Tales from a Macro Girlie

As a girl with a large bust and wider ribcage bra shopping was always awkward for me. I hated bra shopping in-store due to my own insecurities. The wires would dig in, not supporting me in the right areas, making me feel worse about myself. I reached the point where I’d buy whatever size was the closest fit and just call it a day. This resulted in sagging and gaps.  This would be downright uncomfortable and didn’t make me feel very good.

Fast forward to today where I learned here at BRABAR that up until now finding the correct size for myself had been all wrong. The whole time while I was tugging on my straps for support, I really should’ve been relying on getting support from my band. Every store I entered for a proper fitting relied on the armpit method to measure, which gave a size that was not accurate and usually ran too big or too small in the cup or the band.  This is why my bras were always sagging and gapping where they weren’t supposed to!

You can learn more about why you only need your ribcage measurement and your overbust measurement to get your correct bra size here in this article about what the difference is between Plus 0 and Plus 4 or here in this one on a more in-depth look on how to find the right bra size.  

A bra should fit like a good strapless bra, hugging the ribcage and supporting me from the band.

BRABAR goes about fitting for a bra differently.  BRABAR measures around your ribcage first. The band of your bra should support you snugly, the support should not come from your straps. The whole time I wasn’t feeling my best and was awkward with my body while bra shopping, it all could’ve been avoided if I had found BRABAR sooner in my life and was sized correctly from the start.

The way I found my bra size was as simple as this:

YOUR OVERBUST MEASUREMENT - YOUR BAND SIZE = YOUR CUP SIZE

The TLDR of it is:

First, you measure your underbust or rib cage with a soft measuring tape.  You measure to an even whole number to get your band size.

Second, with the same soft measuring tape, you measure your overbust measurement, which is around the fullest part of your bust.  You round to the nearest whole number.

Then, you take your band size and overbust measurement and subtract to get your cup size.  Each inch is a cup size.  So, 1-inch is A-cup, 2-inch is B-Cup, 3-inch is C-Cup, 4-inch is D-Cup, 5-inch is DD-Cup or E-Cup, and 6-inch is DDD-Cup or F-Cup.  Your band size and cup size are what get you your bra size!  If your band size changes, so does your cup size.  It is always good to get fitted again after six months!

It is truly so simple and nothing more complicated than simple subtraction of two measurements!

My other issue while pre-BRABAR bra shopping was the fact that the bras were so uncomfortable. I wanted a bra that didn’t feel like a bra.  I wanted to be almost like I wasn’t wearing one at all! Other brands used heavy materials that wouldn’t breathe well throughout the day or were itchy. I wanted to be able to move around throughout the day and have support all day while feeling like I was wearing a comfortable t-shirt.

I found all of what I wanted from a bra with BRABAR’s Everyday Bra, which comes in three colors (Mushroom, Natural Gray, and Black). The Everyday Bra is one of my favorites because it is such a staple piece in every girl's wardrobe whether you like wearing a bra or not. There are no wires to dig into my skin, and the material is soft and breathable like your favorite t-shirt. Not only that, but the cups are removable! It’s such a plus for me because sometimes I find that bra cups in other brands are too stiff. BRABAR also has other everyday bras available depending on your needs, like the Soft Day Bra, the Everyday Longline Cami, the Soft Cami Bra Top, the Everyday J-Hook Bra, the Everyday Scoop Neck Bra, and the Soft Crop Multiway Bralette.  All are just as comfortable and stylish as the Everyday Bra.

I have a pretty active life. When I’m not running around doing errands and chores, I also like to go to the gym. Though these aren’t high-impact sports bras, I found that for lower-impact workouts and activities, I was able to get away with wearing the HUG Strappy Halter Bra or the HUG Lace Halter Bralette. The band of both the HUG Strappy Halter Bra and the HUG Lace Halter Bralette gave me the support I needed for those lower-impact workouts. The halter bralette style, like the HUG Open-Back Halter Bra Top, was not only cute, but it allowed me to effortlessly do the things I needed to do without my macro girlies popping out.

On days when I just wanted something simple to throw on and run out of the house, but still look cute and put together, I wear the Soft Strapless Bra Top! I know why it’s one of BRABAR’s best sellers for sure with two colors of Black and Mushroom. It has that soft cotton material we all love. It has the perfect amount of stretch. It isn’t see-through at all.  Even though it is a strapless bra, I didn’t need to keep pulling it up throughout the day because the rib cage sizing method was accurate enough so the strapless bra kept snug like a hug and provided me the support I needed for my macro girlies because it was the correct size for me.

So I leave you with this challenge. Go to your closet now and try our Fit Guide and Bra Size Calculator. You might learn you’ve been wearing the wrong size the whole time.

And you can check out BRABAR’s full collection when you do find your size!