The One Thing To Know Before Bra Shopping

Given that most of us wear a bra every single day, you'd think we'd have a good grasp by now of what our bra sizes actually are, but it's really common for women to be wearing the wrong bra size. Oops? If you hate the way your bra feels, it might not actually have to do with the bra itself, so much as that it's the wrong size, so in order to fix all that, there is one thing you need to know to find a bra that fits. And if you don't know it, this could be the reason your bras are not so comfy.

Bra shopping is difficult because all that measuring gets complicated, and it's also one of those items that you don't always try on. You wouldn't necessarily buy jeans without trying them on, but with bras? You know your size, so just find it and buy it. But wait — do you really know your size?

If you've shopped for bras by your cup size — A, B, C, D, whichever you are — you're doing it wrong. What you need to be going by is your band size, which is the width around your body. Cup sizes are directly related to a band size, and cup sizes are not standard, so you could be a C with one size band, but a D with another.

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So let go of whatever cup you think you are, and instead focus more on your band size. Not sure how to measure your band size? This video will walk you through how to figure it out.

Here's the TL;DW summary: Take a soft measuring tape and before you start measuring, breathe out. Wrap the band directly underneath your bust and under your ribcage, making sure that you're keeping the tape measure level from front to back, and that is your band size. If you measure between inches, always round up to the nearest half inch.

Singer 60-Inch Tape Measure, $4.24, amazon.com

Here's to (hopefully) no more uncomfortable, poorly-fitted bras.

Images: Dawn Foster, Isla Murray/Bustle; Amazon