Finding the Right Bra

Bras minimize jiggling and shape the appearance of a girl's breasts. They're also helpful from a health standpoint. Wearing the right bra keeps a girl's breasts supported while she's playing a sport and can help prevent injury to breast tissue. A well-fitting bra is also important for a woman's posture, particularly if she has large breasts. A bra that doesn't fit can cause back problems, muscle tension, and even headaches.

Yet 8 out of 10 women wear bras that don't fit.

All About Straps, Snaps, Bands, and Cups

Finding the right bra doesn't have to be an ordeal if you know the basics of bra sizing. There are two parts to a bra's size: the chest size (also called the band size) and the cup size.

The chest, or band, size is the part of the bra that runs across a girl's chest and around her back. The cups are the parts of the bra that hold the breasts. Bras come in many sizes, which are different combinations of the chest sizes (shown as numbers ― in the United States, these are 32, 34, 36, etc.) and cup sizes (shown as letters ― AA, A, B, C, etc.)

It's important to get both the chest and cup sizes right to ensure a proper fit. If a girl wears a bra that's the wrong chest size, the bra's band will either feel tight and uncomfortable around her rib cage or it will be too loose and ride up her breasts. Bras that are too small in the cup will compress the breasts and force them to bulge out the sides (think armpit boobs). And cups that are too big can wrinkle and pucker, which won't look good under clothes.