# Female Dopers (re: bra sizes) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727 "2014-04-09T16:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/41 "2014-04-10T13:52:49Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Apparently you’re unaware of **etv78’s** posting history in which he has asked questions and discussed topics in a manner that many people do consider skeevy. > > It’s not a matter of a generic black person coming over, it’s [Frank Abagnale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Abagnale) coming over for lunch and you can be darn sure I’ll not be leaving anything about to tempt him. You’re right, I was unaware. Apologies. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/42 "2014-04-10T13:55:16Z")
Guys, if you are going to hijack my threads, PLEASE put me on “ignore”. TY. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/43 "2014-04-10T14:00:42Z")
OK a bit off topic but this has always bugged me. I never figured out the measuring tape thing. How tight am I supposed to pull it, anyway? Whenever I have used a measuring tape I have always ended up with clothes that were several sizes too big - for instance the tape tells me I’m a 12, but what fits me is a 6. Same thing happened whenever I tried to use tape for bras. Literally every bit of clothing I buy does not match what the measuring tape says - so I can only conclude that either the clothing makers are lying about size in order to make people feel smaller, or I’m not pulling the tape to a certain tautness that no measuring guide has ever mentioned. So how tight are you supposed to pull this tape? ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/44 "2014-04-10T14:01:24Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Guys, if you are going to hijack my threads, PLEASE put me on “ignore”. TY. What difference would that make to anyone? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/45 "2014-04-10T14:03:51Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > My wife says Victoria Secret does it. My understanding (not being a VS shopper, since they only carry up to a D or DD) is that they whip out the tape measure and fetch you bras, but they’ll try to put you into a size they have rather than the size you are. This appears to not be an uncommon phenomenon, since I went bra shopping at a Lane Bryant earlier in the week and had a salesperson who was asking me what sounded like fairly knowledgeable questions about the issues I was having with my current bras try to tell me that the bra I was trying on fit just fine when it clearly DID NOT. She claimed it was totally normal for the gore to sit 2" away from my breastbone because that just happens with a really full bust. :dubious: :rolleyes: In an interesting coincidence, they had three of the bra I was trying on in stock, and none of what I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/46 "2014-04-10T14:10:57Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > OK a bit off topic but this has always bugged me. > I never figured out the measuring tape thing. How tight am I supposed to pull it, anyway? Whenever I have used a measuring tape I have always ended up with clothes that were several sizes too big - for instance the tape tells me I’m a 12, but what fits me is a 6. Same thing happened whenever I tried to use tape for bras. Literally every bit of clothing I buy does not match what the measuring tape says - so I can only conclude that either the clothing makers are lying about size in order to make people feel smaller, or I’m not pulling the tape to a certain tautness that no measuring guide has ever mentioned. So how tight are you supposed to pull this tape? You want the measuring tape tight enough that there are no wrinkles or slack places but not so tight it digs in anywhere, and be sure it lies totally level all the way around. And for a full-bust measure, it’s preferred to do with your arms raised. This is why it’s next door to impossible to measure yourself accurately, especially without a shit-ton of practice measuring other people. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/47 "2014-04-10T14:21:12Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Holdsworth: Which shape applies to Asians? Depends on what kind of Asian. You have remember this is just my opinion…the categories were originally defined on the East Coast in a state that still recognized VJ day (very small mostly academic northern origin Asians) and basically involved Caucasians. Two decades later I live in a much more diverse area, with African Americans being the smallest minority. No quick category there either. Good catch, but I’m not tagging this bra fitting question to race. Just body structure as related to finding clothing that fits. I’m fascinated by how genes combine to make that magical being, the human body. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/48 "2014-04-10T14:23:58Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > Literally every bit of clothing I buy does not match what the measuring tape says - so I can only conclude that either t **he clothing makers are lying about size in order to make people feel smaller,** Yes, clothing makers really have been doing that over the years. > [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > My understanding (not being a VS shopper, since they only carry up to a D or DD) is that they whip out the tape measure and fetch you bras, but they’ll try to put you into a size they have rather than the size you are. Yep, I’ve had that - went to a store and, despite my absolute refusal to wear an underwire bra that’s all the saleslady wanted to bring me. She kept saying “try it!” No. I have done so in the past and I have my reasons for refusal. Turns out underwires was all they had in my size. So, no sale for her. Too bad, because if they had stocked non-underwire I would have bought them. (I’m in the 34C to 36B area, depending on styling, etc. so it’s not like I’m gargantuan in this area, it’s actually a fairly common size range) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/49 "2014-04-10T15:26:20Z")
Is it at all creepy trying on bras at a department store knowing that some other strange lady before you had her boobs in that bra? I guess it’s know different than trying on a shirt, but don’t know, a bra seems more intimate to me. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/50 "2014-04-10T15:38:49Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > a bra seems more intimate to me. That’s because you don’t wear one. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/51 "2014-04-10T15:46:49Z")
Heck, ladies will even try on underwear in department stores, and you never know if the woman before you was smart enough to put them on over top of the panties she was already wearing so there’s no direct contact. Putting on a bra after another lady really can’t compare to something like that. It registers as a 0 on the creepy scale by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/52 "2014-04-10T16:24:45Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Bra sizes explained: > > A = almost there > B = barely there > C = cant complain > D = Damn! > DD = Double Damn! > E = every guys fantasy Crassness aside, this isn’t true. A 32D and a 38D are proportionately very different. That’s one of the reasons so many women are wearing the wrong size – they can’t believe their non-:eek:-sized boobs could possibly be a DD, so they wear Bs instead and then complain that all bras are terribly uncomfortable. Pro-tip: Never go to Victoria’s Secret for a fitting. Go to Nordstrom or an independent boutique. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/53 "2014-04-10T16:58:55Z")
I’ve had fittings at both Nordstrom and VS. Both were fairly accurate, giving me sister sizes, which made sense also considering I’m one of those in between sizes in terms of ribcage. So I can say that VS can give good measurement. That said, my bad experience with measuring also came from VS. One lady thought I was a size much more smaller than what I was, and I looked at her very weird, although I tried it on. The woman who came next to help me re-measured, and got it correct. For what it is worth, they do stock more than As, Bs, and Cs over there. And the website stocks more than the store does. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/54 "2014-04-10T17:16:40Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Is it at all creepy trying on bras at a department store knowing that some other strange lady before you had her boobs in that bra? > > I guess it’s know different than trying on a shirt, but don’t know, a bra seems more intimate to me. Boobs are for the most part covered in regular old skin (some of it a bit thinner and more sensitive than average, true) which is dry and not prone oozing things or shedding things. Thus, it’s really not any different than trying on a shirt. Now, a nursing mom leaking breast milk, that’s sort of different, but it’s not something I worry about, to be honest. Yes, in our culture boobs are more “intimate” than many other body parts but from the standpoint of clothing they’re about as much concern as, say, an elbow. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/55 "2014-04-10T17:39:23Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Married man whose wife had breast reduction years ago, a fairly recent revision, and who has spent much time during the many years waiting for her while she attempted to get the bra that fit right … what do y’all think of [Jockey’s volumetric approach](http://www.jockey.com/jockeybra/fitkit)? > > Sounds a bit like what **Macca26** is asking for. My assessment, as a person who’s hard to fit, is that this is more of a marketing plan than a service. First pay $20 to get the special measuring kit. Then you get $20 off your first order…but the fact that you know your size and what you need in a fit does not guarantee that you will actually find something in any give store (or website). The list of places that have bras that will not fit me is quite long and I didn’t see anything on that Jockey site to indicate they had anything, either. And what’s wrong with that approach is that it’s applicable only to Jockey. It’s not going to be helpful to me to know my size for a Jockey bra if there’s not one that fits, and that unique sizing is not going to help me anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/56 "2014-04-10T17:55:37Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yes, in our culture boobs are more “intimate” than many other body parts but from the standpoint of clothing they’re about as much concern as, say, an elbow. What about in Asian culture? ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/57 "2014-04-10T18:08:03Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > My assessment, as a person who’s hard to fit, is that this is more of a marketing plan than a service. First pay $20 to get the special measuring kit. Then you get $20 off your first order…but the fact that you know your size and what you need in a fit does not guarantee that you will actually find something in any give store (or website). The list of places that have bras that will not fit me is quite long and I didn’t see anything on that Jockey site to indicate they had anything, either. And what’s wrong with that approach is that it’s applicable only to Jockey. It’s not going to be helpful to me to know my size for a Jockey bra if there’s not one that fits, and that unique sizing is not going to help me anywhere else. For the recond, their help section says that you can return your kit for a full refund. So I’m not sure why there’s anything to get annoyed about. Jockey now has a new measuring system for their line of bras, if it works you get it refunded and if it doesn’t you get it refunded. They didn’t claim that it would work for any bras made by other people, and they can’t force other manufacturers either. Since you buy the kit online I’m not sure why you wouldn’t just buy the bra online either (ostensibly the kit would remove any need to try on in the store), where all the possible size combinations will be available (excepting a manufacturer’s shortage). Of course, if it takes off and Jockey gets scads of new customers you can expect other manufacturers to be adopting the new measurement style. I think it’s pretty great. Businesses don’t start a service unless they perceive it will benefit them. Taken from that light, all services are a marketing ploy to customer loyalty. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/58 "2014-04-10T18:49:28Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > What about in Asian culture? As I am not from an “Asian” culture I don’t feel qualified to answer that - hopefully one of our Asian culture Dopers will have an answer for you. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/59 "2014-04-10T19:57:03Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > For the recond, their help section says that you can return your kit for a full refund. So I’m not sure why there’s anything to get annoyed about. I’m not sure why you think she’s annoyed. She simply doesn’t see how the new system would actually benefit her, personally, as an individual. > [@](#): > > Since you buy the kit online I’m not sure why you wouldn’t just buy the bra online either (ostensibly the kit would remove any need to try on in the store), where all the possible size combinations will be available (excepting a manufacturer’s shortage). Ostensibly, going into a bra store and getting a “professional” fitting would get you a bra that actually fits, but how many stories have you heard over the years about a salesperson trying to push someone into a bra that’s totally wrong for them? I can’t find on their site where it says every bra in their new line has the exact same cup shape, strap positioning, etc, so it seems like a crapshoot whether any given bra in “your size” will actually fit you right. > [@](#): > > Businesses don’t start a service unless they perceive it will benefit them. Of course they don’t. In the same vein, I don’t shell out for a service unless I perceive it will benefit me. Near as I can see, using this service means placing an order, waiting for shipment, taking some measurements and hoping I’m doing it right, picking what’s closest to my measurements, and hoping it fits right. I don’t perceive that I’m honestly any further ahead than with the current system of taking measurements, picking what’s closest to them, placing an order, and hoping it fits right. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727/60 "2014-04-10T20:18:15Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > As I am not from an “Asian” culture I don’t feel qualified to answer that - hopefully one of our Asian culture Dopers will have an answer for you. Woooosh [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-dopers-re-bra-sizes/685727.md?page=4)