The Pin That Changed My Life

You know I love Pinterest...who doesn't really?  Just a few minutes of browsing makes me feel a full range of emotion, from irritation (all those pins that don't go to the original source; everyone labeling deserts as "healthy" when perhaps "more healthy" or "less fattening" would be a generous description; 'vignettes' and 'styling' photos - don't these people live in their houses??), amusement (love those someecards!), superiority (I'm amazed every day at people who don't know when to use your/you're or the difference between peek/peak/pique), to inspiration (build my own dining room table?!  I could do that!!).  But never have I found anything life-changing.

Until now.

Two weeks ago I stumbled across a pin that lead me here, to a blog post about bras that quickly sucked me in.  (Boys, feel free to leave if you like, it's gonna get estrogen-y up in here.)  After reading the post (and all the other pages linked within it), I was inspired to take my own measurements, and not leave it up to the ladies at Victoria's Secret/Soma/Everywhere Else like I've done in the past.  So I dug out the ol' measuring tape, got naked from the waist up and, following this guide, made my husband measure my bust and under bust.  (He really hated that.)  Per the suggestion, I measured my bust both bending at the waist and standing up straight, then took the average of the two (they were only 2" off, so I went with the middle number).  I didn't use any online calculator, just the chart provided in the guide...and then I measured again, because the resulting size just couldn't be right, could it?

Yep.

I've been wearing the wrong size bra for...well, forever.  My most recent purchase, after being "measured" by the Victoria's Secret gal, was a 36DD, which fit me better than what I had been wearing before, but still was not quite right.  The straps were constantly (constantly, like every 15 minutes) falling off my shoulders, and the back was always riding up.  Why did I think this was the way of the bra?  If I bought a dress or pair of jeans that fit me that poorly, you know I'd take them back - but I just assumed the salesgirls knew what they were doing, so I trusted them.  Well, no longer.  The main reason why they don't get it right is that they don't actually take your measurements - they measure the bra and clothes you are wearing.  Also, those stores don't sell anything higher than a DDDD, so in order to sell you something they have to make sure they "measure" you into a size they carry.  

Two great sites for helping you find the right size are the Fitting Room at brastop.com (they have an excellent video), and the Bra Naked Truth at A Sophisticated Pair.  You would not believe how much about bras and bra sizing I've learned in the last two weeks.  I've been a little obsessed.  I even started dreaming about sizing and 'dispensing' bras at work, along with the Lipitor and Vicodin.  But it's been worth it, because after measuring myself for the third time, and searching for other sizing charts online, the proof was in the pudding: my actual size is a 32G/34FF (UK sizing).  

I know, right!?

Of course, bras in these sizes are not as easy to come by, since there seems to be some kind of conspiracy within the US regarding bra sizing - I mean, how can every woman on the face of the earth fit into one of only 7 cup sizes??  It doesn't even make sense!  So after doing some searches, and discovering some seriously amazing websites devoted to DD+ bras, I found us.asos.com, the US site of a UK department store that doesn't have a really great selection of bras, but some of them do go up to a J cup (although make sure to consult the sizing chart, the US site sizing is pretty weird), the bras are fairly inexpensive, and even though they ship from the UK they offer free shipping and returns (!!).  This was the sweet spot, because what I needed was to try on a LOT of sizes to find what fits me for real, so I ordered three different bras in 5 sizes each (and because I spent more than $140 I got free EXPRESS shipping!).  Out of those I only kept two of the bras (below, both 34FF), and the free shipping labels sent the rest right back with no problem.  This is a great post about finding bras on a budget; I was shocked by the number of inexpensive (less than $30!) bras I found after searching "bra 34FF" on eBay!

So that's the story of my bravolution.  But here's the life changing part - wearing a bra that fits me is so amazing!  It seems like in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't really make that much of a difference, but I am here to tell you: it totally does.  The backs of my two new bras don't ride up, and they are snug enough that they actually hold me in place.  I haven't had to pull the straps back up on my shoulders once since I changed sizes.  The flat part between the cups (the gore) actually sits flat on my chest between my boobs, instead of just floating somewhere in that vicinity.  My posture is better.  And (the most amazing of all), I actually have LIFT!

I feel like I want to shout all of this from the rooftops!  So please, do me this favor and go measure yourself, right now.  Join my bravolution!!