I read that most women wear the wrong bra size.  So I decided to
measure myself and found I was "42 AA."  My question is...what
determines someone's bra size exactly?  I've always associated a AA
cup to be very small, but I'm actually really not.  I'm just confused
with this new measurement.  The second part of this is: being that 42
AA is really a weird size, what would be the next more normal size I
could go for?

Hi julie99-ga,


Here are some websites that tells how to go about measuring for a bra
size - how to measure your torso and how to determine your cup size.
The measurement of these two factors deteremine your bra size. It also
gives charts for you to see the different scales/sizes


http://www.biggerbras.com/index_sizecharts.shtml
http://www.x-chrom.com/X-Cart/xcart_page.php4?CM=1&f=fitxpert.htm&amid=OBS4&PHPSESSID=8041e5154f7c9c91920994cfd66caf2d
http://www.bellalingerie.com/customer_service.php?showInfo=8
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Village/6448/page3.htm

The next best size you can wear is an ordinary  size A or a padded
size A (the 42 will not change because that is the size of your torso,
it will only change when you loose or gain weight)  Also sometimes
different cuts in the bra style can make that particular bra seem
smaller or larger and different companies/brand names have slightly
differnt cuts also.  So it is best to always try on the bra that you
like to ensure that you have the correct fit.

Hope this helps.


Best Regards


jeanwil-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by julie99-ga on 17 Feb 2003 09:45 PST

I was looking for more of an explanation of how the bra size is
determined.  I know how to measure, and what I need to measure..but
HOW are those numbers used to actually determine the size.  Thanks!

---

Clarification of Answer by jeanwil-ga on 17 Feb 2003 16:33 PST

Hi  julie99-ga,


Basically the manufacturers of the bra had done their surveys and
tests and came up with  -sample moles- so to speak.  They had to
standardise and categorise each mole size so as to manufacture the
bras and in doing so they created  ranges and  sizes. Anywhere in the
world you go a size B is a size B becasue it has become a standard in
the manfacturing world and in our minds. From the picture on the
website you can see how similar persons with similar size breast were
studies and thus grouped.  So like anything else that is new they
started somewhere so they chose to use letters starting with the first
letter A and the subset thereof AA and moved up the grade.


So in essence they gave us the mole sizes that they wanted to make and
they tell  us how to go about measuring ourselves so we know what size
to buy from them that would fit us.


“Prior to World War I, women breasts were stuffed into corsets and
other single-fabric contraptions.  The precursor of the two cup bra
was designed by a woman named Caresse Crosby.  She sold the patent for
her concept -two handkerchiefs sewn together with attached ribbon
straps- in 1913, and the beginning of the 11.3 billion lingerie
business was born………….Brassiere manufacturers have come up with
nomenclature to allow standardization of their products.”

Source
http://www.afraidtoask.com/breast/breastsize.html

The Bra inventor
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/brassiere/


Hope this helps.

Best regards,



jeanwil