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Rib flare on one side! Eureka!
So I've been second guessing myself recently because I had noticed in some of my pictures of my bras that the elastic at the bottom of the band seemed to cut in a LOT, and I was also experiencing some issues with the elastic rolling up, especially on my right side. I kept thinking maybe the band was too tight? But my tight measurement is closer to a 32 band, and I typically wear a 34 (or a 75/80 in Polish brands), so too tight didn't seem likely. Too loose? An issue with cup sizes, reverse letterphobia? I had double checked with a million different fit guides, been refitted at the bra store, tried a variety of sizes, and everything seemed to check out... plus the bras really do feel and look great, other than that one spot. I noticed it's more prominent with Comexim bras, to the point I was hooking several of my Comexims unevenly to give more room at the bottom of the band.
Then I read an unrelated article and saw a mention of flared rib cages, so I fell down a rabbit hole. Most articles about it describe and show pictures of rib cages that flare in the front, but I finally found a blog post from 2014 that really gives details and shows pictures of side rib flares (http://widecurves.com/ribcage-flares-and-bra-band-fit/). That was when I realized that the problem wasn't an incorrect fit, or something I was "doing wrong"... it was just an anatomical detail I'd overlooked previously. I have side rib flares on both sides, more prominently on the right, and it's right where my band sits. I feel like this explains SO MUCH, and I'm not second guessing my fit anymore. It's tough to really tell in my pictures, because my ribcage has a moderate amount of squish to it anyway, but I can definitely feel a rib jutting out in that "roll" that my bra band emphasizes.
So, now that I've figured out that issue... Does anyone else have any tips for comfort on that side, or to deal with the rolling band?
Filed under Boob and body issues
4 comments
congrats!! It is so nice to figure things out! As to a solution, depending on your rib cage shape, you might try one of the low back extenders that wraps all the way around the front and shifts the location of the band on the body slightly. You might also look in to adding some boning to the point on the band that rolls. If it hurts a lot, you may look into a bra liner or pad that sits between the skin and the band.
Otherwise, uneven flared ribcages are the bane of many women's bra searches. Mine is minor enough that it only hurts after 6 to 8 hours and responds to adjusting the underwire. Some women can no longer wear underwire at all.
I have rib flares and it has caused me some issues with band fit as well, notably uneven band tension can cause the top of the band to gape while the bottom feels tight. One way I get around this is to hook the bands on offending bras unevenly/diagonally, so I hook the top on the second hook and the bottom on the first.
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