Have you heard of Boob or Bust? Basically it’s an online resource that you use to measure yourself for a bra – all you need is a tape measure. There are thousands of women online evangelising about how amazing it has been for them, so when I needed to ditch the elasticated nursing bras (so ugly but so comfy, I will miss them) I thought I’d give it a whirl.
So all you do is follow the instructions and take a few measurements under your boobs, around your boobs and – my personal favourite – leaning 90° forwards so your boobs are in full hanging mode. You then input the figures to their online calculator and it spits out what size you are, with the caveat that you should try the sizes either side of your recommended size to find the perfect fit.
Now a few of my friends who had already done this warned me that the sizes that can come out can be a bit, erm, surprising… so I was pre-warned. But even that didn’t stop me from almost keeling over when I saw my recommended size.
For reference, I have always been measured at Debenhams for a bra and found them to be pretty good (I wrote a post about it here). I was wearing a 32DD before pregnancy, then my boobs ballooned to a 34FF/G in pregnancy and post-breastfeeding they’ve flopped down to much less perky sad sacks. So I was expecting my size to be around a 34D. Well, Boob or Bust reckoned I was a… (drum roll please) 32H.
WTF?!
I mean I just couldn’t believe it, but my friends assured me to just go with it, so off I trotted to M&S and Debenhams to try bras on. And it was a total disaster.
I couldn’t even find a 32H in M&S and I didn’t really know what else to try so I grabbed a whole range of sizes and braved the changing rooms. Not a single one of the bastard things fit. I could barely get a 32 done up around my back. I was sweating with the exertion of it all, my jeans were falling down, my torso was covered with red lines from the underwire digging in, and my tummy rolls were flapping around as I desperately tried to manoeuvre my boobs into their lacy prisons.
Trying to remain positive, I strode to Debenhams to give it another shot and there I found a 32H. Learning from my M&S mistakes, I also got a couple of 34s. Unsurprisingly, the 32H was a total bust. I could get it done up, but it was incredibly uncomfortable and there was no way my boobs were filling the cups. I didn’t know where to go from there and ended up feeling quite tearful.
One sushi lunch date later and I had recovered enough to go to Bravissimo, where the lovely lady took one look at me, said “34E”, and every single bra she gave me fit like a fricking glove.
So it’s fair to say Boob or Bust wasn’t for me. But I’d love to know if you’ve tried it and whether it worked for you!
JH