Do your cups runneth over?
How to shop for a bra . . . and other things nobody told you about this all-important undergarment
By JENNIFER VOGELSONG
For Smart
Bethany Westover never had a problem buying bras. She could always count on finding a few cute, cheap ones almost anywhere she shopped.
Then, in August 2006, the 26-year-old Red Lion woman had a baby, and everything changed.
Her old bras started to feel tight.
She bought a sports bra, but that didn't fit right either.
So she bought a different bra.
Then another.
And another.
Finally, Westover broke down and spent nearly $40 on a Victoria's Secret number. "That really hurt," she said. "I'm a waitress and that's half a day's tips sometimes."
According to local bra fitters, Westover isn't the only woman who has issues with this undergarment.
The back rides up. The underwire digs in. The straps fall down. The breasts bulge out.
Bra problems are as varied as the women who wear them.
The key to finding the right bra, experts say, is twofold: Get measured regularly and try it on.
"I think a lot of women are hesitant because they don't want to get undressed," said Lois Gaeddert, 73, a bra fitter of more than 30 years for local lingerie departments. "But I give them complete privacy."
Gaining weight, losing weight, giving birth and aging all change the size and shape of a woman's breasts, so it's important to get fitted at least every two years.
Just as clothing and shoes vary in size depending on the manufacturer, so do bras. If you're a 34B in one brand, don't assume you'll need the same size when you grab one from the next rack.
"No two bras fit the same," Gaeddert said.
Robin Stieff, a Warnaco sales representative for Boscov's department stores, said the consequences of wearing the wrong bra can range from unsightly drooping, bulging and puckering to permanent shoulder grooves and tension in the back and neck that lead to more serious medical problems.
"You'd be surprised how different somebody can look with the right size and style of bra," she said.
Gaeddert said even average-sized breasts can weigh several pounds. "That's a lot of weight to carry around. And if you don't wear a bra, your breast tissue breaks down. Once that happens, there's no way to build it back up."
TO FIND YOUR SIZE
If you can't - or don't want to - get fitted at a store, here is the formula many bra fitters use to determine what size you should be wearing.
You don't need to get completely undressed to do this, but don't wear a bulky sweatshirt or sweater - it can throw off your measurements. Fitted tops work best for seeing how a bra will look under clothing.
Using a measuring tape, note how many inches around you are at the base of your breasts. This is your band size.
Then, measure around the highest point of your breast.
Subtract the first number from the second. One inch difference = A cup, 2 inches = B cup, 3 inches = C cup, 4 inches = D cup, 5 inches = DD, etc.
An alternate method is to measure around your chest above your breasts and subtract that number from the number of inches you are at the highest point around.
"Some people are heavier there than they are underneath, so that will give you a more accurate measurement," said Lois Gaeddert, a bra fitter at The Bon-Ton in the York Galleria.
IT'S TIME FOR A NEW BRA IF...You see signs of wear and tear such as fraying, rips, holes or stretched-out elastic.
The straps no longer stay in place.You're using the tightest hook, but the band still rides up in the back.
You've worn it hard and washed it often during the past six months.
Your weight has changed, you've recently become pregnant or given birth.
TIPS FOR THE FITTING ROOM
If any of the following happen when you're trying on a bra, don't buy it:
You bend forward and your breasts fall out of the cups.
You reach your arms above your head and the band rides up or the underwire pinches.
The shoulder straps slip off even though you've pulled them as tight as they go.
The bra slides around when you twist at the waist.
The bra bulges or pinches at your breastbone.
It is uncomfortable to breathe while wearing the bra.
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