If you wear the wrong bra size not only does it look bad but you are putting your health at risk
AN INCREDIBLE seven out of 10 women wear the wrong bra size. A woman should be fitted correctly from the first moment she needs to wear a bra; young girls and women, however, rarely realise the importance of wearing the right bra. And it’s not just about looking good, it’s also about your health – the wrong bra can cause anything from headaches to spine injury. Cue Skevi Neocleous, who calls herself the Queen of the Bust, the woman who has made bra fitting into a lifestyle and given the guys something to cheer about.
Forget about going under the knife, there is a much simpler way to achieve the right bust as I discovered on going for a bra-fitting consultation. With tape measure in hand, Skevi took one look at me and the next thing I know, my breasts were looking absolutely amazing and uplifted. “The problem is not your bust, it’s your bra,” said Skevi (as she must have said thousands of times over the years). Adjusting the straps, she added “you’ve got to know and feel which one gives you support and which one makes you instantly look slimmer.” In contrast to my usual collection of multi coloured skimpy bras, Skevi handed me a few that looked far too big with rather chunky straps. But once I tried them on, the difference was amazing; the bra made my breasts look better than silicone ones in a tight t-shirt. “Women should not come in for the look, they should give priority to the fit,” Skevi stressed, “so even if you are wearing the most glamorous outfit, the wrong bra can make it look like a disaster.
“There are three major factors that result in breast droopping and those are pregnancy, exercising and dieting,” explained Skevi, “and each one of these cases need special care and the right bra.”
Even the way you put your bra on has to be correct in order to achieve the right posture. Skevi explained that one of the first signs of poor bra fitting is when you get the outer part of your breast pressing against your armpit. “This makes you look wider than you are and it’s very unhealthy as you are not given the right support.” So, with a quick move, all you have to do is grab each breast from either side and bring them together. It might sound like a scene from Sex And The City but you can achieve an immediate difference. Wearing the right bra will, over time, also improve the shape of the breasts themselves, encouraging your ‘natural bra (the area above the breasts)’ to swing into action. “It really depends on your age and the state of your breasts but for a 20-30 year old, it takes up to a year,” Skevi said.
The Damart Bra Fitting Centre, which opened over 20 years ago, is a sanctuary for women all over Cyprus. “I once fitted a woman who arrived very desperate in a 48DD and left the shop in a snug 32GG,” said Skevi. Not only did she look great but it would also have improved her health. “The wrong bra can cause migraines and headaches,” said Skevi, “and of course you are not doing the world of good to your spinal cord and your neck. Why do you think women get migraines and bad posture whereas men very rarely have either?” Women with bigger breasts are the ones who definitely need a bra fitting service as they are prone to spinal and neck injuries.
“It emerged from two seminars in Europe that the sexy ‘push-up bras’ are nothing but a major trap,” Skevi explained. They are destructive and can put pressure on the lymphatic system resulting in problems and sometimes even small tumours.
Skevi, who received her training from the personal corsetiere of Queen Elizabeth, refuses to sell a bra without a body; every single woman who walks through the Bra Fitting Centre doors places her breasts in Skevi’s hands. There are more than 200 different styles and cup sizes that range from AA to JJ.
So it’s time to put the days of walking into a shop and picking out a lovely pink bra without trying it on behind me. “Would you buy a pair of shoes without trying them on?” Skevi asked. No. So now the same goes for bras.
l Damart. Nicosia: Athalassa Avenue, Tel: 22 425151 and Makarios Ave, Tel: 22-765837. Limassol: Saint Zonis, Tel: 25 343916. Larnaca: Stratigou Timagia Avenue, Tel: 24 637147. Paphos: Mark. Vragadinou, Tel: 26 822208
TRIED AND TESTED
Anna Polykarpou, 33, mother of four
Original bra size: 38 DD
Correct bra size: 36 E
“Skevi explained to me that after having four kids I should’ve looked after my breasts but I didn’t. So, they were just pulled back by the wrong bra instead of being pushed upwards. I couldn’t believe that I am 33 years old and don’t know how to properly wear a bra; Skevi had to show me. With the new bra I’m wearing I feel more comfortable and supported and I even have a waist. She even told me that if I wear this bra for five days and nights, I will notice a difference in my bust.”
Tonia Andreou, 35, mother of three
Original bra size: 34 B
Correct bra size: 32 B
“I have small breasts so I needed something that would give me a boost. Skevi gave me a bra with silicone, which immediately made my bust look bigger. It is a heavy bra but when worn it is very comfortable. Although I wasn’t wrong about my bra size, I didn’t realise that a silicone bra would look so natural but it does and I feel great.”
Laura Pavlidou, 24
Original bra size: 34 B
Correct bra size: 30 DD
“I am young so my breasts are still in good shape but Skevi said I should take care of them from now if I want to maintain some of the firmness. I was completely wrong about my size and even though the new bra seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, now I love the way people think that my bust is fake when it isn’t. And the most important thing is that I don’t slouch anymore cause the bra makes me sit up straight and walk with my shoulders back.”
Penelope Michael, 36, mother of one
Original bra size: 36 C
Correct bra size: 34 DD
“My first thought was wow but I can’t wear this. My breasts were pushed up so much I found it amazing and I didn’t feel comfortable at first. But now I feel more relaxed. I tried my old bra on with a tight shirt and then the new one and the difference was huge. With the new bra, a small waist suddenly appeared, which made me look slimmer.”
