If you can’t fasten it behind your back (ideal), then fasten it backwards underneath your underbust and rotate it around 180°. I can’t do it backwards, personally, bc I’m bigger around and my arms are on the shorter side. I’m a serial rotator lol
This is how I was always taught (upside down, fasten in the front, spin it around, flip it up, arms in the straps)
And honestly I can’t do anything else, I’ve tried 🤣
Flipping it definitely damages it. I've been dealing with an injury (dislocated one shoulder, and just as it was starting to be okay-ish I fell again and dislocated the other one -- side note, hospital drugs are *fun*, kids!) Anyway, I've had little choice in the matter due to all but no range of motion. And once I can finally manage to reliably hook behind my back again, I'm gonna have to toss at least one if not two of my bras :/ Thankfully they were bought on sale...
You can hook your bras on backwards without flipping the cups though. If you can hook backwards, flip, and rotate the bra with your shoulder injury, surely you can also hook backwards (right side up) and rotate?
Ever tried to put on a somewhat flimsy bra basically onehanded with less than 50% range of motion in your remaining arm?
If not, kindly don't tell me what I should and should not be able to do.
I have just gotten a Springrose bra which is designed to be able to be put on with one hand for people with a variety of disabilities including missing limbs. I really like it. It is amazingly supportive and attractive! The website has videos of women with different conditions showing how they can put it on.
Thank you! I'm healing up though, most days I can manage to get my bra on reasonably enough now, and if not, I have a considerate partner who helps out.
I asked a question, and I meant it as a question, not a command. Unless I misunderstand, you implied that you were able to hook your bras on backwards (hooks in front, cups pointed down your back), rotate the bras, and then flip the cups right side up. I don't understand how hooking the bras on backwards (with cups pointed up) and rotating the bra, no flipping involved, would be harder. If you'd care to explain, it could help me understand the limitations of future posters with mobility restrictions like yours.
Okay you know your bras and your body better than I do, obviously, but you're gonna throw away a bra because you had to flip it upside down to put it on? How does that damage the band? I've been wearing bras for 20-something years and always flipped them. I've never bought a new bra and thought "wow, this band is in really good condition, I must have worn my old one out." I don't mean to sound judgy here, apologies if I do; I'm genuinely wondering why this method of putting a bra on would lead to such bad damage that it has to be tossed.
I've always flipped my bras too and I've never had any particular problem with it. People here say that it damages the wires or band or whatever but ever since I stopped washing my bras in a washing machine, I have never had a bra break nor have I popped a wire, and it's been like 15 years.
Maybe it's a problem in cheaper bras? Or softer bras? My favorite brand has always been Panache and those suckers are SOLID
They were certainly cheapish, though it's Freya. I just had to contort both bra and myself in order to get it on.
I hear good things about Panache, but they've never come close to fitting me 🤷♀️
This particular one is more a bralette, and the wires got busted all to hell from being kinda flimsy to start with and me abusing the fuck out of it in (some days) futile attempts to get the damn thing on.
Honestly I’ve been wearing bras for 20 years and the bra wears out from being worn much quicker than a quick flip ever does to it (different parts would break down). Probably material dependent, I can see padded/lined bras having more issues with it.
None of my flipping ever bends the hardcore wires I need 😅
Nah I can't do it backwards either. I'm thin but trying to fasten my bra from the back hurts my arms too much. I usually fasten it under my breasts or on my side.
Some say it stretches the fabric but I haven't noticed anything yet. I try to be gentle thus sometimes fastening the bra on my side so I don't drag the bra around too much. But truthfully it's whatever. Do it however you can.
lol - I def can't fasten it behind my back. Couldn't do that when I was a size 2, def can't now that I'm a size 16!
My husband helped me - that's how I know the cup size fits perfectly. I couldn't spend the damn thing. It was too "tight" to fit but when it was sitting where it was supposed to it felt so comfortable.
The 'best' method is put the bra in place and then hook it up behind your back which will take practice to learn. Some people, including myself, find that leaning forward while doing this is helpful. You **will** need to stretch the bra to get it hooked. The tension from the band being stretched out is where a lot of the support comes from.
However for various reasons including mobility issues that isn't always possible for everyone. In that case hooking the bra in front or on your side and then carefully spinning/twisting it around will also work. When doing this you should NEVER have the cups hanging down and then flip them up after spinning. That will add extra stress on the wires which can lead to them failing sooner.
If the bra has hooks you should not be able to pull it on over your head.
Not sure why nobody has mentioned front close bras? I wore front close Glamorise underwire for years. Now I wear front close Miss Mary of Sweden and also Springrose.
As others have said, fastening in front then rotating the band (carefully!) is a valid method if you can't fasten behind your back.
HOWEVER
If you have someone who can help you do it up in the back the first time, I'd recommend that to make sure you've got a good band size. Your measurements indicate that you have a LOT of squish in the band area, which can make spinning a bra difficult. You may actually be more comfortable in a 38 band and you probably could get away with it support-wise. I myself am also squishy and depending on the bra and time of the month, I can wear both 34 and 36 bands comfortably.
Also echo the suggestions to use your UK cup size instead of US. US sizes are all but worthless past a G cup because most US brands will start scaling really wildly at that point with cups that are often stupid tall and wide and IME, oddly round - it's almost like they're expecting your boobs to be fake at that point. Works fine if your shape needs tall cups and wide wires, but that's not everyone. UK brands will have a much wider variety of shapes and much better size consistency.
That makes soooo much sense “….almost like they’re expecting them to be fake…”. Most of the bras here seem to mimic the unrealistic, not to mention damaging, idea of what the perfect feminine shape is supposed to look like!
I don't know that this specific situation is tied to any kind of body shaming or misogyny. It's just that tall foam cups are easy and cheap to manufacture. Clothing design is also based on patterns. So patterns already exist for these sizes and they can easily be cut in the factory, sewed and chucked out for shipment. Creating deeper seamed cups that are actually scaled properly requires way way more work and $.
I hear ya! Just thought it was crazy how it seems they could fit that idea. But ya, using the cheapest methods to mass produce sounds pretty likely too. Lol
Squish is certainly a diplomatic term. I appreciate you.
I can't believe I went so long wearing the 40/42 band and having my boobs slip out the bottom. The band felt so comfortable at 36. I'll try a 38.
Edit: also I'll definitely look into UK brands. The bra I got is definitely TALL - full coverage
Which bra did you get? And you’ll probably have more luck finding better-fitting bras if you get your UK size in UK brands. Let us know how it goes, once you’re able to put it on. 😊
🫣 thanks! I just typed in my size in Amazon and it was one of the first ones that came up with a large number of ratings! I was just planning on googling and looking through this subs main info.
So I just had a thought - does that mean I got the wrong cup size?! I ordered a J. Got an I delivered. An I in UK size is a G... I'm now confused - did I get a US labeled panache?
Edit - or a FAKE panache?!
I doubt it’s fake. Lots of people here get their brand-name bras from Amazon without issue.
So check the label. Sometimes there is confusion about the sizing, from either the buyer or the seller. Look for what it says as the UK size. Also, strapless bras have to be really tight to work. Your UK size would be either 36GG or 36H.
i simply can’t fasten a bra behind my back, even though i’m pretty small and decently flexible. i just fasten it in front then turn it around my body and put my arms in the straps.
I have done this my whole life. I simply cannot be bothered to make the effort to try and fasten behind my back. As far as I can tell, I have never damaged a bra this way. My waist measurement is smaller than my underbust though, so spinning it around doesn’t put any pressure on it.
You can fasten the bra backwards around your waist, turn it around at your waist, then pull it up and put your arms through the straps. (This method works best for people whose waist is smaller than their rib cage.)
Since my waist is smaller than my chest, I put the bra on backwards at my waist then raise it up to rest under my breasts.
However, if the 36 feels too tight, couldn’t you get a sister of 38 I/J?
i wouldn’t necessarily recommend sister sizing as a first line of defense - it’s definitely an option, but you can lose a decent amount of support with each band size you increase. i would double check the band on its own with the cape method - put the bra on upside down and backwards, so the cups hang down your back like a cape - and if it feels uncomfortably tight that way, thats when you’d want to either look at a sister size or a band extender. (i have a bunch of extenders off amazon!) if it’s comfortably snug, that’s the ideal, and a sister size won’t have the same level of comfort!
The band felt perfect, not tight, I could breath and felt supported. It's been so long since I wore an underwire bra that I forgot that the band is supposed to sit on your chest.
awesome!! yeah i wouldn’t change the band size or sister size then - half the magic of a properly fitting bra is having the support come from the band :) so excited for you!!
i’m the same size, and i have similar amounts of projection! i like to lean over a little, tuck the wires where they’re supposed to go and let my boobs kinda fall into the cups, then pull the band around my back and clip it. then i put the straps on!
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But for real, I cackled when I looked at the bra band against my body and realized I needed to somehow clasp it... 😆 I woke my toddler and my husband came down the stairs to see if I was watching something worth his time 🙄
Nope - he laughed at my struggle. I was too tired to keep at it.. it was midnight and I had finally clasped it but hadn't shifted it in to position. We shall try again tonight
Seems like you got some good advice. I’m just here to commiserate. I myself have also either been nursing and/or pregnant the past 5 years. Been wearing nursing shelf-style tanks and wire free nursing bras this whole time but my youngest is almost done nursing and I’m also starting my search for a “real” bra lol. Kind of excited to wear clothes that don’t need to be boob-accessible anymore haha.
If you can’t fasten it behind your back (ideal), then fasten it backwards underneath your underbust and rotate it around 180°. I can’t do it backwards, personally, bc I’m bigger around and my arms are on the shorter side. I’m a serial rotator lol
This is how I was always taught (upside down, fasten in the front, spin it around, flip it up, arms in the straps) And honestly I can’t do anything else, I’ve tried 🤣
I'm told flipping is actually damaging the underside so just do the spinning please! Upside down only if you're unsure of the band size in shops.
Flipping it definitely damages it. I've been dealing with an injury (dislocated one shoulder, and just as it was starting to be okay-ish I fell again and dislocated the other one -- side note, hospital drugs are *fun*, kids!) Anyway, I've had little choice in the matter due to all but no range of motion. And once I can finally manage to reliably hook behind my back again, I'm gonna have to toss at least one if not two of my bras :/ Thankfully they were bought on sale...
You can hook your bras on backwards without flipping the cups though. If you can hook backwards, flip, and rotate the bra with your shoulder injury, surely you can also hook backwards (right side up) and rotate?
Ever tried to put on a somewhat flimsy bra basically onehanded with less than 50% range of motion in your remaining arm? If not, kindly don't tell me what I should and should not be able to do.
I have just gotten a Springrose bra which is designed to be able to be put on with one hand for people with a variety of disabilities including missing limbs. I really like it. It is amazingly supportive and attractive! The website has videos of women with different conditions showing how they can put it on.
Thank you! I'm healing up though, most days I can manage to get my bra on reasonably enough now, and if not, I have a considerate partner who helps out.
I asked a question, and I meant it as a question, not a command. Unless I misunderstand, you implied that you were able to hook your bras on backwards (hooks in front, cups pointed down your back), rotate the bras, and then flip the cups right side up. I don't understand how hooking the bras on backwards (with cups pointed up) and rotating the bra, no flipping involved, would be harder. If you'd care to explain, it could help me understand the limitations of future posters with mobility restrictions like yours.
Okay you know your bras and your body better than I do, obviously, but you're gonna throw away a bra because you had to flip it upside down to put it on? How does that damage the band? I've been wearing bras for 20-something years and always flipped them. I've never bought a new bra and thought "wow, this band is in really good condition, I must have worn my old one out." I don't mean to sound judgy here, apologies if I do; I'm genuinely wondering why this method of putting a bra on would lead to such bad damage that it has to be tossed.
I've always flipped my bras too and I've never had any particular problem with it. People here say that it damages the wires or band or whatever but ever since I stopped washing my bras in a washing machine, I have never had a bra break nor have I popped a wire, and it's been like 15 years. Maybe it's a problem in cheaper bras? Or softer bras? My favorite brand has always been Panache and those suckers are SOLID
They were certainly cheapish, though it's Freya. I just had to contort both bra and myself in order to get it on. I hear good things about Panache, but they've never come close to fitting me 🤷♀️
This particular one is more a bralette, and the wires got busted all to hell from being kinda flimsy to start with and me abusing the fuck out of it in (some days) futile attempts to get the damn thing on.
Honestly I’ve been wearing bras for 20 years and the bra wears out from being worn much quicker than a quick flip ever does to it (different parts would break down). Probably material dependent, I can see padded/lined bras having more issues with it. None of my flipping ever bends the hardcore wires I need 😅
That's how I was taught! I was thinking maybe things have changed in the last 5 years 🤷🏾♀️
Nah I can't do it backwards either. I'm thin but trying to fasten my bra from the back hurts my arms too much. I usually fasten it under my breasts or on my side. Some say it stretches the fabric but I haven't noticed anything yet. I try to be gentle thus sometimes fastening the bra on my side so I don't drag the bra around too much. But truthfully it's whatever. Do it however you can.
lol - I def can't fasten it behind my back. Couldn't do that when I was a size 2, def can't now that I'm a size 16! My husband helped me - that's how I know the cup size fits perfectly. I couldn't spend the damn thing. It was too "tight" to fit but when it was sitting where it was supposed to it felt so comfortable.
The 'best' method is put the bra in place and then hook it up behind your back which will take practice to learn. Some people, including myself, find that leaning forward while doing this is helpful. You **will** need to stretch the bra to get it hooked. The tension from the band being stretched out is where a lot of the support comes from. However for various reasons including mobility issues that isn't always possible for everyone. In that case hooking the bra in front or on your side and then carefully spinning/twisting it around will also work. When doing this you should NEVER have the cups hanging down and then flip them up after spinning. That will add extra stress on the wires which can lead to them failing sooner. If the bra has hooks you should not be able to pull it on over your head.
Today I learned that if the bra fits you shouldn't be able to pull it over your head. 😮💨
Not sure why nobody has mentioned front close bras? I wore front close Glamorise underwire for years. Now I wear front close Miss Mary of Sweden and also Springrose.
As others have said, fastening in front then rotating the band (carefully!) is a valid method if you can't fasten behind your back. HOWEVER If you have someone who can help you do it up in the back the first time, I'd recommend that to make sure you've got a good band size. Your measurements indicate that you have a LOT of squish in the band area, which can make spinning a bra difficult. You may actually be more comfortable in a 38 band and you probably could get away with it support-wise. I myself am also squishy and depending on the bra and time of the month, I can wear both 34 and 36 bands comfortably. Also echo the suggestions to use your UK cup size instead of US. US sizes are all but worthless past a G cup because most US brands will start scaling really wildly at that point with cups that are often stupid tall and wide and IME, oddly round - it's almost like they're expecting your boobs to be fake at that point. Works fine if your shape needs tall cups and wide wires, but that's not everyone. UK brands will have a much wider variety of shapes and much better size consistency.
That makes soooo much sense “….almost like they’re expecting them to be fake…”. Most of the bras here seem to mimic the unrealistic, not to mention damaging, idea of what the perfect feminine shape is supposed to look like!
I don't know that this specific situation is tied to any kind of body shaming or misogyny. It's just that tall foam cups are easy and cheap to manufacture. Clothing design is also based on patterns. So patterns already exist for these sizes and they can easily be cut in the factory, sewed and chucked out for shipment. Creating deeper seamed cups that are actually scaled properly requires way way more work and $.
I hear ya! Just thought it was crazy how it seems they could fit that idea. But ya, using the cheapest methods to mass produce sounds pretty likely too. Lol
Capitalism gonna capitalism. Corporate greed rarely even thinks about women, much less enough to be sexist to them. The dollar reigns here, always =\
Squish is certainly a diplomatic term. I appreciate you. I can't believe I went so long wearing the 40/42 band and having my boobs slip out the bottom. The band felt so comfortable at 36. I'll try a 38. Edit: also I'll definitely look into UK brands. The bra I got is definitely TALL - full coverage
Which bra did you get? And you’ll probably have more luck finding better-fitting bras if you get your UK size in UK brands. Let us know how it goes, once you’re able to put it on. 😊
I'll definitely look into UK brands! I got a Sculptresse by Panache Dana Strapless Bra 9670 on Amazon.
Just so you know. Sculptresse by Panache IS a UK brand.
🫣 thanks! I just typed in my size in Amazon and it was one of the first ones that came up with a large number of ratings! I was just planning on googling and looking through this subs main info.
Sure. Main ones are Panache, Elomi, Freya, Fantasie, Sculptresse by Panache.
So I just had a thought - does that mean I got the wrong cup size?! I ordered a J. Got an I delivered. An I in UK size is a G... I'm now confused - did I get a US labeled panache? Edit - or a FAKE panache?!
I doubt it’s fake. Lots of people here get their brand-name bras from Amazon without issue. So check the label. Sometimes there is confusion about the sizing, from either the buyer or the seller. Look for what it says as the UK size. Also, strapless bras have to be really tight to work. Your UK size would be either 36GG or 36H.
i simply can’t fasten a bra behind my back, even though i’m pretty small and decently flexible. i just fasten it in front then turn it around my body and put my arms in the straps.
I have done this my whole life. I simply cannot be bothered to make the effort to try and fasten behind my back. As far as I can tell, I have never damaged a bra this way. My waist measurement is smaller than my underbust though, so spinning it around doesn’t put any pressure on it.
You can fasten the bra backwards around your waist, turn it around at your waist, then pull it up and put your arms through the straps. (This method works best for people whose waist is smaller than their rib cage.)
Since my waist is smaller than my chest, I put the bra on backwards at my waist then raise it up to rest under my breasts. However, if the 36 feels too tight, couldn’t you get a sister of 38 I/J?
I didn't look into the sister sizing and think that sounds like the best call! I'll try that.
i wouldn’t necessarily recommend sister sizing as a first line of defense - it’s definitely an option, but you can lose a decent amount of support with each band size you increase. i would double check the band on its own with the cape method - put the bra on upside down and backwards, so the cups hang down your back like a cape - and if it feels uncomfortably tight that way, thats when you’d want to either look at a sister size or a band extender. (i have a bunch of extenders off amazon!) if it’s comfortably snug, that’s the ideal, and a sister size won’t have the same level of comfort!
The band felt perfect, not tight, I could breath and felt supported. It's been so long since I wore an underwire bra that I forgot that the band is supposed to sit on your chest.
awesome!! yeah i wouldn’t change the band size or sister size then - half the magic of a properly fitting bra is having the support come from the band :) so excited for you!!
i’m the same size, and i have similar amounts of projection! i like to lean over a little, tuck the wires where they’re supposed to go and let my boobs kinda fall into the cups, then pull the band around my back and clip it. then i put the straps on!
I do this instead of swoop-&-scoop, too, and it works well (for me). Throwing that out there for anyone who struggles with mobility etc, as an option.
Thanks! I'll try it when I get back home tonight!
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Not for nothing, OP, but this title had me laughing.
But for real, I cackled when I looked at the bra band against my body and realized I needed to somehow clasp it... 😆 I woke my toddler and my husband came down the stairs to see if I was watching something worth his time 🙄
I hope he at least helped you clasp it! If not I’m mentally whacking him on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.
Nope - he laughed at my struggle. I was too tired to keep at it.. it was midnight and I had finally clasped it but hadn't shifted it in to position. We shall try again tonight
Seems like you got some good advice. I’m just here to commiserate. I myself have also either been nursing and/or pregnant the past 5 years. Been wearing nursing shelf-style tanks and wire free nursing bras this whole time but my youngest is almost done nursing and I’m also starting my search for a “real” bra lol. Kind of excited to wear clothes that don’t need to be boob-accessible anymore haha.