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Bras Should Fit! Does Yours? A Guide to Bra Fitting

We talk about bras around here a lot. It’s one of my all-time favorite topics of discussion and one area I can’t get enough of—truly!


Getting the proper fit is the *most* essential part of wearing a bra. Nobody wants to wear a bra that makes them feel like a lopsided mess, nor do they want to feel like their bra could support the hoover dam. Ok, well, maybe some people want that. 🤣


If you remember nothing else about bra fitting, remember this: Your bra band should be doing 80 to 90% of the work, and the straps only do the light lifting, carrying 10% to 20% of the total weight. When the band is doing most of the work, you’re getting support from 360º around the body as opposed to a 90ª up and down pull coming from the straps doing all the hard work.


A woman's shoulders showing harsh red indentations from bra straps digging in.

Another great point of a good-fitting bra band is that it will help you avoid developing bra-strap syndrome, aka visible dents created from wearing bras with loose bands and straps that dig in.


Before we tell you how to fit yourself into a new bra…Let’s make sure you’re not already wearing the correct size with a fit check over the below 6 points:


How can you tell if you’re wearing the incorrect bra size?




A bra band riding up a woman's back because it's too loose.



1. Your band is riding up in the back. A well-fitting bra should fit firmly around your body, letting the band do most of the work to support your breast tissue. The band should sit straight across your back. If it’s riding up, that’s a telltale sign that your band is too large. Try going down a band size.






A bra band being pulled far away from the wearer's body because it's too loose.



2. You can pull the band away far away from your back. You should be able to pull the bra band away from your back no more than an inch…*maybe* two, depending on how tight or comfortable you like to wear your bras. If you can pull it further, your band is too easy and not snug enough to support you. Try going down a band size.







Breasts bulging out of a bra because the cup size is too small.





3. Your breasts are bulging out of the cup. The cups should encapsulate all the tissue without spilling out over the edges at the armhole or neckline. Nobody wants a double or quad boob. Try going up a cup size.







Bra cups gaping away from the wearer's body because the cup size is too large.





4. You’re not filling up the entire cup. There should be zero to minimal gapping between the cup and the body, either above or below. If the cup stands away from your body, try going down a cup size.







The gore of a bra not sitting flush to the body because the bra band is too big.