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As someone who has practically made having big boobs she didn’t want her personality, I ought to know how to measure bra size, what cup size I wear, or, quite frankly, how to shop for the bras I need. Alas, I do not. I sized out of Victoria’s Secret before I turned 12. So while my peers had the formative experience of being (relatively) properly sized by an unfriendly sales associate with a tape measurer at the mall, I was told to shove my somewhere-around-F-or-G-cups into a DD and hope for the best.
My approach to bra shopping hasn’t evolved much since: It’s a “hoping for the best!” situation even two decades later. Though honestly, it was working relatively fine until my breasts changed size again this year. (Apparently this happens every so often from either weight gain or loss or, I don’t know, the wind blowing a bit too mightily.)
That’s why Bonello recommends that new bras fit you on the loosest hook and eye setting, unless you’re pregnant or a teen (and therefore still growing). “As you use it over time and start stretching out the elastic, you can then use the tighter hook settings to make full use of your bra,” she says. “Proper hand washing and having a rotation of bras that you can use will of course give you a longer lifespan.”
How to measure bra size
Experts universally suggest being fitted by a professional, which you can have done at department stores like Macy’s, Saks, JC Penney, or Nordstrom, or specialty lingerie and bra stores in your area. If that’s not possible, you can purchase bras from sites that offer virtual fittings.