"That can't possibly be my size!" syndrome.

A lot of people, myself included, get caught up in the size on the label, which doesn't make sense. I know it, but it's still hard to fight.

I definitely remember when I was fatter, trying on clothing, and not getting something because I couldn't bear the idea of having clothing that was "that size" in my closet. I try not to let that bother me anymore, and just get what fits... I normally try on a size 4 in clothing, or a size small or extra small, first, because clothing with that size label normally is the one that is the right fit. Sometimes I need a medium or large; only a week ago I purchased a pair of shorts in size 9, because that's what fit. The numeric size assigned to a piece of clothing is only a tool to help you quickly estimate what piece of clothing might be the closest fit, but the actual size of clothing items, even within a specific brand, can vary widely... so why do we assign these arbitrary numbers so much power?

Clothing sizes can end up feeling like a huge hurtle to self-esteem-- but so can bra size. The correctly fitted bra makes a huge difference in how you will look and feel, in clothing and out, and yet a lot of us (including me) will insist that we fit into one particular size, for any number of reasons.

Truth: I KNEW how to fit and find a properly fitted bra, and after weight-loss I wore the wrong size for over a year. Why? Because I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that my breasts were still an "unusual size."

 I had convinced myself, somehow, that once I lost weight I would finally fit into "normal sizes" like everyone else. (This whole notion is fairly flawed, as the bra sizes commonly available in the U.S. are the correct fit for a very small range and number of women, but I didn't realize that as clearly at the time).

32DD Victoria's Secret bra.

I started out wearing a size 36F/34FF (depending on bloating). As I lost weight, at first I just wore my old bras until they got ridiculously large, then I went down a few cups in 34, and then I decided that 32DD was the right size (primarily because it was relatively easy to find, though finding any large cup size in a 32 band in the U.S. is not really an easy task). I would up buying a handful of Victoria's Secret bras (which run small in the cup and big in the band, anyway), and wearing those for a few years. The result was this:

I'm sure both you and I have seen more ill-fitting bras, but that's neither here nor there. The bras I had were ill-fitting and unsupportive and therefore, also:

• Uncomfortable
• Bad for my back
• Terrible for my posture
• Caused tissue migration (a fancy way of saying that since my breast tissue was not being contained in the cup and because the band was too big, it moved towards my armpits and back, giving me armpit and back fat).
• Unflattering, and bad for my self-image.

Over months, I realized that the bras really were not the right fit, easy-to-find size or not. I realized I needed a 30 band, first... and so I got one cup size up to keep the cup size the same.

Freya Deco in 30G (shirt review coming soon!).

I decided those were better (30DDD/E), so I kept them. (Well, they were better but they still didn't fit). As my tissue slowly migrated back toward where it belong, I kept noticing that the "tucking" I did to fit my chest into my bra stopped working, and I'd have quad-boob (breast tissue spilling over the top of the cup), anyway. So, I went up another size (30F). And finally, I decided I just needed to get over myself and go try on some bras at Nordstrom-- I told them what size I wanted to try on, tried on a bunch, and finally walked out with a Freya Deco in 30G (to be frank, sizing varies dramatically by manufacturer so there are sizes around this one that might fit better for a different style bra). This actually is still not a perfect fit, as the band runs slightly large and I will eventually need to tighten it up for my 29 inch underbust measurement.

The difference is pretty noticeable, I'd say. There has been only small changes in weight and body composition between these two pictures-- the difference is all bra. Visually, my waist looks longer, my chest looks perkier, and my back looks less bulgy. The change in how I feel is at least as important, though-- I have better posture, my back doesn't hurt, and I'm not getting headaches and red marks on my breasts because of a lousy bra fit.

It's pretty silly not to wear something that's going to help you look and feel ten times better, just because you don't want to change your bra size.

I think it would be impossible to have a blog talking about clothing for an hourglass figure (and furthermore for an athletic figure) without discussing proper bra size. That said, I'm going to point anyone who's read this far and wants to have an idea of how to find the correct bra size to Thin and Curvy, where Brittany has already made a number of excellent posts on how to determine if you are wearing the wrong size, measure yourself for finding the right size bra, and how to correctly put on a bra. I know I couldn't explain it any better, so I won't belabor the point.