not, then try going up a band size. However, if a band is too loose, it can ride up in the back causing the skin to ride up as well. The band is about 80% of the support of your bra. It should fit comfortably around the torso and be parallel to the ground. The band should be snug and you should only be able to fit two fingers between the band and your skin, and should never ride up your back. At Hourglass, we recommend a bra fit correctly at the loosest hooks.This allows for it to be tightened as the elastic naturally wears out.
• Spillage. Do the cups runneth over? While most of the support in a bra comes from the band and straps, having the correct cup size plays a vital role. Many women believe that her cup size is a direct correlation to her breast size. And this isn’t so. Your cup size is actually the difference between your breast size and your rib cage. No matter the style you should not have any spillage over the top, sides or bottom, if this occurs you will need a bigger cup size. If there are wrinkles in the bra fabric you will need a smaller cup size. The gore (center band of your bra) should lay flat against your sternum. If your bra does not lay flat against your sternum you will need larger cups.

Once you’ve analyzed a few women (without staring too uncomfortably at a stranger’s boobs), take what you’ve learned and look at yourself. Does your bra fit you correctly?

If you, or a woman that you know, are showing these classic signs of an ill-fitting bra, the solution is very simple! Come in to get a bra fitting from our professional sizing specialists.

At Hourglass, we can point out why your current bra isn’t working for you, get you properly sized and offer guidance into what bra is best for your body type. Every body is beautiful and all breasts deserve the best support! At Hourglass Lingerie you will ALWAYS be able to find fashion, fun and comfort for your every last curve. Give us a call at 443-869-5324 to schedule an appointment or just stop in anytime.