We asked Tanya Robertson, founder of the lingerie marketplace womanhood, how to choose a bra that is perfect for us.
How to choose a bra? Buying underwear is probably the most intimate and complicated purchase a woman has to make in her life. Yet, we don’t always invest money and time on finding the perfect fit for us, quite the opposite. For the majority of women, spending money and time on a bra is an annoying necessity and – let’s be honest – most of us can’t wait to take our bras off as soon as we can.
The reality is: most of us have no idea how to choose a bra.
Tanya Robertson founded womanhood to change the perception and the relationship that women have with underwear and with the process of buying it. We asked Tanya a few questions about women and lingerie and she gave us some interesting tips on what to look for when shopping for a new bra.
Is it important to regularly check our bra size?
As women, we change bra size between six to nine times in our lifetime. That could be because we are growing up or getting older, because we lost or gained weight or because we had kids. We are constantly evolving and our body is always changing.
Bra fittings can sometimes be very unpleasant…
Bra fittings can be a bit daunting because it’s a very intimate experience. My goal at womanhood is to democratise the bra fitting experience. We are working on offering a virtual fitting service that women can do at home, alone.
Bra sizing and fitting can be confusing but it’s wrong to try and force our breasts to fit in something instead of the other way around.
How do you know if a bra will fit you?
It can be a little confusing especially because lingerie follows trends just like fashion. For example, in the last few years, we have seen a lot on bralettes that in general will fit a small bust better than a bigger bust. But now brands are really making an effort to be more inclusive, so it’s possible to find options even for bigger busts.
If it’s not possible to go for a bra fitting, it’s really important to understand the shape of your bust before buying a bra. Size is really important, but you have to understand if you need support on the side or if you need a lift from underneath, for example.
There are different components of a bra that we can focus on to identify what would work best for us: if you have a bigger bust, something that is underwired would be better so you can be sure that you are going to have complete coverage from side to side.
Material is also a very important component. Lace is great because it’s stretchy but mesh allows us to keep a more natural shape.
What should we look for when we are choosing a bra online?
Always analyse how it fits on the model: look to see if the wire goes directly from the centre point of the breast to the side and make sure that the wire sits underneath the bust.
The second thing is the material: you need something that will move with you, not against you.
The third thing is the strap: a thin strap might be pretty but it will provide no support to ‘push’ your breasts upward, which is very important when wearing a bra.
What would you say about the relationship that women have with underwear?
I have always been around women that were unhappy with their lingerie both because of unattainable body standards and bad experiences. Our bra is the first thing we put on and the last thing we take off – we should want the best we can get, we shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
For so long we have been buying underwear for someone else and not ourselves – finally, we are rebuilding the relationship we have with underwear. Women now are buying things that they want to wear, for themselves.
Underwear is the most emotional purchase that a woman makes. It forces you to address yourself; you have to see all your parts, there is no hiding. I think no product should make you feel bad or lesser than someone else. When we get it right and find underwear that works for us and that makes us feel beautiful, it has a huge positive impact on our confidence.
Is there a perfect bra for every shape?
I don’t think women should be limiting themselves to one type of bra. You can try and explore different shapes and materials depending on what you are doing. It’s all about making bras work for you and your needs.
Visit womanhood.shop to explore their lovely selection of independent, female-led lingerie brands.
Pictures: courtesy of womanhood.
