OCD problems: I tend to obsess over a topic and deep dive on it. I actually don’t think of it as a negative; I end up learning so much about one topic and of course, I like to then think I’m an expert on it (not really) and want to share with everyone. Lucky you!
Although, seriously, this is one topic that I think ALL WOMEN need to read about and take action on. Before we get into it, here are some things to consider:
Did you know 95% of women are wearing the incorrect bra for their boobs and are wearing the incorrect size?
Did you know that it takes 6 measurements to get you to a starting point of where you should be in bra size?
Did you know that cup size doesn’t mean anything about how “big” boobs are? A cup size on its own means nothing without band size. I’ll dive into this below, I think this is one of the most shocking things I learned.
If you hate underwire bras or find that your bra is uncomfortable and would much rather not wear one, you likely are in the wrong bra size.
In modern society, we are conditioned to think that A cups are tiny and B/C cups are average. We have been taught and shown that someone who is a DDD+ has massive boobs. We see Victoria’s Secret Angels with boobs pushed up and popping out of bras and think that’s the look we need to achieve. You hear it in songs all the time about a woman with triple D’s and automatically think of these huge boobs. Hey, let’s be real, but in p0rn, it’s the same thing.
I’m going to guess, “she’s got big boobs.”
No. Wrong.
DDD is not a bra size. It’s a cup size and a cup size on its own doesn’t mean anything without band size. A cup size literally indicates the difference in inches between the band and bust measurements - hence why you need to take 6 measurements to get you to your cup size which then gets you your real BRA SIZE.
A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4, DD = 5, and so on.
So, if someone wears a 34DDD, it means that their underbust measurement is 34” and their bust measurement is 40” (because 40 is 6 inches more than 34).
If you’re currently reading this and thinking, “I have triple D’s and my boobs are HUGE” - I’m sorry to say that I think you’re probably in the wrong size bra and you probably should be in a G or H.
And I’m betting you would never have thought that about me, right? When you look at me, you probably think, “she’s probably like a C” and that’s where the misconception and lack of education in this topic stems from.
No wonder why I’ve always hated underwire bras. I hated them because they always dug into me because they were too tight and felt restrictive. I would have a lumpy back because the bra strap was too tight and would ride up. I started wearing wireless bras and while they were comfortable, I would always have boob spillage over the tops of the cup and side boob. But again, I SWORE UP AND DOWN that I was a 34C. Why? Because it was what I was “told” and because a DDD is for someone with “big boobs.”
Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it with someone that could use the information.
Literally when I first used the measurement calculator and got my result, I was in disbelief and said there was NO WAY I was a DDD. With more reading, this is everyone’s reaction when they actually get measured correctly, haha
I took that measurement and went to my local lingerie shop. You want to find a boutique that carries several brands, specifically UK and EU brands. They just seem to have a lot more variety than US brands (not surprised). You can go to Nordstrom or TJ Maxx, but you’re better off going to a local lingerie boutique because they also have experts with bra fittings so they can help assess with your starting point measurement.
Lo-and-behold, the measurement was correct. I fit perfectly into a 34DDD and everything was COMFORTABLE and my boobs fit into the cups and were supported. Honestly, they looked so good.
I won’t lie — good quality bras and most bras from UK and EU brands are pricey. Like $60-$90 range. The brands so far that I really like are Chantelle and Natori, but there are a ton more out there, and one of the more difficulties of this whole tariff/trade war situation is that a lot of online bra retailers aren’t shipping to the USA right now. However, don’t let that discourage you, there are still a bunch of sites out there that have inventory.
Another thing to keep in mind: most sales associates won’t believe you if you tell them your true size. Like I said above, most women do not know their true size because they haven’t been measured correctly, and once you are measured correctly, you are likely several sizes bigger than you currently are. Every sales associate at department stores or at the mall would not believe me when I asked if they had 34DDD sizes. They all would look at me and say, “are you sure you’re triple D? I really don’t think you are.” I hate when people tell me that MY size is wrong. Again, I don’t necessarily blame them because we are conditioned to think DDD is HUUUGE!
Call this resourceful or cheating, but a girl loves to save money. After I figured out my true bra size and bought a couple bras at full retail price, I decided to go to Nordstrom myself to try on several different brands without a sales associate hovering over me. I could take my time going back and forth into the dressing room and take my time with each bra. I would make note of which brand and style I liked and the size then I would hop on eBay and search for the same thing. The prices on eBay are like 50%-70% difference than retail, and they’re all brand new, just without tags. Seriously, game-changer and kind of ridiculous how much retail is!
Most eBay sellers won’t accept returns so it is imperative you have your brand, style, and size correct (which is why you find and try it in stores first) before buying it from eBay. For Amazon and most other online retailers, there are free returns so it’s less risky, but always double-check return policies before committing!
Once you find the brand, style, and bra size that you fit perfectly into, I find that online has a way better selection because retail can only fit so much in a store, and not only that, they put more general/average sizes vs. larger sizes. Which, is SO FRUSTRATING, and I totally understand why larger people have such difficulty shopping in stores and why it’s so defeating.
When I went to the mall, I first stopped at a lingerie shop where I get my underwear from. In the past, finding a 34C was nothing. I could literally walk into any store and find what I want. This store has really cute, pretty bras, but they don’t carry many styles in DDD. When I went to Nordstrom, while they have a pretty big selection, finding a 34DDD was SO difficult. Honestly, by the end of the 2 hours of trying on bras, I was frustrated and disappointed. There needs to be a movement for true bra sizing for women and stores carrying more bra sizes.
Oh, another thing I noticed is that the higher up in bra size you go, the uglier and more boring the styles get. You’re not going to find very many sexy styles and it is what it is, but that’s also why online is generally better.
Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.
To add to the confusion, various countries have different size systems. I have typically found that many brands use UK sizing and/or they convert to US sizing on the website for you. For example, my 34DDD is a 34E in UK sizing. In French sizing I’m a 90F. Honestly, though, it’s REALLY confusing and if you know a brand’s country of origin and are ordering on Amazon, I would order based on the country’s sizing. So, if I find a Freya bra on Amazon, I’d use the UK sizing and order a 34E.
I found that it was really hard to find 34DDD bras in stores and I would have to find my sister size, which they oddly would have. The sister size to 34DDD is 32G (US). If you go down a band size, you go up a cup size and vice versa.
This is a good conversion chart too.
What makes this all the more difficult is that bra sizes vary across brands and it’s YET another frustrating thing about all of this. A 34DDD is not a universal fit across all brands. For example, I bought a 34DDD Freya bra and the gaping in the cups was huge, and yet when I tried on a Chantelle or Natori bra that was 34DDD, it was perfect. It’s wild. I read that Freya cup sizes tend to be 1 cup size larger than what the actual cup should be. WHY DO BRANDS DO THIS?! It makes it even harder to shop online, but again, that’s why I say to first try in store and also find online retailers that accept returns.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around bra brands AND all the types/styles. My understanding is that there are moulded bras and seamed bras. For molded bras, it’s not really easy to fit into them because, as the name suggests, the bras are already molded permanently. Moulded bras are typically good t-shirt bras for that smooth look. Seamed bras are exactly what it sounds like, where there is a seam on the bra and other pieces of fabric sewn together with or without padding. My understanding is that seamed bras are a little better to start out with because of its forgiving nature with the fabric. Personally, I like moulded bras because I like a seamless, smooth look. However, I do have some seamed bras too and it’s very minimal what you can see on a shirt or dress.
There’s also several styles to a bra. Full coverage, demi, plunge, balconette, sweetheart. I prefer everything but full coverage, lol
Minimizers. That’s the buzzword right now and while it’s not inherently BAD, I think people are using it in the wrong way. Minimizers are exactly what the name suggests and they work by minimizing the projection of your breasts. Some people with large breasts don’t like how big their boobs look so they get minimizer bras that help hide that.
All of this is hard and all of this is A LOT of information so it’ll take a while to digest and wrap your head around. Sometimes I feel we fail each other (women) in society because of the lack of information or misinformation. After going through this experience, I felt the need to share and to encourage every woman out there to go through the measuring process. If you hate wearing bras, chances are, you are wearing the wrong size or the wrong type of bra for your shape.
Know the shape of your boobs (important for finding the right bra)
Buying guide (where to buy)
I would love to hear your thoughts on this and I hope you found this educational and most all, helpful! Happy to answer any additional questions below.
Please share this post if you have found it helpful!
-Julie
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