Buzzfeed’s Bra Blunder

Bras: necessary, important, yet highly misunderstood. This is obvious in women everywhere. Whether they are wearing the incorrect size while shopping at the supermarket, sporting an unflattering bra style on a date, or particularly posting incorrect information on Buzzfeed.com, women are constantly distorting the image of bras as we know it.

On October 5, Buzzfeed posted an article about push-up bras. The article, This Is What Push-Up Bras Actually Look Like In Different Sizes, featured various staff members of Buzzfeed, trying on push-up bras, and ultimately pointing out how little they pushed up, or the dissatisfactory aspects of the bra. But what these lovely ladies failed to realize was all bras are not created equal, and wearing the correct size is critical. The term “push-up” means different things for different bras, and it is vital to be educated on the topic before making an assumption about the product. So let’s start our education.

First thing’s first, before trying on a bra, know your size. Get fitted and try on various sizes until you know your perfect fit. Wearing the incorrect bra size will ruin your look in any bra. This was a huge issue with the ladies from Buzzfeed, as there were obvious sizing problems. It is difficult to tell the actual size of these women without a measuring tape and some bras to try on, but certain images point out apparent problems that tell us they are in the wrong size.

The two clearest women wearing the wrong size were Nina and Sheridan. While wearing the Target bra, the gore of Nina’s bra was lifted up. She even writes, “The front of the band doesn’t even come close to touching my skin.” The “front band” is known as the gore, and lifting of the gore is a sign you need to go up in a cup size. With this knowledge, we can assume Nina was not seeing how well her chest would actually look in this particular push up bra.

Instead, she felt uncomfortable and exposed, assuming it was the push up, when in reality, it was the improper size. Sheridan also demonstrated how an ill fitting bra looks in each style. In each photo, there was spillage over the cup. Sheridan needs to go up a cup size or two as well.

Now, the second step to understanding bras relates to the bra style. Each and every bra style has its own function, even if the names are similar. The first bra the girls tried, Victoria’s Secret, Body By Victoria, Perfect Shape, might have push up, but it does not have the same function as other push up bras. You see, the term “perfect shape” refers to a bra that includes padding allover the bra, instead of just on the bottom. While this type of push up can increase cleavage, the purpose of this bra is to give your chest a fuller look and shape. When Morgan said, “My boobs did not get the memo that they were supposed to touch”, she’s assuming this bra would push her boobs together and boost cleavage. This idea is false. These girls did in fact receive exactly what this perfect shape push up is supposed to provide: coverage with a lift.

The second bra the girls tried was a strapless (multiway) bra. This was probably their least favorite, as each of them criticized the bra for not lifting their chest. A fun tip about multiway bras is their purpose is solely saved for strapless or single strapped dresses and tops. Multiway bras with push up will add to your chest, but they are not made to maximize cleavage either. Basically, a strapless bra fits you well when there is no gaping, spillage, or slipping of the band, and this bra successfully stayed up on each of these women.

If you are looking to push your boobs together and maximize cleavage, follow these tips:
1. Be sure you are wearing the correct size.
2. Talk to an associate and describe what you want the bra to do.
3. Look for a bra with padding only on the bottom, where you can feel the increase in push-up padding in one area.
4. If you are still unsatisfied with your cleavage, criss cross the straps.

While Kristin was correct when she said, “What a push-up bra does for you depends entirely on the shape your boobs are in already”, she does not know how her chest would really look in a push up because she did not educate herself. All breast shapes respond to every bra differently. Some boobs are perkier and look pushed up without any padding, while other boobs have a harder time touching whatsoever, but the bra style and correct size make a huge difference. This Buzzfeed article dismissed all push-up bras, without even understanding them. My point is to educate yourself before making judgements on a product, especially one so important and close to your body.

Because knowledge never looked so sexy.

*This post was originally published on Buzzfeed’s community page, but was taken down.