How to Put on a Bra

Pick the Right Bra Put on a Bra

You may think that bras are a necessary evil -- an uncomfortable undergarment that helps support your breasts while making you feel trapped or itchy. But if you are wearing the right bra size and learn how to put on a bra in a way that actually makes your breasts fill the cups, you'll not only feel much more comfortable, but your breasts will also look their best. If you want to know how to put on a bra the right way, just follow these steps.

EditMethod 1 of 2: Pick the Right Bra

1
Look out for obvious signs that your bra is the wrong size. The majority of women are wearing the wrong sized bra -- believe it or not. If your bra isn't the right size, then you will have trouble putting it on because it won't fit your dimensions correctly. Here are some easy signs that say that you're wearing the wrong bra:^[1]
- If your breasts spill out of the top of the bra
- If the straps of the bra cut into you
- If the band of the bra cuts into you
- If the bra feels incredibly tight, like you can't breathe in it
- If the bra is so loose that the straps fall down no matter how much you adjust them
- If you can comfortably fit two fingers between your side and the band of the bra
2
Get fitted professionally. Though you may be shy about going to a department store to get fitted for the correct bra size, this is the easiest way to find out the size of the bra you should be wearing. Don't be shy -- just walk into a Victoria's Secret or another specialty lingerie store and ask to get fitted. You can go to the back of the store so you have less of an audience if this makes you feel better.
- The measuring tape that the fitter uses will be accurate.
3
Trust the band size. You may think that the band size you've been told to use is too tight, but the bra should fit a bit snugly. If you bump yourself up a size, then your breasts won't fit the cups of your bra correctly. You may not think so, but there's a big difference between a 34B and a 36B, so trust your instincts.
4
Don't be stubborn. You may have thought that you were a 36C all of your life, only to be told that you're really a 34D. Don't think, "This can't be right" -- instead, try wearing a bra in the correct size and see how much better you feel. If you really aren't sure about the results of the fitting, get a second opinion from another professional. But you must come to terms with your correct bra size, even if it means you haven't been wearing the right bra all of your life.
5
Measure your size once a year or so. You should get measured at least once a year to make sure that you're wearing the right bra size. There are a variety of reasons for why the size of your breasts can change, whether it's because your body is still growing, because you've experienced significant weight loss or gain, or if you're pregnant. This is a good habit to keep up if you want to wear the right bra and be able to put it on correctly.

EditMethod 2 of 2: Put on a Bra

1
Put your arms through the armholes. To put on a traditional bra, the first thing you should do is to place your arms through the armholes. A traditional bra will have two straps that attach the bra cups to the back of the bra and run up and over your shoulder to the back.
2
Clasp the bra. Most bras have clasps in the back that connect the right side of the bra to the left. These clasps will typically have either two or three hooks on one side that will connect with two or three loops on the other side. Your goal is to get all of the hooks into the loops. Many bras have two or three settings of tightness, so you can adjust the bra a bit to make it tighter or looser around your body.
- To make it tighter, place the hooks into the loops furthest away from them, and to make it looser, place the hooks into the loops closest to them.
- Some bras have a clasp around the front or side instead of the back. The clasp in the front typically just has one setting, so it's easy to clasp it. The clasp on the side can also have multiple settings which you can adjust just as you would adjust the clasps on the back.
- Some women have trouble hooking the bra in the back and like to clasp it before they put on the straps. To do this, place the bra backwards over your breasts, clasp it, move it around to its proper position in the back, and then place your arms through the arm holes.
3
Adjust the straps. Once you've put your hands through the loops of the bra and clasped it, you'll need to adjust the straps so they fit perfectly over your shoulders instead of being too loose or too tight. If they're too loose, they can fall down off your shoulders, all the way to your elbows, and if they're too tight, then you'll feel uncomfortable and the bra cups will be pulled up too high. Here's how to adjust the straps on your bra.^[2]
- Figure out if the straps are too loose or too tight. If they're too tight, then you'll feel constricted near the straps, and may even feel them digging into the skin of your shoulders. If they're too loose, then they won't stay comfortably on your shoulders and will be hanging off them a bit.
- Find the clasps. The clasps are the plastic things on the back of the bra -- each strap will have one.
- If the bra is too loose, simply pull down on the clasp so it moves closer to the back of the bra and then pull up the extra strap that will hang loose to straighten out the straps. Pull down both clasps to an equal length.
- If the bra is too loose, then pull up the clasp from the bottom, moving it up, toward the front of your bra. You'll need to pull down on the straps while moving up the clasps.
- If you see that you need to adjust the clasps significantly, it may be easier to unclasp and take off the bra to do this, so you can see what you're doing more easily.
4
Feel the bra to make sure it's positioned correctly. Once you've put on the bra and adjusted the straps, you should just gently pull at the straps and the sides and back of the bra to make sure that it fits reasonably well. After this, you can begin to make sure that your breasts fill the cups, which is the trickiest part of putting on a bra. Check the straps and band of the bra to make sure that nothing is twisted.
5
Bend down. If you're not already standing, stand up and bend down so that you lower your back about two feet, towards the floor. This will help you move your breasts in the right direction.
6
Move your breasts into the cups. First, feel the sides of your breasts for any additional tissue that is hanging off the sides of each breast, below your armpit. If you're in front of a mirror, you may be able to see this extra tissue. Feel for this tissue with the opposite hand from each breast and then move it in, so that it fills the side of the cup. Then, use the same hand to lift up the breast, so that you've moved the sides of the breast in, and then up.^[3]
- Repeat the same process with your other hand and other breast. The sides of your breasts should have been gently eased into the sides of each cup and then lifted outwards.
- When you've adjusted your breasts, you can stand straight up again.
- Ideally, the underwire of your bra should be positioned right along the bottom of your breasts, without leaving any extra space for them to hang down. Your breasts should be perky and moving upwards, not hanging down below the underwire.
7
Smooth down your breasts. You may see a bit of a "muffin top" appear above each of your cups, which is where your breasts may look a bit like they're popping out of your bra. That's perfectly natural and is what should happen after you've tried to adjust your breasts to fit their cups. Now, take two fingers from one hand, and use them to smooth down your breasts in a straight line just above the cups of the bra until you've pushed your breasts down a bit, making them fit into your bra.