Ruby red ribcage is a sign of a poor bra fit

Elomi Smoothing Bustier

Hey there Swimwear and Lingerie friends.

Today’s Fitting Tip Thursday post is all about getting rid of that rotten red rash under the breasts when you take your bra off at the end of the day.

Owwweeeee, that looks painful!

It hurts just to look at it, doesn’t it?

You may never have a rash this bad, and I would have to suspect that this poor lady is probably having an allergic reaction as well. Nevertheless, any rash under your breasts and around your band line is a bad thing and is a pretty obvious sign of a problem.

So, let’s start there. What does a rash under your breasts mean?

Solving your boobie problems one at a time

It could be a sweat rash caused by the friction of a poorly fitting band and your skin.

Elomi Energise Sports Bra

The answer here is fairly simple. Get a proper bra fitting done and/or ensure that you’re wearing a bra with a band that is comfortably tight and won’t allow for too much wiggling around. Your band should feel like a really tight hug and not move or rotate around your rib cage when you move.

Don’t let this happen to your ribcage!

If you have marks that look like the poor lady pictured above, then your cup may not be hauling your breasts up and off of your ribcage and they are rubbing against the skin of your rib cage.

If this is the case, you may want a more structured type of bra. One that is designed to lift your breasts off the rib cage and support them too. Bra cups that are composed of 2 or more seamed sections will usually provide the most support and not have too much flex or give in the fabric.

Elomi Maggie Side Support Bra

OR: Your current cup size may be too small, in which case, the breast tissue is peeking out below the underwire or the underwire isn’t fitting into your natural breast crease. Try going up a cup size, until all of your breast tissue is contained and supported. A proper bra fit analysis by a professional bra fitter will solve this.

Elomi Confetti Underwire Bra

Rashes tend to occur wherever there is friction and moisture, so opting to wear a bra that doesn’t compress your breasts into a shelf will certainly help. Lift and separate is the key to this.

Allowing the skin to breathe for several hours a day (ie: overnight or in the evening) and using non-fragranced cornstarch/body powders can help heal the rash and keep you dry during the day.

Elomi Smoothing Seam Free Bra

Some folks swear by bra liners for the absorption of moisture, however, unless you have a severe sweating issue like hyperhidrosis, a properly fitting bra should do the trick. The fewer pieces of wet fabric next to your skin, the better.

Cheers,

Maggie

Bra Choices Based on Breast Shape

Hello Swimwear and Lingerie buddies

Welcome to another Fitting Tip Thursday, where we ponder the mysteries and intricacies of finding and wearing well fit lingerie.

Today’s post is all about accommodating different breast shapes. We all know that breasts come in different shapes and sizes in relation to band and cup size. There’s even handy dandy galleries of photos of breasts to help you understand the natural variations. This site is working hard to undo all the media propaganda about breast shape! Good on ‘em!

Variations in Plastic Dolly Boobies, see there is no PERFECT type!

Nevertheless, if we take three different women with the exact same bra size, they can all have completely differently shaped breasts. Margaret Hartmann wrote the hilariously titled article: “When Your Breast Shape Goes Out of Style” and I wanted to give her huge hand clap for looking at the role the media and fashion has played in the way that women “wear” their breasts.

Bizarro Breast Type Labels. Do you think guys do this with penises?

Heck, your own breasts can be completely different shapes and cup sizes. Basically, consider your breasts to be like fraternal twins, similar in that they are comprised of the same types of tissue and are both attached to you, however they are individuals and have different needs.

{Hmmm, maybe not, that calls to mind conjoined twins and that isn’t really what I was going for… sorry, bad analogy… it’s been a difficult week}

Curvy Kate Balconette Bra

I have always preferred balconette bras because they show off my shape really nicely, but I hadn’t actually thought about why I liked them.

Recently while lingerie shopping, {Hello, my name is Maggie and I have a lingerie dependency… it has been 24 hours since my last shopping excursion, but I have been looking at it on the internet, writing about it and researching it for future expenditures and conversations… I think my case may be too far gone for help!} I decided to branch out and try some different styles and see how they fit. I guess I just felt like changing it up a little.

Freya Arabella Full Cup Plunge Bra

I was surprised to find that most full-coverage cups weren’t a good fit at all. They filled out just fine underneath, however, there would always be gaping at the top of the cup.

If I went down a size, then my cups raneth over. I couldn’t seem to catch a break.

Victoria's Secret is that her cups totally runeth over, all over the place!

When I considered the shape of my breasts, I realized that the issue wasn’t with the bras, it was the fact that my breasts are shaped in such a way that they are rather wide and full on the bottom but not as much on the top.

{I always wanted the type that were more full on the bottom and always pointed to the sun, sadly after breastfeeding and natural aging, they mostly try to keep me grounded}

So Wrong... so very wrong... can't look away...it's not easy being green, save me Kermit!

I know that breasts can come in every conceivable shape and size, but what do you think are the most common?

No touchie the boobies!

When I tried to classify them, I started with geometric shapes but ran out of choices.

Then I turned to fruits and vegetables; apples, pears, plums, oranges, nectarines, dragon fruit, star fruit, melons, butternut squash, bananas, yukon gold potatoes… and still ran out of choices and frankly they weren’t really “feel-good” kind of terms since they’re already loaded thanks to body-typing labels.

Squash boobs just doesn't seem quite right now does it?

Then I thought, “Hey! Why not use something that was made for the different types! So let’s figure out the kind of bras that we each choose to wear and see if the choices conform to certain shapes universally or not.

I have ‘Pear’ type breasts {unless I’m lying down, then they become Honey Dew Melons} and I feel most supported and comfortable in a demi cup/balconette.

Alright, it’s your turn. Now that you’ve read all the way to the end, let’s do an informal kind of poll… Go to Twitter (@Swimwearlingeri)or the Swimwear and Lingerie Facebook page and DM me your shape and your bra type. For example, kiwi plunge. How about rutabaga sport or
perhaps Beefeater Tomato demi?

I’m looking forward to seeing your answers. All in the name of science of course

Your turn!

Cheers,

Maggie