Did you know that my bra size doesn’t exist?
Well, according to most stores I’ve come across, it doesn’t.
Some background:
If you’ve been to department stores (Kohls, Pennys, Macys) in the U.S., you know that the sizing there, no matter what your size or viewpoint is, is extremely limited. The only way you’ll have a good chance of finding a bra in your size is if you are a 32A, 32B, 34A, 34B, 34C, 36A, 36B, 36C (8 sizes). If you’re very lucky, you’ll find sizes like 34D, 36D, 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D (6 more sizes). If you’re extremely lucky (and if you go into a well-stocked Victoria’s Secret), you might even come across sizes like 32C, 32D, 32DD, 34DD, 36DD, 38DD (6 more sizes). Thus, if you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere where there’s no Nordstrom or good boutique shops, you’d better fit into one of just 20 (or less) sizes if you want to be able to try on or buy a bra in person.
No wonder so many people think that a 32 band is only for tiny people. No wonder so many girls think that D and DD cups are huge. They’ve never seen anything smaller than a 32 band, or anything bigger than a D or DD, sold in stores. Or if they’ve ever seen a 30 band, it was for an A or B cup in the pre-teen section.
This is a big problem. Of all the friends I’ve helped figure out correct bra sizes, they’ve gone from one of the 8-20 “common” sizes to something that can’t easily be found in U.S. stores (if at all) – making the sizes “nonexistent” to many retailers/stores .
Such as:
34C to 30F
34A to 30C
36C to 32DD
34B to 28DD
34D to 32F
36DD to 30G
36D to 32E
Most of the above women would not be able to find their sizes in stores at all in the U.S, unless they were fortunate enough to live near a Nordstrom (or boutique) and that store happened to stock their size (very, very unlikely for 28 bands, somewhat better chance for 30 bands; also very unlikely for GG+ cups). Then they would end up paying somewhere between $65-$85+ for a bra when they’ve been used to paying less than $20.
So some of them decide to go through the process of ordering online. Some of them give up and just wear an ill-fitting bra because finding a bra that fits well is such a hassle – and they think that they should fit into the small range of sizes that are sold in-store. Most of them are appalled at the small selection of items that are available in stores. “It’s not fair,” I’ve heard them say.
And it isn’t.
This is why I do what I do. If I show everyone that a girl with a 28-band isn’t just some mythical, twig-like creature, maybe some girls will realize that bands below 32 do exist, and they’re not freakish for feeling like bands are always too big for them. If I tell everyone over and over that I wear a GG (or sometimes G, or H, or HH) cup, then maybe a few people will realize that the alphabet doesn’t stop at D, that there are lots of options out there, that well-fitting bras do exist, that wearing a D cup or above isn’t some strange, shameful thing.
 |
| A 28GG bra. See? It exists. It’s not freakishly huge. |
And it isn’t right that many places that are supposed to sell bras to fit “any woman” instead have workers who insult you or tell you they don’t believe you’re the size you know you are, or that your size does not exist. (Yes, this has happened to me at not only Victoria’s Secret, but at Nordstrom, Dillards, and boutique shops.) I know I may have an “unusual” bra size, but I’m not willing to just sit back and say “Oh, that’s just the way things are” when it comes to the sizing methods and bra offerings of most stores. I may have resigned myself to ordering solely online, but I’m sick and tired of having to tell everyone else that “Oh, sorry, they don’t sell your real bra size in most stores either. You’ll have to order online.” I’m tired of having to prep other girls for being insulted or told they’re wrong when they go looking for their size.ย Thanks, stores, for making us feel like freaks because we don’t fit into an extremely limited size range! And also, stop trying to cover up this abysmally small selection by trying to squeeze everyone into a certain range.
Stores will try to tell you that you’re wrong, that you’re a freak because you don’t fit into a 34C, or whatever size they think you should be. But they’re wrong. You’re not a freak. Don’t let yourself be restricted by what they’ve been telling you, by what society tells you. Your body isn’t the problem.