[HN Gopher] Bra size calculator
___________________________________________________________________
Bra size calculator
Author : thunderbong
Score : 176 points
Date : 2022-12-28 13:35 UTC (9 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.calculator.net)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.calculator.net)
| __void wrote:
| a better calculator is surely this:
| https://www.abrathatfits.org/calculator.php
|
| is the product of a community (with the same name) on reddit
| ensignavenger wrote:
| After several years of my wife struggling to find a properly
| fitting bra (with several "professional" fittings) I decided to
| research it myself, found this community, and was able to help
| her fine a bra that fits properly. Highly recommended.
|
| Most bra stores simply don't carry larger bra sizes, and will
| "fit" you into whatever they happen to carry and want to sell
| you.
| artemavv wrote:
| it would be handy to automatically translate entered values into
| inches/centimeters when the corresponding option is selected in
| the dropdown
| gattr wrote:
| I've read recently that dentists no longer need to get a physical
| imprint / make a form in order to produce a (anti-clenching etc.)
| mouth guard - they can just do some sort of 3D scan of the teeth
| (can't remember if it was video- or X-ray based). Couldn't
| similar technology be used for bra fitting? (Though I imagine it
| would be complicated by e.g. breast size depending on the
| menstrual cycle phase, etc.). A coarse-grained "structured-light"
| 3D body scan should be quick and convenient to do.
| mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
| Yes. Then we can sell the data to advertisers and the porn
| industry and make billions!
| Tangurena2 wrote:
| I had one of these made about 2 years ago.
|
| It is video. The handheld portion is shaped roughly like a pen,
| with a cable attached to a computer & monitor. The lens end is
| rubbed across your teeth and a 3D image is made.
|
| It had to be rubbed rather firmly against my teeth & gums.
| Doing so against breasts would be painful. I've had rather
| severe gynecomastia since I was 11. In my 30s, I'd sometimes
| wear a bra when doing sports. I wore a 38B/36C (depending on
| the brand of bra).
| kelseyfrog wrote:
| It would be a bit like using LiDAR and photogrammetry to
| measure lumber for furniture making. It's not that it wouldn't
| work, it's just that you can ask any builder and they'll tell
| you that it's easier to use a tape measure. But the problem
| isn't really eyeballing vs measuring. It's what's in stock.
|
| The economics of size availability is the problem. Think of a
| lumber yard that only keeps square lumber (1x1s, 2x2, 4x4s) in
| stock and tells customers they can laminate two 2x2s with wood
| glue to get a 2x4 or split a 4x4 in half. Yes, you can, but it
| would be great if the 2x4s we're kept in stock.
|
| Now multiply the problem across band and cup size. Sister sizes
| are a way to project a two-dimensional inventory problem into
| one dimension and that's the root of the issue.
|
| It's not unlike the average cockpit problem[1], but applied to
| bras. The first person to make an adjustable cup size bra
| that's comfortable and fashionable will make a fortune.
|
| 1. https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/01/16/when-us-
| air-...
| csa wrote:
| The bottom two charts don't seem to reconcile.
|
| 10-11cm on the bottom euro chart is AA. 10-11cm is about 4
| inches. 4 inches is a D cup on the US/UK chart above it.
|
| I don't know much about bra sizes across different regions, but
| this seems off. Am I missing something?
| richrichardsson wrote:
| I also found that a bit odd, it's almost like bra manufacturers
| in Europe think one of these is true:
|
| * there are no smaller breasted women in Europe
|
| * women with smaller breasts don't need to wear a bra
|
| The 1st is plainly nonsense, the 2nd seems like it can't be
| true, although I can't really comment due to being the wrong
| gender.
| sammax wrote:
| The numbers in that table are the numbers from the bra sizing
| system, not necessarily actual measurements. The EU system for
| some reason uses band size numbers about 10 less than the
| actual underbust size.
| throwaway747492 wrote:
| Bra Theory was a startup in this space that gathered a lot of
| interesting experience. They had some good blog posts about their
| process, including resources for after their shutdown:
| https://web.archive.org/web/20200416224020/https://bratheory...
| KingLancelot wrote:
| [dead]
| AnEro wrote:
| This is probably one of the more surprising front page HN posts
| I've seen on here. Didn't think I'd see anything woman focused
| especially if it wasn't looking for capital!
| at_a_remove wrote:
| Wasn't there a startup not too long ago that was trying to
| solve this issue? I gather it is quite complex.
| [deleted]
| yreg wrote:
| This topic probably directly concerns more HN users than many
| other front page topics.
| accnumnplus1 wrote:
| Some of them are even women.
| [deleted]
| saladdressing wrote:
| [flagged]
| azzentys wrote:
| I'd honestly be equally surprised if it was groin-size based
| underwear optimizer for males.
| OJFord wrote:
| I'd be _more_ surprised for sure, considering that 's not
| how that underwear is (mass-market anyway!) sized?
| someweirdperson wrote:
| Maybe someone can start a company to close that gap.
| thanatropism wrote:
| Boxers exist for the man who's uncomfortable in briefs.
| splatzone wrote:
| Why do you say this?
| scotty79 wrote:
| Is there some kind of adjustable bra that can be adjusted until
| it fits perfectly?
|
| You cound then read out how it's set up and use those measured
| values to tailor the final garment.
| alistairSH wrote:
| Not really, because the cup size based on volume. It's not just
| a matter of adjusting the straps and chest band.
|
| So, you can have two women with the same total bust
| measurement, but very different chest/rib measurements (and
| therefore very different breast volume).
|
| And as breast get larger/heavier, the bra construction has to
| change to provide support.
| KMnO4 wrote:
| This isn't the calculator you're looking for! This is:
|
| https://www.abrathatfits.org/calculator.php
|
| The biggest problem is that bra sizes are a measurement of
| volume, not just circumference. Stores will typically use a
| formula that lumps you into similar "sister sizes" so they don't
| have to carry as many sizes. For example, a 32DD is very similar
| to a 40A, so most stores don't carry 40 and push everyone towards
| 32.
|
| Which is the same as going to a restaurant which gives you soup
| in a tall glass because it holds nearly as much soup as a bowl.
| smachiz wrote:
| It doesn't help that I think most women would prefer (or
| perhaps think most men would prefer) that their bra says 32DD
| instead of 40A. Especially since lots of people get sized when
| they're in their teens and don't adjust until it becomes really
| problematic.
| benj111 wrote:
| I don't think most women, certainly not the ones with big
| boobs, not in my experience anyway.
| smachiz wrote:
| Recalling my junior high and high school days, it
| absolutely came up a lot - and was definitely internalized
| young.
|
| But sure, the women with very large breasts are probably
| far more concerned with not being painfully uncomfortable
| constantly.
| Beltalowda wrote:
| Not sure how representative high school is for the rest
| of life in these kind of areas.
|
| In general, it's my experience that some (maybe even
| many?) women are far more concerned about these sort of
| things than men are, just many men are insecure/worried
| about penis size, but women in general don't actually
| care all that much (in both cases, some do, but the
| majority don't).
| Spivak wrote:
| I think you overestimate how many women care about the letter
| associated with their cup size. And how many men even know
| their partner's cup size. Yes, many women are self-conscious
| about their breast size but cup size isn't analogous to
| "penis length" where the literal number matters. Like it's
| kind of an in-joke among women that "double d's" aren't
| actually all that large despite being what men associate with
| "big boobs." It's always a fun time asking all the boyfriends
| to guess cup sizes, my friend who has boobs so large she's
| considered reduction for spine health alone always gets DD
| when she's actually an H.
|
| Vanity sizing absolutely is a thing but bra size is somewhat
| immune to it because getting it wrong means pain and
| discomfort.
| smachiz wrote:
| Well, as is being discussed, the band size matters a lot
| when discussing cup sizes.
|
| A 36DD is pretty large, a 28DD is not in absolute terms.
| But in terms of appearance, a true 28DD will look quite
| large on a small frame.
|
| I would bet a lot of money that many folks would prefer to
| think of themselves as a 34B vs a 36A for both reasons -
| you might feel like you're more ideally proportioned with a
| smaller band size and you have a bigger cup size to boot.
| tcmart14 wrote:
| My wife's best friend in the Navy was in that exact
| situation. THe Navy luckily approved her request for a
| breast reduction surgery. But she was an H-cup prior to
| pregnancy. Her and her husband decided to have a kid, she
| got pregnant, breasts grew more and listening to her and my
| wife talk about it, I really felt for her. It sounds really
| painful. And it is also expensive when breasts are that
| large and you have to go to specialty boutiques.
| thaumasiotes wrote:
| >> It doesn't help that I think most women would prefer (or
| perhaps think most men would prefer) that their bra says
| 32DD instead of 40A.
|
| > I think you overestimate how many women care about the
| letter associated with their cup size.
|
| I would have thought women cared at least as much about the
| circumference number. That's what they worry about in every
| other item of clothing; that's why the same clothes are a
| smaller size at high-priced stores than they are at low-
| priced stores. The letter is a measurement of whether you
| have a flat chest, but the number is a measurement of
| whether you're fat!
| PuppyTailWags wrote:
| I've only ever seen breast size insecurity with young
| teenagers or japanese RPGs. I'm pretty sure most women could
| be happy with a bra size of P as long as it fits and isn't
| exorbitantly expensive.
| jszymborski wrote:
| off-topic but I'm a fan of your user name. Potassium
| Permanganate will always remind me of the delight on Martin
| Poliakoff's face in this video
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLUyeCC-2Ko
| dtgriscom wrote:
| Very cool: thank you.
| triplelll wrote:
| as Frank Zappa sang; anything over a mouthfull is wasted.
| kgodey wrote:
| I found /r/abrathatfits through a acquaintance's blog about a
| decade ago and this calculator made a huge difference in my
| life. I did not know that bras could actually be comfortable
| and supportive.
| cancerhacker wrote:
| After my cancer treatment (well, during, really) and 75%
| resection of my liver I developed severe gynecomastia that
| couldn't be surgically addressed. It was embarrassing and
| uncomfortable. The residents of the reddit /r/abrathatfits[1]
| group were very helpful in helping me find a solution to fit me
| (now at a 44DD). There are a lot of variables though, and even
| within a brand two different styles will fit very differently.
| The fitters on the reddit site had the experience to know how
| to steer me. See also: bratabase.com[2]
|
| [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/abrathatfits
|
| [2] https://www.bratabase.com
| amelius wrote:
| Was hoping for a DL based calculator that requires only
| photographic input.
| joedevon wrote:
| A former client of mine built a wonderful mobile app that
| actually calculates your bra size: https://www.wacoal-
| america.com/find-your-fit
| petodo wrote:
| > Our Sizing App, which can either be downloaded as an
| application to your mobile device or used without a download
| through our website, may transmit your digital photos and
| measurements to a third-party sizing provider together with an
| anonymous identification number solely for the purpose of
| analyzing the photos to extract your body measurements to
| provide sizing advice.
|
| https://www.wacoal-america.com/privacy-policy
|
| Yeah, that would be a huge NO, what could go wrong with app
| collecting user breast photos, which can be matched with user
| phone number and also sending them to 3rd party.
| loufe wrote:
| Where did you see mentioned a phone number being sent?
| petodo wrote:
| I didn't say they send it within sizing app, I said they
| can match it with data (breast photos) from the sizing app
| which they send to third party (probably should use there
| comma after "number" to distinguish them), since they
| collect these (under other circumstances):
|
| What Categories of Personal Information Do We Collect? We
| may collect Personal Information when you visit or use our
| Services. "Personal Information" is information that can be
| reasonably linked to an identifiable individual, such as:
|
| Name Postal address (including billing and shipping
| addresses) Telephone number Email address Credit and/or
| debit card number Information about your purchases Other
| information, such as your size and your interests, when you
| voluntarily provide this information to us
| mmh0000 wrote:
| https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wacoal-mybrafit-
| calculator/id1...
|
| Data Linked to You
|
| The following data may be collected and linked to your
| identity:
|
| Health & Fitness
|
| __Contact Info__
|
| User Content
|
| Diagnostics
| haunter wrote:
| End of the day personal fitting is the best choice. Unfortunately
| they only have 3 stores in the US (Chicago, Atlanta, NYC) but
| Rigby & Peller is awesome. Even if you're on vacation in one of
| those cities, worth the stop. Dillards, if in your area, is also
| a solid choice. They do a hell of a job. If you're in another
| locale, google bra shops/fitters. They're usually small
| boutiques. You want to find some place that carries brands such
| as Elomi, Goddess, Panache, La Leche, Empreinte, Royce, Va Bien,
| etc. It's not going to be cheap, but you will never know your
| boobs could be so happy.
| Yuioup wrote:
| When I was a kid, I couldn't get past Leisure Suit Larry's adult
| checker because I couldn't answer the bust size questions... This
| would have been useful :-)
| petodo wrote:
| TBH I could probably not get past that even as father of 2
| kids, though I would need to know specific questions, but I
| remember bra sizes are extremely complicated.
| dtgriscom wrote:
| I read the title of this post and, being stereotypically male,
| clicked to investigate. However, I was greatly encouraged to find
| that many/most of the commenters seem to be bra-users, rather
| than other stereotypical male hackers.
|
| We need more women in engineering, just as we need more diversity
| of all kinds in all professions. Constraining people of apparent
| type X to profession Y limits us all. The more variety we have
| (of background, attitudes, abilities, upbringing) the better we
| will be able to solve the world's problems. And, the more
| interesting the world will be.
| jdthedisciple wrote:
| Wholly off-topic.
| andirk wrote:
| Much like wearing a suit off the shelf vs tailored, it makes a
| big difference for some and little for another. I'm medium all
| day so everything fits, but my tailored suits fit noticeably
| perfect. Seeing that a bra is to hold a certain VOLUME but also
| within a certain SHAPE that both vary greatly from one woman to
| another, and vary within a woman depending on cycle etc, I don't
| see how any manufacturer can create a fleet to satisfy anyone.
| Get a few tailored bras and be done with it! Assuming that
| service exists.
| IncRnd wrote:
| I clicked on this thinking it was about a digital computing
| device of the size of a bra. My thoughts spun up the idea of a
| digital spy secretly wearing a supercomputer woven into her
| clothes.
| 082349872349872 wrote:
| not exactly supercomputer, but:
|
| http://www.doynefarmer.com/roulette
|
| and
|
| https://www.engadget.com/2013-09-18-edward-thorp-father-of-w...
| linsomniac wrote:
| I did a bit of a deep dive ~4 years ago because my daughter was
| having problems finding a bra that fit.
|
| My takeaway: There _IS_ _NO_ "bra size". There are two to three
| different systems (IIRC a more common one based off "victorian
| shirt size").
|
| To get a good first approximation, find the bras that tell you
| how they are sized and give you instructions on measuring. You
| will probably need these measurements: under bust, bust, over
| bust, leaning bust. From there, you may need to try "sister
| sizes", where you go up a band size and down a cup size or vice
| versa. IOW, if you measure 38C, you might want to try a 36D and a
| 40B as well.
|
| As other have mentioned, abrathatfits is well regarded.
| magicalhippo wrote:
| > My takeaway: There IS NO "bra size".
|
| Yeah, early in our relationship I took my SO to a bra specialty
| shop, as I was certain she wasn't 80 (36US) in circumference
| based on my previous partners.
|
| Turned out the right size was 65 (30US), she just hadn't found
| a large enough cup size at the big chains she'd been shopping
| at less than 80 (36US).
|
| However, even armed with the appropriate size, we'd still end
| up testing like 10+ bras when we went shopping for a new one
| before finding a good one.
|
| Some brands just didn't have any cups that fit her breasts
| well. They might for example have enough volume per se, but
| perhaps the top of the cup would "dig in" in midway up her
| breasts, forming a visible line. Or the cups would be too
| narrow, so hear breast would "overflow" on the sides. With
| others there were size variations that lead to poor fit.
| qwertfisch wrote:
| The calculator seems off. If I enter e.g. the default values of
| 95/85cm for bust and band size, I get a result of 75E (EU size),
| but it should be 85B. Seems as it uses 75cm for the band size. I
| played with the values: the entered band size will be reduced by
| 10cm and then calculated (correctly).
| Overtonwindow wrote:
| Do the measurements for men and women work out the same?
| zttg wrote:
| [dead]
| mysterydip wrote:
| > the bust size is measured ... while wearing a properly fitted
| bra
|
| Seems a bit chicken-and-egg there.
| ergonaught wrote:
| Right?
|
| If you're wearing a properly-fitted bra, surely you can
| calculate your bra size by just asking the person who fitted it
| what size it is.
| angrais wrote:
| One problem is likely that manufactures cut the material
| differently so the cut/fit differs.
|
| It's like buying a pair of jeans from five companies in the
| same waist size and leg lengths. Some will be tight around
| the waist while another fits well.
| falcor84 wrote:
| Indeed, but they do say "The calculation result is only a
| starting point. A professional fitting or trying on bras to see
| which sizes work best is recommended."
| psychphysic wrote:
| Also I imagine they loosen over the day and you probably
| don't know what fits well till you've worn it for a day.
|
| If bras are anything like shoes.
| replygirl wrote:
| they don't loosen over the day, but your body does and
| makes it feel tighter toward the end of the day. more like
| a ring than a shoe
|
| they do loosen over time. most bras have 3-4 hooks, you
| start on the loosest and the only reasons you use the
| tightest is you got a bad fit or it's near time to throw it
| out
| rpmisms wrote:
| And over time, and when washed. And if you're buxom? Forget
| it. You have to own an array or be in pain.
| dang wrote:
| I opened this thread expecting the worst, for obvious reasons,
| and was more than little surprised to see how good the comments
| are.
|
| (Marking this one offtopic so as not to disrupt the thread.)
| matt-snider wrote:
| My girlfriend and her sister started a bra and underwear company
| together:
|
| https://tizzandtonic.com/
|
| They have found the bra part of it to be especially difficult
| because of how hard the sizing is. There are bust and band
| measurements as used in these sorts of calculators, but at the
| end of the day the breasts themselves just have different shapes.
| I'm surprised that these sorts of calculators don't take that
| into account by having the user first pick their specific
| "archetype", e.g. from a set of images. I wonder if that's what
| abrathatfits.org is doing by getting measurements in different
| positions to better capture the shape. Still, I wonder if this
| could be accomplished more simply.
|
| Anyways this can be tough for a startup given the higher return
| rates and more hesitation when buying bras. They've found success
| in offering flexibly fitting bralettes made of stretchy materials
| (e.g. micromodal). This sort of sidesteps the fitting issue
| because the fit doesn't need to be as exact. The downside is that
| for some women a bralette doesn't provide enough support (no
| wire, no padding).
| creichenbach wrote:
| Years ago I built the same kind of app for Windows Phone 8. I
| can't find any reference online anymore, though I still have the
| git repo.
|
| It was motivated by my girlfriend stating that it's hard to
| understand one's size in the various systems that are in parallel
| use, at least in parts of Europe. Worst part is that some systems
| have weird overlaps where not only they use the same "alphabet",
| but also the homonymous sizes partially cover the same range, but
| don't match exactly. Therefore it's impossible to exactly convert
| between sizes, and they should be derived from raw measurements.
| andirk wrote:
| Props on developing for Windows Phone 8. I saw one in my entire
| life and the owner liked it. She was probably a mid C.
| Jun8 wrote:
| This is one of the _very_ few comments I enter without reading
| the submission at all. These bra calculators are useless! Or,
| expressed more articulately, they may be used as a very rough
| starting point but are of little help.
|
| The consensus is that a large percentage of women go through
| their lives wearing the wrong sized bra, generally one too small
| for them. The best way to find a right size, it is suggested, is
| to go to a large store with a professional fitter and get
| yourself sized
|
| It is amazing that no good advanced solution has been deployed at
| scale for this problem, e.g. using 3D scanner booths to get an
| accurate scan and suggest a size. 3D scanning was used years ago
| for shoe sizing but that's an area where the problem size is much
| smaller.
| smachiz wrote:
| I think that is generally regarded as very bad advice, unless
| you're at a specialty bra store that probably isn't in a mall.
|
| The "professional fitter" will helpfully fit you into whatever
| sizes they carry, and not all brands are the same. Cup size and
| shape vary a lot.
|
| As the more upvoted comments above, the subreddit
| /r/abrathatfits is the place to start - most horror stories
| start as "I went to Random Department Store/Victoria
| Secret/etc. and they told me X"
|
| Moreover, if you do any sort of clothes shopping, the
| individual variance between items of the exact same
| size/style/color is very wide.
|
| For pants, inseam and waist sizes that are literally two of the
| same pants grabbed off the shelf, have more than a 1" disparity
| between them.
|
| Also true for bras, even if the size is the same.
|
| And even worse than that is comparing sizes across brands -
| 34x30 is not the same with every brand, or every pair of pants,
| and a 36B isn't a 36B everywhere.
| tempbracomments wrote:
| Not being a bra-wearer I'm not really qualified to comment, but
| watching my wife struggle with this over the years it seems
| like there's really nothing to substitute for trying on bras
| yourself.
|
| My wife has tried on all sorts of bras, and these calculators,
| and went to a local upscale store that specializes in bra
| fitting, and none of them really substituted for just trying
| them on and finding a brand that she feels comfortable in. Even
| the professional fitting resulted in a bra she didn't really
| like after wearing it for a couple of weeks. When she finds a
| bra she likes, she buys more of them while she can, and tries
| to repair them if something breaks.
|
| As an outsider these kinds of calculators and fitters seem
| well-intended but off, like they can give you a good starting
| point but in the end it's your comfort. It seems like there's
| too many factors involved, and too many sizing systems,
| interpretations of those systems, fabric factors, underwire
| support issues, etc. to really know.
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