Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of comments in online communities where someone has bought a new bra after following a modern measuring guide, and they believe it doesn’t fit. Usually, there are complaints that the bra is too big in the cups and too small in the band. Quite a lot of the time, one of the main issues in seeing whether a bra fits is that it hasn’t been put on and adjusted properly. For this reason, I thought it would be useful to show how much of a difference you can get in how a bra fits using the scoop and swoop method (shown here). Scooping and swooping de-squishes your breast tissue so that it isn’t being smushed into your armpits or compressed in the cup. It also makes your boobs sit properly in the cups, so that they are being lifted rather than just covered.

This bra is a Charnos 34F. The wires seem to be encapsulating my breasts, the band can’t be stretched too far, and there is no overspill – in fact there is very slight gapping at the top. If I didn’t know better, I would think that it fits, or that I maybe need a 34E. However, the wires are not sitting at the root of my breasts – they are a good inch too low down. If I scoop, swoop and align…

There is now very clear overspill. The band can now be stretched out extremely far, as my breast tissue is no longer taking up the band space. It is now clear that a smaller band and larger cup are needed. Continue reading →