By Stepheny Gehrig
Bra styles and sizes change depending on the brands, which can make bra shopping even harder. Bras should leave you feeling confident, stylish and with no back or shoulder pain.
To find the perfect bra, you have to be friends with your breasts.
Understanding your breast shape
Breast shape can affect the style of bra that is the most secure, comfortable and best fitting for you. Breasts can be fuller on top, bottom or even on the sides and are categorized as: asymmetric, athletic, bell, east-west, relaxed, round, side set, slender and teardrop. To figure out what type your breasts are, you can look at the placement of your nipple.
Depending on the shape of your breasts, there might be a style that is more comfortable.
Full-on top bras
For asymmetric breasts, a T-shirt bra works best to visually even them out. T-shirt bras give coverage and distribute the volume of the breasts evenly.
Round breasts are equally full on the top and bottom. The best options for this type are T-shirt bras and balconettes as they offer slightly more coverage and more structure. Another option would be plunge style bras, which have a lower center that can help with gapping below breasts or between your cleavage.
Full-on bottom bras
Athletic, or shallow breasts, take up more room on your chest. They are wider at the root, which means that wireless bras, like bralettes, would be good choices. They give minimal support, while still offering coverage.
For those with relaxed breasts, proper support is crucial to reduce back and shoulder pain since they sit lower. Balconette style bras, which have horizontal cups and aid in eliminating gapping, offer more support.
Bell-shaped and teardrop breasts are slimmer closer to the chest and wider at the bottom. The styles that work best to offer coverage and support are T-shirt bras, demi bras or full cup bras with underwire. The underwire will lift your breasts and offer some relief from weight and pressure on your shoulders.
Slender breasts are typically wide on top and narrow at the bottom, so seamed bras, which provide the breasts with support and give shape, are perfect.
Full-on sides bra
East-west breasts, which are similar to side set breasts, usually have outward-facing nipples and have more breast tissue on the sides. Contour bras make the breasts appear rounder and have minimal padding, providing proper support without the underwire digging into your armpits.