How Torso Shape Affects Bra Fit

Your rib cage shape can make a big difference to your bra fit. Regardless of your dress size the dimensions of your torso can alter which kinds of bras fit you best. Here is a simple guide to some of the variations in rib cage shape and how they affect bra fit.

Straight
This is the most common torso shape and not to be confused with whether your overall figure is straight or curvy. On a straight torso your bra will sit evenly across all the hooks at the back. If you have a straight and narrow torso then look for bras with narrow wires.

If you have a straight and wide torso and your breasts are wide across your body then you probably need bras with wide wires. If you have a wide, straight torso (often referred to as a broad back) and your breasts are close set or narrow then you may need to add inches to your band size and reduce your cup letter.

Flared
When your rib cage is dramatically smaller at the underbust than the overbust measurement it can affect the way your bra sits. Lots of women find bras with fewer hooks at the back (2 rather than 3 or 4) sit better. It's quite possible that you need to go up a band size to accommodate the widening of your rib cage across the wider part of your rib cage. A common alteration for flared rib cages is to bend the wires under the armpit away from the body.

Rounded
Often referred to as barrel chests, this rounding of the ribcage means that you need a lot of band and potentially not a lot of cup so you may need to add inches to your band for comfort. This also works for women with curved spines due to health or posture issues. If you have a narrow and round torso then you will most likely need narrow wires which can accommodate a lot of bust in a small width.

If you have a wide, round torso then you'll need to asses whether your breasts need wide or narrow wires. Again you might need to add inches to the band but this also depends largely on whether you have a squidgy torso. A lot of women with rounded torsos find that they need to bend their wires both around the ribs and away from the sternum so that the wires follow the curvature of their rib cage.

It's important to remember that no one piece of bra information is gospel, so many other factors can affect your fit but this is a general guide to understanding how the shape and contours of your torso can change your bra fit. xx

How Your Posture Affects Your Bra Fit

Image from Ghetto Nurd website

Large breasts are heavy, very heavy. Imagine carrying a couple of bags of sugar around your neck all day and you get the idea. This weight can impact on your neck, upper spine, lower back and shoulders. The most common posture issues are curvature of the spine, hunched shoulders and back pain. Besides potentially giving you physical pain, bad posture can affect the way your bra fits you (even a correctly sized bra) and consequently, how you feel about your shape.

When the Lingerie Addict tried on a pair of weighted 34HH breasts she was amazed how heavy they were. Photo: taken by Darlene at Hourglassy

The Emotional Causes of Bad Posture
The most common posture issue for busty women is hunched shoulders and this is the direct result of physically hiding your breasts. You see it all the time; huddles of teenage girls with rounded shoulders and folded arms. Of course it's an awkward time being a busty teenager but if no-one bolsters your confidence and teaches you to be proud of your body then the shoulder-hunched-arm-cross can plight your life forever.

 

Every day I see adult women who are visibly ill-at-ease with their breasts. They stand and walk in such a way that says 'don't look at me, I'm ashamed of my bust.' I want to run up and hug these women, whisk them off for a cup of tea and a bra fitting. Is it worth risking your health and happiness for the sake of worrying about what other people think about your bust? The small-minded idiots who would judge you for your bra size aren't in physical pain because of their ignorance, why on earth should you be? 

Shoulders
If you have rounded shoulders then your straps can't lie flat against your chest causing your bra to stand away from your body. This can cause your breasts to bounce up and down in their cups as the strap can't keep them locked down. I see lots of women default to hunched shoulders when they try on bras. When I realign their posture they can see the difference in fit instantaneously.

It can be incredibly hard to re-train your mind as well as your body, but it is possible. You should try to roll your shoulders back in small rotations every day. A little tip I like is to put a red sticker on your computer (one of the culprits for our declining posture) then every time you become aware of the sticker relax your shoulders, and make 10 small, slow backward rotations (make sure not to stretch you neck back, keep your chin down). Over time you can improve your overall posture by moving your shoulders farther back.

Back and Neck
Your head should be aligned over the thickest part of your spine so that the weight is distributed evenly down your spine. When your boobs pull your whole body forward your head can move farther forward causing the upper part of your spine to work extra hard as it tries to pull your head back into place. This strain on your upper back causes curvature of your upper spine which affects your height as well as disrupting the blood-flow and nerve message around your upper body.

Physically pulling your head in (tuck your chin in and down as you do so to ensure you don't strain your neck) will align your head and spine. You need to wear a correctly fitting bra (by this I mean a snug band!!) so that the weight of your breasts is transferred from your neck and upper back to your mid and lower back which is much stronger. Click here for some posture improving exercises.

Wear the Right Bra
It can never be said enough, wearing correctly fitting bras is so important for your physical and emotional health. In case you don't know if your bra fits, here are the 5 tell tale signs:

1) All of your breast tissue should sit inside your cups (this includes the breast tissue at the side under your armpit) without any gaping.

2) You should be able to get just two fingers under your band. If your band is too loose your bra is completely redundant and probably doing you more harm than good.

3) The centre part of your bra (the gore) should lie flat against your body.

4) Your straps should NOT dig into your shoulders.

5) Your band should be level with the ground at the front AND at the back of your body.

The way you feel about your bust (and your figure in general) is absolutely apparent in your posture. If you think that you should be ashamed of your figure, then you will stand that way. If you feel proud to be busty and healthy then your stance reflects it. Feeling better in your body and your bra starts in your head so I highly recommend reading this post to start piecing together what's holding you back from your embracing your shape and standing with shoulders back xx