Oh Playtex. I did so want to believe you could change. When you removed your horribly irresponsible bra calculator and promised to re-evaluate the way you gave fitting advice, I so wanted to think you meant it. Maybe, just maybe, you could help stem the tide of women trapped in terribly fitting bras and blaze a trail for good fit standards across the US. Maybe things could be different for all those women stuck wondering if their daily discomfort is the only way for them to feel…

Fortunately I managed my expectations.

Playtex have not changed. This is a company who – in spite of their acceptance that their fitting advice was flawed – sticks by the appalling guidance of boob mangler ‘fit expert’ Alison Deyette (above) – champion of the +5/6″ method and the face of awful marketing campaigns based on taking women with terribly fitting bras and refitting them in to… other terribly fitting bras.

The bra calculator has gone, but the +5/6″ advice remains with some truly appalling examples of fit. This is a company who makes money selling “bra problem solutions” that would be rendered totally obsolete if their long suffering customers were helped in to perfectly fitting sizes. This is also a company that doesn’t acknowledge the alphabet beyond D. Call me cynical, but although their customers would be more comfortable, more supported, more confident and more empowered by a better fit – Playtex are more concerned about protecting their status quo than by the welfare of their women.

Proof of this is how quick they are to thank praise on their Facebook… and how steadfastly they ignore the pleas of suffering customers struggling with bra hate caused by symptoms of poor fit – symptoms perpetuated by the fitting tools promoted on Playtex’s website.

It won’t do. These cries must not go unanswered. Busts 4 Justice will make like Batman in a bra – and answer them in Playtex’s place*. All of these complaints have been taken from the Playtex Facebook wall. Feel free to head over there and submit helpful comments/have some fun with the page moderators if you have five minutes…

1. Dear Playtex… My bras are uncomfortable:

Playtex receive posts from women complaining about uncomfortable bras all the time. The answers are often simple, but strangely Playtex never have the time to answer them…

Dear Rachel,

I am so sorry you’re having such trouble finding a comfy bra, and also so sorry you turned to a company too careless to help advise you out of your predicament. Let me reassure you that comfy bras (that stay comfy all day!) do exist – we just need to find it for you in the right size.

You say that the chief cause of your discomfort is your band riding up. This is a common symptom of a bra band that is too loose for your body – a problem often caused by companies like Playtex advising women to automatically add 4-6″ to their underbust measurement. A bra band should anchor your whole bra in place and stay horizontal to the floor at all times, and to do so needs to be firm. I would suggest sizing down 1-2 back sizes and seeing if that improves your comfort and support. But remember – cup size is relative to the back size – so to keep the same volume in the cup you will need to size up in the cup for every back size you size down.

Love from Busts 4 Justice

2: Dear Playtex… My bras are causing me pain:

Reading Playtex’s Facebook page is not for the faint-hearted. I find it heartbreaking to read the stories – and worse see Playtex ignore them: especially when their customers are complaining not just of discomfort, but of pain.

Dear Angelia,

I am so sorry to hear about your symptoms. The pain you describe must be worrying but I’m hoping I have a solution to help you. I’m only sorry that the lingerie company you put your trust in doesn’t seem to share my concern enough to reply.

From your description of your straps, it sounds as if they are taking way more than their share of the weight of your breasts than they should, and that this is causing you pain and possibly even trapping a nerve. I’m guessing from your given size and your symptoms that you’re a busty lady, so it’s especially important you get this back band right. As a starting point, try wearing a bra band that closely matches the true measurement of your underbust. As you go down in the back sizes, you will need to go up in cup sizes to keep the same volume. For this, you will need to explore the alphabet beyond DDD to ensure your bra gives you the support you need – but don’t be afraid to embrace these letters!  The good news is there are lots of brands that cater for these sizes – even if Playtex isn’t one of them.

I am hoping that redistributing the weight of your breasts like this will help your comfort. If you need further help finding your size, please stay in touch – and if your shooting pains persist, make sur you speak to your doctor.

Love from Busts 4 Justice.

3. Dear Playtex… I don’t want to look like a cow!

Can’t blame the poor woman. When will bra companies just explain the who bra band/cup size thing in layman’s terms?

Dear Doris,

Cow I’m sure is unfair, but you’re not wrong in your suspicions that going up from a 38DD to a 40DDDD might make you look bigger.

It’s a common misconception that your back band size has anything to do with the overall size of your bust. Your back band size is just your back band size – and should be somewhere around your true underbust measurement depending on your body type. Playtex ask you to automatically +5/6″, which doesn’t help you get this right – especially if you’re a D+. It’s often helpful to ignore Playtex on all fitting matters.

No, if you’re spilling out and experiencing symptoms of a too small cup, it is only the cup that needs to increase. You want the cup to perfectly encase all of the breast tissue, and for the wire to tack very closely to where your breast meets your chest. Only increase your back size if the circumference of your chest actually increases.

But while band size has nothing to do with cup size, cup size is related closely to band size. This is because the letter is proportional to the number – so 32D=34C=36B=38A. Remember to size up in the cup when you’re going down a back size to keep the same volume.

Finding the right size – even if it means going in a ‘large’ cup size – inevitably makes you look slimmer and helps your clothes fit better too. It can take some trial and error, but it’s worth it. I know for myself because I dropped a dress size and gained tonnes of confidence when I realised I was not a 34E (or a 36DD, as Playtex say) but actually a 30G. I’d never known such support was possible, but I know that it’s out there for you too.

Good luck!

Love from Busts 4 Justice.

Shame on you Playtex. This entire post took me 20 minutes. And I wasn’t paid to do it!

*If you or anyone you know needs boob advice, Busts 4 Justice is always on hand to help as much as it can. For private help, e-mail me using the contact form here – or to use the hivemind of the wonderful women of Facebook you can publish to my wall here xx