New consumer study reveals women’s bras don’t measure up.

Jul 22, 2005

It is estimated that almost 70% of Australian women are currently wearing the wrong-size bra. And using a professional in-store fitter isn’t any guarantee of getting a well-fitting one either.

An undercover operation by consumer group CHOICE has found that a large majority of bras chosen by professional fitters were a poor fit, with 43 per cent too small.

University of Wollongong lecturer from the Biomechanics Research Lab in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Ms Deirdre McGhee, was chosen to be one of the panel experts for the study.

Ms McGhee is an Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) sports physiotherapist who has worked extensively with female athletes and women suffering from musculoskeletal problems caused by poorly fitting bras. She is currently researching breast biomechanics and exercise-induced breast discomfort, with the view to helping manufacturers design better bras.

“This undercover operation has highlighted that it is simply not possible for women to accurately decipher what bra size they are,” she said. “A large percentage of women are actually not the size they think they are. Many people don’t realise that the fit of a bra is essential for its design to function. If it doesn’t fit – it doesn’t work.”

The 12 undercover underwear shoppers ranged in age from 25 to 67, with bra sizes ranging from 12B to 20F. They went to various Myer, David Jones, Bras’N’Things and some independent lingerie stores and asked to be fitted for an ‘everyday’ bra they could wear to work, shopping or just out and about.

From each shop they bought a bra recommended as a god fit, bringing a total of 49 bras to the panel of experts to assess. Only eight were later determined by the panel to be a good fit.

Having the wrong cup size was the biggest problem while others included the underband being too loose or too tight, the back underband too narrow and the side wings not high enough. Almost half the fitters also recommended bras with the wrong underwire shape, with wires cutting across breast tissue and putting pressure on it.

“It is a myth that bras can cause cancer, but medical research does show that for women with large breasts the wrong-sized bra can contribute to neck, upper back and shoulder pain. Fitting the bra correctly has been found to dramatically decrease such symptoms,” said Ms McGhee.

“Most women participating in the study chose their bra based on how it looked and did not know that fashion bras were not designed to be supportive or worn for long periods.”

Ms McGhee said is was essential that steps be taken to improve the standard of women’s underwear in Australia.

“We need to standardise and review sizes and educate women about the features of a good, supportive bra. We also need to make women aware that sizes are not standard.”

“If a woman is a 14C in one particular bra, that does not mean they will be the same size in another bra, even if it is made by the same manufacturer or is even the same style of bra in a different colour.”

Ms McGhee also said that research needs to be undertaken into breast and bra volume and adequate data compiled on the shape of women’s breasts.

“There needs to be publicity and unrest for something to happen.”

-RP