It's worth it knowing my actual size and getting a proper bra fitting at Nordstrom (that, and weirdly enough, I have a favorite brand now, and I don't do that sort of thing). Though I had trouble with an idiot fitter there when I was trying to get my friend fitted right. Basically lied to her face, and she believed the fitter before me, of course.
You don't have to buy from here, but www.bravissimo.com has all the information women need to get the right fitting. There's a new video up of a woman who thought she was a 36DD, but turned out to be a 32FF, and though it was probably all an act, it's not far from the truth.
It was the same for me, walking in with a 42DDD, and suddenly poof, I looked amazing.
If you've never been fitted properly, chances are, you actually might be a bigger girl than you thought.
This actually is kind of on-topic though. If you lose or gain weight in like jumps of 5 to 10 pounds, you might need to get fitted for new bras again.
EDIT: Oyah, and since most girls here try to get more exercise in as well, having the right size for a SPORTS BRA is completely awesome. If you're bigger, don't settle for the crap you can get at Target (or well, practically everywhere) that are marked only as S M L or XL. That's ridiculous, and frankly, I don't think I'd ever fit into an XL unless I went though some serious breast reduction. The sports bra I got from Nordstrom is my correct size and is more than twice as supportive as the regular day bras I got, and is also in the brand that I love.
EDIT2: Yeah, I know. Another edit.
But this is important to me, as it should be to all women who think they're freakishly sized. When you're trying to lose weight, one of the best confidence boosters I know of is to boost your boobs first. You really do look 10 or 15 pounds lighter.
It took me a few months, but I also convinced my older sister, who used to fling bras off immediately when she got home because they were just too uncomfortable (does this sound like you?), to get a proper fitting.
If you don't know your own size or wonder why you've gone from a 34DD to a 36DD, or you think that you must've gained weight somehow … well, here's the nitty gritty of it.
Girls, take a good, long, hard look at what this chart with the "normal" cup sizes is saying. First, please, note that I've chosen to skew those cup sizes that you're so fussy about. And you say, AL's just being weird again. But here's the first shocker, (girls in the back that know better, don't spoil it). That 38A has the exact same cup size as a 30DD.
If it's not sinking in yet, then let's go back to the initial problem of finding out that your 34DD size has changed to a 36DD.
Look at the chart, and notice the very empty spot above the 36DD.
That's right.
You didn't get fatter. Those boobs just got bigger. You might be around a 34G.
And those brands to which you cling - who tell the lie of A B C D and maybe DD - are lying straight to your face, and you didn't even realize it.
But if you still don't get it, take another look at the band sizes. Count the number of cup sizes in each band size. Five?
Huh, so if you still don't believe me, then according to you and the ABCD+DD manufacturers, there are only five types of women per band length. Yup, let that sink in and confuse you next time you're walking around the mall, and noticing all the vastly different dimensions of the women around you.
If you already believe me, but don't know how to continue, here's the trick.
Forget about the cup size. Go to www.bravissimo.com and look at their fitting instructions again. Watch their fitting videos. Then look at the gorgeous bras they have. Don't see those for "bigger" women very often, do you?
What you should be concentrating on is your band size.
Always remember that bras are different for each brand and from country to country. The US and UK sizes are similar, but are also very different once they start going into the bigger cup sizes. The US manufacturers still don't really have a set idea for women who are more endowed.
Which means the Japanese measuring system is different too. Why bring that up?
Because Nami's an I-cup. The kind ladies from Japan measured her for Oda and the boys that wanted to know.
We don't know her band size for sure as the ladies didn't divulge what it was or how they found it, but we do know her waist - 55cm. For band size, she could be a 65 or 70 band size in Japan sizing. For us, that's a 30 to a 32 band size.
If Nami is a 70I in Japanese sizing, then she would convert to a 32G.
Miss Newly Fitted 34G:
You are a cup size bigger than Nami.
She's not so hideously sized now.
EDIT:
Had a realization, and figured out how to size Nami. She'd be a 65I actually, so she's a 30G, and TWO sizes smaller than the 34G.