It’s so bad that my fiancée has some bras that say she’s a B cup and others that says she’s a D cup. In order to go bra shopping, you have to actually try them on to find out if they fit.

If I had to try on underwear to see if they fit, I might not bother with underwear at all!

  • AliSaket@mander.xyz
    20·
    2 days ago

    Oof, yeah I was about 23 and wanted to help my now wife to get some of the correct size, which was an almost impossible ordeal. Wanna hear the story? Fine:

    Taking the two measures was the easy part (and doing it again during her period, because of course the size changes during the cycle, anything else would be too easy). Then I read that the cup size is the absolute difference between bust and band measurement no matter the band measurement. Furthermore since the material is elastic, for a good support, the band should be a tad below the measurement*.

    So far so good, went to the store and there are only A-D cups everywhere, E if you’re lucky. So basically no matter what exact measure they take between the cups, you’re ok if you’re thin and have small or somewhat big breasts, or you’re a bit fuller and have tiny breasts. Everyone else is automatically screwed. If you’re lucky enough to fall into those categories you then have to try on so many to sift through different positioning and forms of breasts until you find one that is comfortable. We had to order some all the way from the UK because it wasn’t possible to get anything coming near the correct size here.

    *women who wore normal cloth bras before and continued wearing the same size have felt that the elastic hasn’t made things better necessarily. Can’t find the source for that one right now though.

    • Sonor@lemmy.world
      331·
      3 days ago

      This. I mostly buy size S t-shirts, sometimes M, occassionally XS. I dont even care anymore.

      • Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de
        32·
        3 days ago

        If the shirt isn’t xl, I can’t raise my hands without showing my belly.

        Also if the shirt is bigger than L, I’m swimming in it.

        • Sonor@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 day ago

          At this point, my wife just naturally reaches over to pull my shirt down if i do that, like for example holding on a tram :D

        • snooggums@lemmy.worldEnglish
          10·
          3 days ago

          I have a long torso and broad shoulders, so I have to get xl tall shirts in some brands because most make their standard xl shirts wider but not taller than med and small.

          Banana Republic is the shortest length. Hurley is the best length.

          • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
            2·
            3 days ago

            They’re so hard to find. I have to buy all my shirts at Eddie Bauer because 1) I’m a dad and 2) they’re one of the only stores that regularly carry them.

        • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
          2·
          3 days ago

          Some brands do slim sizes. Small shirts don’t cover my belt but mediums can be baggy on me, but medium slim fits perfectly.

      • phoneymouse@lemmy.world
        5·
        3 days ago

        I’m between a medium and a large. More often then not though, I need the shoulder width and arm length of a large, but the cut in the torso of a medium. Clothing manufacturers assume Americans scale horizontally as they scale vertically. This maybe true given our obesity crisis.

        • Sonor@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 day ago

          I think there was a great youtube video on clothes standardization, and how its basically not good for anyone, neither is it standard in any sense of the word

  • pyrflie@lemm.ee
    12·
    2 days ago

    4, listening to my mom bitch about bra shopping on a bench in JC Penny’s to my nieces.

    Big women with big busts had a pretty hard time finding shit in the 90s.

      • SupraMario@lemmy.world
        7·
        3 days ago

        Never been underwear shopping with the wife? I usually take my wife once a year. Think of it this way. A good bra is like a good pair of work boots. You get a shit pair and you’re in pain every time you wear them. Bras are the same thing.

        • P1nkman@lemmy.world
          7·
          3 days ago

          Yes and no. Sexy underwear, sure, but never a big talk around the vast differences. I told her about this comment, and I got a 10 minute talk about it 😂 no regrets!

    • nexas_XIII@lemm.ee
      1·
      3 days ago

      I would assume they’re not but that’s because I notice that depending on who makes what shoe depends on what size I have. I also see this in pants and shorts for men as well. I just assume nothing is actually standardized due to QA never really catching things.

  • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    56·
    3 days ago

    It’s also the fact that cup size is not necessarily independent from band size, that’s where the trick is. I used to think I’m an A with a high band size as I’m huge with no booba, like a 39A or something but those never fit that well.

    According to ABraThatFits methodology I’m actually 36C, which somehow does fit and super well, though by common and dudebro methodology I’m most certainly more of an “A cup” if that makes sense.

    • Clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      381·
      2 days ago

      It’s because whatever maniac invented the sizing scheme decided that every letter represents 2 inches more around your body at the weirdest boobage point than just below it. What a bonkers system! A woman with 38B bras is 38 inches around at the band, and 42 inches around at the girls. Nonsense. The way dudes THINK it works makes so much more sense.