Photo: Icatnews (Shutterstock)
Every year since about 2006, it seems like we get a new statistic about how many people are wearing the wrong bra size, which always inspires a slew of news stories about how Jennifer from Long Island thought she was a 36D but is actually a 30F. With all due respect to the Jennifers of the world, stories like these aren’t as helpful as they may seem because they either imply or state outright that everyone needs a much smaller band and a much larger cup than whatever they’re wearing.
This idea has become so prevalent that it’s basically a rule, but if you’re both busty and tall or fat (or all three), it’s bullshit. If you’re sick of taking measurement after measurement and still ending up with bras that don’t actually contain your breasts, you should try the exact opposite: Size up in the band and down in the cup. Here’s why.
Bras are basically anti-gravity devices, which means the heavier your breasts are (and the further they are from the ground), the more work the garment has to do. Regardless of cup size, the vast majority of garments in a 36 band or smaller simply aren’t up to the task of supporting big, heavy breasts because that’s not what they’re designed to accommodate.
But big bands are designed to support big breasts. They’re not just bigger in terms of circumference; they’re also wider, which means more hooks and therefore more support. Plus, bigger band sizes tend to come with additional design elements that make them even more supportive, like:
Wider, stiffer straps: The narrow elastic you get on smaller bras is no match for heavy breast tissue. The wider and more rigid the straps, the more supportive the bra will be.Longer wires: Once you hit a 38-40 band, you usually unlock longer wires, which actually allows the cups to accommodate more tissue than a “sister size” in a smaller band.G/O Media may get a commission
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Another benefit to sizing up: “Minimizer” styles are much more common in plus size ranges, which usually start at a 38 or 40 band. Unlike bras with multi-part, seamed cups, minimizer cups are made from a single piece of stretchy, seamless fabric. They offer a ton of support and, thanks to the magic of stretch, are very forgiving of size and shape variations between breasts. (They also make your boobs look impossibly round.)
Ultimately, it’s important to remember that bra sizes are fake and bra fitting is not rocket surgery. You need a comfortable band, cups that contain all of your breast tissue, and wires that sit squarely in the crease where your breasts connect to your torso. That’s it. For big people with big boobs, sizing up in the band is often the easiest way to achieve a perfect fit.
