Women's busts are larger than ever, with
the average bra size now 36C compared with bra sizes of
34B 10 years ago but, according to new research, approximately
only 10% of women wear a bra that fits properly.
Many women admitted to resorting to a range
of desperate measures to get the chest shape and larger
breasts they wanted. A survey of more than 2000 women, showed
that approximately 18% said they had modified their bras
by sewing cups together or using safety pins to make them
fit more comfortably.
10% of bra surveyed women also said they
will stuff their bras to enhance their breast size. Bras
may be stuffed with socks or even toilet paper.
While most women recognize that contraception,
diet, menstruation, pregnancy, and the menopause can affect
the size of their breasts, and bra buying, experts have
expressed concern that such a high number of women were
still risking their health by failing to wear suitably supportive
bras, lingerie, or underwear.
A Doctor from the British School of Osteopathy,
said wearing ill-fitting bras could cause pain in the neck,
shoulders, and back, which could eventually lead to a more
serious muscle-wasting weakness. Bras should have the right
fit.
"We mainly see people with back pain
problems," he said. "Women who wear the wrong
size of bra are forced to adopt a posture which is completely
unnatural and inappropriate”. This is a strong indication
the right size bra is important.
"A bra that is too tight can reduce
the mobility of the upper part of the back, by making it
function like a single muscle. It can also reduce mobility
of the chest and cause breathing difficulties because the
ability of the chest to expand fully to inhale is restricted."
According to what experts say, a properly
fitting bra is essential. The reason is the breast does
not have any muscles and the ligaments could stretch, and
sag. This is especially noticeable as women get older, and
are not adequately supported.
According to a product technologist with
Marks & Spencer, a place that sells approximately 45
bras every minute in the UK along with being a supplier
of lingerie to one-third of the nation, said women faced
greater health risks by wearing the wrong size of bra than
if they did not wear any bra at all. Bra size is so important.
She had also said "An alarming number
of women are wearing a bra which is too tight, this can
cause headaches, tingling in the arms, backache, and poor
posture. A smaller number tend to go for a bra that is too
big and is not as supportive around the chest as it should
be."
Other contributing factors causing larger
bra size include the contraceptive pill, a relatively unhealthy
diet, and lack of exercise. This is particularly why western
women require larger bras.
A survey by Marks & Spencer and scientists
at Nottingham University, found that 31% of women were not
properly measured for a bra in the past five years and 22%
had never been measured for a bra at all.
Using the latest 3-D scanning technology,
researchers took 46,000 measurements manually. They found
that 55% of women had a bigger cup size than they thought.
The bra sensor measures the pressure under
bra straps and under the bra bands and bra wires, to assess
whether a bra is too tight or too big. Something interesting
to note, the single most popular bra size sold in the UK
is 34B, but the national average bra size is 36C.
One lady had quoted "But I know through
talking to friends that most people think that bra size,
like your shoe size, is something you find out at 16 and
it stays the same all the way through your life”.
This is not the case.
Interesting bra fact: Madonna's
“Jean Paul Gaultier” satin bra, which was worn
by her during her Blonde Ambition tour of 1990, was on its
way to Chile after being sold for just over $20,000.
