Most of the clothing we wear every day don’t come with instructions. We’ve been putting pants on for so long that there’s no need to waste material outlining the steps.
Chances are that if you’re a woman, you feel the same way about bras. Our first bras may have experienced a little awkward fumbling, but otherwise, slipping your bra on is muscle memory.
However, a woman named Brittany Packnett recently came across instructions labelled “How to put on a bra” that got her and a lot of other women thinking when she shared it on Twitter.
We’re all so used to our bras and the way they fit that we just assume they fit properly. In reality, there are a lot of ways your bra might be trying to tell you that it doesn’t fit quite right.
The tag, in this case, gives some valuable insight while raising the question, is there a wrong way to put on a bra?
The tweet about, “How to put on a bra” received a lot of attention.
Brittany shared, “I’ve been putting on my bras wrong for twenty years. You probably have, to0.”
Brittany Packnett, who is an “Educator, activist and speaker” is the one responsible for enlightening the internet and frankly, sparking debate.
At first, Brittany explains, “I was like…’girl bye I been doing this’ and hopped on.” She continues, “But then I decided to read it…”
Brittany admits, “And I was all wrong. I was in the middle class and I did *not* do proper breast placement.”
The bra came from ThirdLove, an internet retailer that sells designer bras and claims to be able to fit a bra without ever seeing or measuring your boobs in person.
Putting on bras incorrectly and wearing the incorrect size happens to the best of us. In fact, very few women are even aware that there is a “right” or, “wrong” way to complete this mundane task.
Like many women, I thought that the middle clasp was the sweet spot where you want to secure your back strap.
However, as mentioned on the tag, the loosest clasp is actually correct.
The experts at Town Shop explain that this is because the material will stretch out over time, and clasping on the loosest hook helps you get the most use out of your bra, even as the fabric loosens.
The same goes for straps. After being worn for a while, the elastic will become less tight, and won’t hold your breasts up as well.
Over time, they will need to be tightened too, to accommodate for stretching.
Moreover, a shocking number of women aren’t wearing the correct bra size for them.
If you’re unsure, it’s always a good idea to go get an expert opinion. It could save you and your chest a lot of grief in the long run.
A good at home test you can use to check if your bra fits is to bring or wear a tight T-shirt with you while you’re bra shopping.
Cotton that clings to the skin and your bra isn’t very forgiving. So, if your bra fits over your body smoothly like it should, it will look great under your T-shirt. Or rather, like it isn’t there at all.
On the other hand, if you’re gapping or the bra is too tight, it will show through your T-shirt, and signaling a bad fit.
People were super confused by the whole “last clasp” thing.
Twitter users were quick to chime in with their own bra-tastic advice.
The good news? Strangers over the internet bonded over the fact that they’d all been doing this daily task incorrectly.
The most important part about wearing a bra is that you’re comfortable. No set of instructions can quite assure that.
However, these pointers are valuable and might lead to a better, longer lasting fit.
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