Are you wearing the right bra size? According to Intimacy, the odds are no. The bra boutique maintains that the vast majority of women currently sport an ill-fitting size.
We wanted to find out more about this bothersome news—have we too been living in the dark? Does it even matter? So we caught up with the Bra Whisperer, aka Susan Nethero, founder/chief fit stylist for Intimacy, who was recently in town to celebrate the launch of the store's second Chicagoland location at Oakbrook Center.
Not only did we get her take on why so many of us don't find the right bra, but we also found out more about her days training with the queen of England's royal bra fitter and how she got her nickname.
The Feast: You've said that 85-90 percent of women are wearing the wrong size bra. Why do you think so many of us have it so wrong?
Susan Nethero: At least 65 percent or more women have never been fit, and don’t realize their bra can increase comfort and improve appearance. Most women are confused about cup size, and think bras go from an A-D cup.There are over 90 bra sizes that range in band width from 32-48 and in cup size from A-K cup. There are many more sizes than women are aware of.
The Feast: What's holding us back from trying on new sizes?
Susan Nethero: First, women blame themselves. They feel bad about their shape and feel responsible for their body changes. Not true!
A woman’s body changes shape six times in her life, due to reasons like weight gain/loss, puberty, pregnancy, nursing, hormones, menopause, etc. Follow the 10 percent rule: If you have had a weight change of more than 10 percent of your total body weight, your bra size has probably changed too.
So if you weighed 150 and lost 15 pounds, your bra size should be checked.
The Feast: How is wearing the right bra size important in the big picture?
Nethero: Women notoriously blame themselves for fit-related problems and when they realize that the right bra size can change their comfort, their style options and their overall figure and shape, a whole new world opens up to them. Women tell us that they often feel like they just lost 10 pounds, or that they had breast surgery! Many women start dressing differently, they stop slouching, they are no longer in pain. And best of all they tell us that they never believed they could feel so attractive in lingerie regardless of their shape and size. It really is incredible!
The Feast: What kinds of things did you learn while training with the Queen of England's royal bra fitter?
Nethero: June Kenton taught me to throw away the tape measure and to really develop a holistic method of fitting that takes a woman's entire body into account. She spent two weeks with me and I photodocumented everything! Then I spent the next few years adapting her teachings to the American market.
The Feast: How did you get the name "the Bra Whisperer"?
Nethero: Carson Kressley dubbed me the Bra Whisperer when we were taping How to Look Good Naked together and it just stuck! I love it!
Stay tuned for more fitting tips from Nethero.
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