By most people, I don’t mean the discerning busts4justice.com reader, of course. But as I read the comments challenging her bra size underneath the gorgeous Lizzie Haines’ interview in the Daily Mail, I decided a world still blighted with ill-informed, ill-observed judgements about someone else’s bra size still needed more help explaining the (really not so difficult) nuances of bra sizing. If only to stop my head from exploding.
Here are five top tips to understanding all those numbers and letters. Feel free to wield this as a weapon in the face of boob ignorance. Even if you have to print it, roll it up, and boff people about ears with it…
1: IT’S ALL RELATIVE!
Never judge a girl by her cup size. It’s not the letter, or the number, that signifies a big bust: it’s the relationship between the two. The number indicates the measurement in inches around the ribs (usually close to exactly, if you’re doing it right) beneath the bust, and the letter indicates proportionally the difference between the two. So…
A 36DD = 34E, 32F, 30FF, 28G
…because the volume is the same, but the proportion in comparison to the body is not.
2: D DOES NOT MEAN BIG!
With that in mind, you can see that a D cup doesn’t necessarily mean ‘biggest’. In fact,
28D = 30C, 32B, 34A.
Beautiful, yes. Pushing the boundaries of bra size comprehension? No.
3: CHRISTINA HENDRICKS HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR!
Oh, Ms Hendricks. The woman is endowed with the most phenomenal bosom on television, and yet she does all of her similarly bestowed sisters a huge disservice by calling herself a 36DD. So women see her and, in spite of their quadraboob nightmares, don’t venture further up the alphabet because they assume that they can’t be ‘bigger’ than Hendricks, or any other famously endowed woman insisting they’re within the conventional bralphabet. A true DD cup would struggle to create the mountains on show below. Squeeze a GG/H cup in to a small space, however…
4: THERE IS MORE THAN ONE RIGHT ANSWER!
Got the numbers and letters sussed? Great. But that isn’t where a woman’s bra size journey ends. Leaving aside for the moment the fact that our awesome bodies change continuously through our lifetimes, so t0o do design and manufacturing standards between brands, styles and seasons. So whilst a 30G might be the most “correct size” between me and a conversion table, a 28GG, a 32FF, and in fact any other size in the vicinity could be “correct” factoring differences from bra to bra. This is why it’s important to recognise a good fit without the labels. Check Bravissimo for an excellent guide to getting it right…
5: ALL BOOBS ARE GOOD BOOBS!
Bra sizing is a hugely individual and personal process, and what is right for you is all that matters – regardless of how you feel you compare to girls in the same size bracket. Love what you have, and enjoy that you have it. And don’t forget to give them a squeeze once in a while. It doesn’t hurt to show your boobs you care…
How will you be spreading the good fit word this week?
I guess you just have to find the right person of expertise who can do the math. I know of one. And she launched here own bussiness in the heart of Columbus Ohio. Go see Heather at Curve Appeal. She can help any gal any size.
Awesome post! It’s so true that the cup sizes are completely meaningless without the band size to tell you the proportion, and I like how you pointed out that there’s no one true size for every bra or style.
D is not big. Let’s keep trying to get that across to women everywhere! Great post.
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I can’t tell you how many times a day I get this conversation after someone has been fitted in a bra:
Customer: So what size am I?
Me: (tells them the correct size)
C: Uh-uh. No way. Is that even real? OMG. WTH. (etc., etc.)
I’m amazed how many ladies flip out when they find their true size. Some who find out that their bust is larger than they thought seem…ashamed! They almost always start making comments about losing weight, going back to the gym, etc. Smaller busted ladies are usually happier, but are confused about how they could go from a B to a D in the span of five minutes. I tell everyone the same thing: it doesn’t matter what those letters or numbers are as long as it FITS PROPERLY and looks good under clothes!
It all goes back to the relativity problem. All this misinformation means that people assume the letter alone is a sign of a: a big bust and b: weight gain! It’s ridiculous. If I could achieve one thing as a blogger, it would be to kill that ridiculous notion that beyond D is a land of freakishly huge boobs and cosmetic surgery. Sorry to be a disappointment, but my G just isn’t that ginormous! I admire women like you so much – keep up the fight one bra size at a time Karen! xxhttp://busts4justice.com/2012/01/15/what-most-people-dont-know-about-bra-sizes/
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Thanks for the post! I always wondered why I could fit into a B sometimes and a C others. Love Christina Hendricks too!
Love this post! And while I love Christina Hendricks for celebrating her curves… she is WAY off. I would be glad to help her get into the right size. It will help me sleep better at night, knowing that she’s not misleading more women when it comes to correct bra sizes. Thank you for setting the record straight
It’s something I do with my customers every.single.day. xo Linda
Lind, you are my hero! x
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I’m a Bravissimo lass… before I had my first Bravissimo fitting I wore a 36DD… I’m now in a 30H and lo and behold I have a waist!!
Both at Bravissimo and on this blog, it’s great to find other ladies who don’t think G stands for Ginormous and H stands for Humungous when it comes to one’s boobs. I’m a new reader but I will be back! Thank you BfJ!
Yay! Thank you and welcome! xx
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