MAJORITY OF UK WOMEN ARE MAKING BRA BOOBS
Ø SEVEN BRA FAUX PAS REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME
Ø 4 IN 5 UK WOMEN WEARING THE WRONG SIZE BRA
Ø LINGERIE RETAILER TO LAUNCH BOOB SCHOOL TO HELP WOMEN TO BE BRA AWARE
2013 may be the 100th anniversary of the brassiere, but it appears that the majority of UK women are making a series of boobs when it comes to their bras according to research published today.
The study of more than 1,000 women by retailer, Bravissimo, found that there are seven common faux pas that British women are making, namely; The Quadraboob, The Side Boob, The Ledge, The High Rider, The Big Stand Off, Saggy Cups and Super Drooper.. In response to the findings, Bravissimo is now launching the world’s first Boob School to help other women avoid falling into these booby traps.
The most common faux pas experienced by women was The Side Boob (41%), where the wires in the cup of the bra sit on the boob rather than the ribcage causing the boobs to spill out over the sides of the bra. This was closely followed by The High Rider (39%), where the back of the bra is too loose and rides up and the dreaded Quadraboob (36%), caused by boobs spilling over the top of the cup, giving the impression of four boobs.
The research revealed that four in every five UK women admit to regularly experiencing at least one of the seven bra faux pas, all of which are a result of wearing badly fitting lingerie.
The likelihood of making a bra faux pas was also proportional to the size of women’s boobs, with bigger boobed ladies experiencing more problems finding a properly fitted bra and dealing with the challenges of having more to handle in the first place! The Quadraboob was the biggest pitfall for bigger boobed ladies, with 53% of women who were above a GG cup size falling prey.
The seven bra faux pas and the percentage of UK women who admit to having them are as follows:
- The Side Boob (wires in the cup sitting on your boob rather than your ribcage) 41%
- The High Rider (the back of the bra riding up) 39%
- The Quadraboob (bust spilling over the top of the cup, giving the impression of four boobs) 36%
- The Big Stand Off (the front of the bra doesn’t sit flat on the sternum) 28%
- The Super Drooper (not enough support, saggy boobs) 26%
- Saggy Cups (too much fabric creating wrinkly cups) 24%
- The Ledge (over uplift, transforming your boobs into something that resembles a ledge) 12%
Although all the faux pas identified could be avoided by wearing a good fitting bra, only one in five women said that they were extremely confident that they were wearing the correct bra size. This is unsurprising, as the study also identified several reasons why women continually experience such uncertainty about their bra size. Over a two year period, three quarters (77%) have lost or gained weight, 62% have changed their clothes size, 17% have gone through the menopause and 10% have had a baby, all potentially impacting upon their bra size.
However, despite the shifts in boob size that women are experiencing, 24% of UK women admitted to having never had a bra fitting and 21% haven’t been for a fitting for at least four years.
Bravissimo is now launching Boob School in a bid to help women feel brilliant about their boobs. Boob School will talk to women about their boobs, give advice on what they should be looking for in a perfectly fitting bra by following their simple lessons online, via a Facebook app or in store Women of the UK wanting to enroll in Boob School should visit www.facebook.com/Bravissimo or www.bravissimo.com/boob-school (live from 4 March) or one of their 21 stores in the UK
Jo Lee, Buying and Marketing Director at Bravissimo, comments: “We’d noticed for some time that there were a number of booby traps women were falling into, normally because they’ve never experienced a proper fitting and they simply don’t know how to spot the signs that their bra is no longer giving them the support they need.
“By identifying the seven classic bra faux pas and launching Boob School, we’re hoping that women everywhere can become more knowledgeable about what makes a really good fitting bra, so they feel more confident about their bra size now and into the future and our brilliant British boobs can finally get the treatment they deserve!”
The Bravissimo research was conducted by Curiosity Research. 1155 women of all ages from across the UK completed the survey.
Other findings from the research included:
Ø Around 2 in 5 women feel comfortable telling a friend that they’ve made a bra faux pas
Ø Woman from the North West would be the most likely to tell you with truth about your boobs, with 50% saying they’d tell their friend if they made a bra faux pas
Ø Women from the South West and those aged 51+ are the least likely to have a bra faux pas making friend
Ø A third of women have had a fitting in the last year. Half of those who are GG+ Cup size have had a fitting in the last year, the same applies to those aged 30 or under
Ø A quarter of women who hadn’t had a fitting in more than 2 years feel they simply don’t need a fitting, whilst a fifth are too embarrassed
Ø 4 in 5 women own more than 5 bras, less than half wear more than 5 bras regularly
Ø Three quarters of women like the way their boobs look in their bra
Bravissimo is already a firm favourite with The UK’s top fashion and lingerie bloggers. Here’s what a couple of them have to say about how Bravissimo has changed their lives and their boobs!
Beckie Williams, Busts for Justice
“Before Bravissimo, I couldn’t walk down stairs without my boobs bouncing out of my bra cups. I had two choices: stay as still as possible at all times, or spend the whole day trying to hold them down and rearrange them without getting arrested for indecent behaviour. It was only when a Bravissimo fitter helped me in to a 30G (from a 34E) that I realised that that wasn’t normal. She helped me see that my body wasn’t weird, or awkward, or unruly – all this time it had just been put in to the wrong engineering. My new fit set me free. It’s been five years since my B-Day, and I still haven’t shut up talking about it. The perfect fit can make the difference between resenting and loving your curves – and every woman deserves to love the body they have”.
Stephanie Roper, Wardrobe Angel
“When I was a teenager I went from a 32B to a 32D virtually overnight. It was a Lara Croft-esque nightmare when, just weeks later, I went to 32DD. I was the first girl in my year to grow such noticeably gargantuan breasts, I realised roll necks were not my friend and my mum had to take me to a specialist lingerie retailer which basically stocked bras for Grannies in order to get a bra which “fitted”. That was the choice – a pretty bra which didn’t fit or a granny bra which did.”
“When Bravissimo came on the scene it was as if my prayers had been answered: I could finally get bras that were pretty, they fitted and the staff were sympathetic. They even did swimwear. Which fitted! Prayers. Answered. The testimonials on their website and in their catalogue are genuine, from real women, which just shows they are getting something right and meeting a very real need.”
“Since then I have always appreciated their amazingly friendly staff and great stock package. Any Wardrobe Angel clients who are blessed in the chest area and are experiencing ill-fitting bras, I send them to Bravissimo and the success is evident.”
Press Release courtesy of Sarah Brownless at Trumpet PR and Design
I am not from the UK (I’m Australian) but I find it hard to believe that 80% of women can’t determine the right size bra for them. Are they really that ignorant?! I’ve never been fitted but I am 100% positive that I’m wearing the right size…34E…I would have thought it was common sense.
You’d be surprised… my cousin took the ‘wear whatever fits’ approach and was one band size and two cups wrong.
I think boob school is a very good idea for those who really do not know how to fit themselves. The important thing is that once you know how to fit yourself, the bras you choose are comfortable and make you feel happy and supported. I wear JJ cup bras thesedays, but I vary dependeing on many factors. I recently went for a bra fitting in a large and well known department store in Oxford Street, wearing a bra I love, that makes me feel pretty and supported. It is also one of the most comfy bras I own. I went there for a fitting because I wanted a cheaper alternative to Bravissimo and wanted to see what they come up with. The fitter looked at my beloved bra scornfully and said that it is not supporting me at all. She brought me a bra that fitted better, technically, but that I did not like so much because it was still too small and I knew it would be uncomfortable because the wires were poking. She said it was much better and left. Her advice should have helped me but it did not. I just was not happy with this fitter who seemed to lack experience or patience. So know yourself as you are the best person to judge what works for you and what does not. Ps I still wear my beloved, slightly too small bra often.
It’s not just customers that struggle to get the right bra. My fiancé and I visited a attire in Haywards Heath as they are a Prima Donna dealer, we went in wanting a Prima Donna Deauville bra in black but sadly the lady (owner) talked us into buying an Empreinte bra, fitted fine in the shop but after an hour of wearing it, it was clearly not the right size causing my fiancé a lot if pain, tried to take it back and the lady owner of the shop refused a refund as its been worn, then tried to convince Em that the band should be half way up her back between the shoulder blade almost, Em reminded her that the band should be flat, then proceeded to tell her to machine wash it to soften it up and that with bras like these (£75 bra I might add!) there’s no gain without pain! Suffice to say we won’t be buying from there again!!
That was supposed to say store, not attire. My apologies.
I need Boob school. You’ve already taught me a lot though. I was at Nordstrom’s the the other day and the girl fitting me into a Cleo Panache Lucy Bra tried to convince me that the straps are the primary source of support! Daft. She needs Boob School.
I used to work for a plus-size women’s clothing company, here in Canada, and when we took our bra-fit course, we were told, that in Canada, 90% of women were wearing the wrong size. And it really doesn’t surprise me! As a full-figured woman, I have personally experienced the embarrassment of going into a bra store, and straight up being told, that they “Don’t carry that size.” Thank you so much for this post!