Sizing Guilt and Denial

For some reason, women find it harder to accept their true bra size than their age. Why? It boils down to guilt and denial because of what 'the norm' has been defined as in the past.

I'm sure you've read that 80% of all women are wearing the wrong size bra. The thing that bothers me more than that fact is just how far off women are. Example: My sister was wearing a 34C bra and just looking at her, I knew that wasn't anywhere near right. I measured her and what she really needed was a 36DD. 1 band size and 2 cup sizes larger. That's a massive difference!

Like most women, she was blown away with disbelief at this measurement. It wasn't until I actually sent her a bra in the right size that she saw the difference. She was more comfortable, better supported, she looked thinner and her clothes fit better. Why was this size such a far fetched idea? It was a denial in the right method on measuring and guilt in being anything over a D cup.

We all already know that the sizing systems, especially in the US are waaaaaay off. Old school sizing rules, like adding 4 inches to your band size, causes everything to measure incorrectly. Let's say your underbust measures 34" and your overbust measures 40". With the old method of measuring, that would put you in a 38" and if you use the standard '1"=1 cup', you'd only have a 2" difference. With old school measuring, that would put you in a 38B bra. If you take the measurements literally, as intended, you would wear a 34 band and that would be a 6" difference between underbust and overbust. That places you in the correct size of a 34DDD. That's a pretty big variance.

Women adding those 4" to the underbust, this has massively undersized cup sizes for generations and deeply impacted the sizing availability in the industry. With this sizing method, your overbust would have to measure 42" in relation to your 34" underbust to be a D cup. That's an 8" difference. 8" is a pretty large bust. If you think in those terms, anything over a D cup would seem unnaturally large on the frame of a woman of the 1950s or 1960s. That's where the idea of being anything over a D cup being a 'bad' thing.

A combination of this sizing method, the petite frames of women in fashion and the ideals of the era, women needing a D or larger were rare and frowned upon. We've carried over this idea of D+ sizing being negative ever since. Society has placed guilt on these sizes due to old school sizing for decades. With such a stigma, women have been in denial of being over a D cup, even though the sizing method has changed

As technology and production has improved, the tailoring and fit of bras has changed over the years. With it, bras are able to more precisely fit your body instead of a your body fitting a bra. This is amazing news for the fit and comfort of women, but with it, the memo about NOT adding 4" just didn't go out.

Bras are still be produced based on what size women think they are, not the size they need. This means that the bras available are limited to larger bands and smaller cups than we should be wearing. It also means that there's a smaller range of bras that they need to produce, saving them money.

There's also size guilt in the opposite. Once I found my bra size, I really got involved in the bra community, As many women learned that their band size is actually 4" smaller than they thought, 'the norm' for band sizes goes down. As the average band size is thought to be 34", this sized down to a 30" band. Yes, it made the need for proper sizing more evident, but my seeing and reading bra reviews for bras in sizes 28F and 30H made me feel like a flat chested cow being a 34F.

But truth is, I'm pretty average built. In fact, I would venture to guess that the correct average bra size is likely a 36DD for most American women instead of the standard 34C.

In any case, women are allowing an old antiquated method of measuring and sizing to make them feel guilty about their bra sizes and denying themselves the proper fit. It's pretty ridiculous if you think about it.

So, find your right size. Know that your size is normal and acceptable. Enjoy your body allow yourself to be comfortable in it.

MAT Perfect Bra Review

Image via Tiffanie.pl

I'm on the fence about this bra. It was my husbands favorite out of all of the bras I ordered from Misterna, but I thought it fit a little odd.


Construction: Sheer, soft cup, 3 part bra. Fabric isn't as soft as it could be, but I wasn't expecting silk or anything for the price. It's constructed well, but the materials are slightly lower quality compared to other Polish brands. The mesh is a very open weave that may snag or tear easily. The embroidery is very delicate and soft.


Fit: This had a whole lot of projection and a rather pointy shape. My husband said it gives a much more natural shape than my other bras. The apex of this bra is a bit higher than I'm used to. The band has a lot of give to it and fits pretty comfortably. 
I do really like this bra, but I do think perhaps a sling in the cups would provide a more solid support.

Vena Bra Review

Image via vena-bielizna.pl

Wow! This is an amazing, everyday tshirt bra. I got this seamless bra in nude and it's everything I hoped it would be.
The tag proclaims: "*Ideal breast form *Stable form after washing *Air conditioned comfort *Eudermic, skin friendly and *Okotex standard 100"
Although I have no idea what the last one means, the rest seems to be true. I don't think I've ever felt a cup like this. It's formed, but flexible and when you manipulate the cup, it almost acts like a gel. It's light weight and very comfortable.


Construction: It has the standard narrow Polish wires. The band has a good amount of stretch, but is a rather firm elastic. The 80 band fits very similar to Ewa Michalak 80 bands. The straps are placed slightly wider than most US and UK brands. They're also fully adjustable and detachable at all connection points. 


Fit: I had really, really wanted the lift and projection I get from Polish bras, without the seams. And I got it with this bra. This might allow some minor nipple show through, but it does offer some control. The cups offer a good full coverage and thus there isn't much cleavage with this. Personally, I'd sacrifice 1/2" of coverage for a slightly sexier look. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. 

Gorteks Stella Review

Image via Gorteks.com.pl

This is quite a sexy bra without sacrificing modesty or coverage. The black mesh and lace laid over a fully lined nude cup gives an illusion of being completely sheer, but the lining prevents any show through.

Construction: 3 part cup provides great coverage, projection and support. The inside of the cups are a jersey knit kind of fabric while the outside is sheer mesh and lace. Very sturdy construction while the bra itself is very light weight. The straps are fully adjustable and the band offers 3 hooks. 

Fit: The cup depth is a bit smaller on this model, which provides a bit more cleavage. Like most Polish bras, the straps are wider set than most UK and US brands. But, with that, the outer part of the cup comes up a little higher. This works well to contain that 'armpit fat' for me, but may be an issue for others. The band is rather giving. I ordered a larger band than usual as I had read that the bands run small in Gorteks, but I didn't find that in any of the 4 that I ordered. Wearing a 34 band in US/UK sizes, 80 in Ewa Michalak and 85 in Comexim, I ordered Gorteks in an 80 band and it's on the smallest hook immediately. I would suggest using the standard conversion for band size with Gorteks. The cups offer great support, projection and a ever so slightly pointy shape.

Gorteks Floris Review

Imaage via Gorteks.com.pl

Being mildly uncertain of the size conversion, I ordered this Gorteks bra in 80H instead of the 80G I did in other models, just in case. Sure enough, it's a little too large for my smaller breast. But it's a beautiful and feminine bra. Very lightweight and comfortable

Construction: With a 3 part cup, it provides great coverage, projection and support. The inside of the cups are a nude jersey knit kind of fabric while the outside is smooth polyester floral print with sheer upper cups (with nude lining behind it). I don't see either being easily snagged. The construction is excellent. The straps are fully adjustable and the band offers 3 hooks. 

Fit: As far as the fit goes, like most Polish bras, the straps are wider set than most UK and US brands. But, with that, the outer part of the cup comes up a little higher. This works well to contain that 'armpit fat' for me, but may be an issue for others. The band is rather giving. I ordered a larger band than usual as I had read that the bands run small in Gorteks, but I didn't find that in any of the 4 that I ordered. Wearing a 34 band in US/UK sizes, 80 in Ewa and 85 in Comexim, I ordered Gorteks in an 80 band and it's on the smallest hook immediately. I would suggest using the standard conversion for band size with Gorteks. I'd say the size conversion is rather true to size.The cups offer great support, projection and a ever so slightly pointy shape.

Gorteks Camila Review

Image via Gorteks.com.pl

Beautiful! This bra has purple peacock feather print on a turquoise background with delicate lace trim.

Construction: The padded version is a 3 part cup. It provides great coverage, projection and support. The inside of the cups are a jersey knit kind of fabric while the outside is smooth polyester. I don't see either being easily snagged. The construction is excellent. The straps are fully adjustable and the band offers 3 hooks. 

Fit: As far as the fit goes, like most Polish bras, the straps are wider set than most UK and US brands. But, with that, the outer part of the cup comes up a little higher. This works well to contain that 'armpit fat' for me, but may be an issue for others. The band is rather giving. I ordered a larger band than usual as I had read that the bands run small in Gorteks, but I didn't find that in any of the 4 that I ordered. Wearing a 34 band in US/UK sizes, 80 in Ewa and 85 in Comexim, I ordered this Gorteks in an 80 band and it's on the smallest hook immediately. I would suggest using the standard conversion for band size with Gorteks. The cups offer great support, projection and a ever so slightly pointy shape. 

Gorteks Amelia Review

Image via Gorteks.com.pl

Turquoise lace laid on top of mint green. A delicate, but fun, Polish bra.

Construction: 3 part cup. It provides great coverage, projection and support. The inside of the cups are a jersey knit kind of fabric while the outside is stretch lace. The construction is excellent. The straps are fully adjustable and the band offers 3 hooks. 

Fit: As far as the fit goes, like most Polish bras, the straps are wider set than most UK and US brands. But, with that, the outer part of the cup comes up a little higher. This works well to contain that 'armpit fat' for me, but may be an issue for others. The band is rather giving. I ordered a larger band than usual as I had read that the bands run small in Gorteks, but I didn't find that in any of the 4 that I ordered. Wearing a 34 band in US/UK sizes, 80 in Ewa Michalak and 85 in Comexim, I ordered Gorteks in an 80 band and it's on the smallest hook immediately. I would suggest using the standard conversion for band size with Gorteks. The cups offer great support, projection and a ever so slightly pointy shape.

Misterna.pl Review

It's here! In my previous post, I showed you how to order from Misterna.pl and now, I get to tell you about my experience.

I LOVED that Misterna.pl offered the Polish brands I'd wanted to try and couldn't readily get in the US. When I heard that they ship to the US and other US customers had an easier time ordering from them than, say, Comexim, I was intrigued. But, when I saw the prices for these gems, I was sold. I had to try it.

I ordered a total of 6 bras on September 18th (Sunday). All 6 bras and shipping came to a total of $125.83. That would be an amazing deal for 6 bras from and shipped in the US. But, getting 6 POLISH bras for that price, shipped to the US seemed too good to be true. (I spent that much for 2 Ewa Michalak bras and had to wait 2 months to get them.)I honestly thought that I would either get hit up with customs costs or it would take a couple months to get it here, if not both.

To my amazement, I received my package October 1st - Less than 2 weeks! You can see above that the package was well packed. Per my request, they doubled up some of the bras in the manufacturers boxes to save on shipping costs. I have no need for the individual boxes and would have been fine with them layered in the main box alone. But, the extra step and fast shipping was incredible. I still can't believe the turn around time.

The selection on Misterna.pl was extensive. There were literally hundreds of bras to choose from in my size. Once you get used to the site and it's search features, it's very easy to find what you're looking for. 

I really appreciate that they have individual sizing charts for each brand they carry instead of one standard sizing chart. I ordered bras in different sizes and their listed size equivalents varies quite a bit. But, with this feature, it was MUCH less of a gamble on the fit.

The customer support was great too. They responded to my questions within a couple hours. They also walked me through the ordering process and made it very easy to order.

There's only one single thing I would change about Misterna.pl - the cart. For some reason, the cart contents expire rather quickly. I got frustrated when I filled the cart with my bras, walked away for a few hours and came back to them being gone. If you're an account holder and logged in, it will save your cart. But it would be nice if it saved items for 24 hours. It's an extremely minimal complaint. 

I can see Misterna.pl quickly becoming a drainer of my bank account in the future and that's fine with me. If you've wanted to try Polish brands and are intimidated by the prices of some other sites, give Misterna.pl a try. It's affordable, it's easy and it's fast. 

Need help ordering from Misterna? Check out my tutorial HERE

How to order from Misterna.pl

Misterna.pl is a lesser know lingerie store that carries a wide array of Polish bra brands. When you first visit their site, it's only in Polish without an option to change the language, but with browsers like Chrome the site can be easily and automatically translated.

Once I started browsing, I saw the brands I'd read about and couldn't get in the US (Kinga, Gorteks, Ava, Vena, etc.) Then, when I saw the prices, it seemed too good to be true. Surely, the shipping had to be limited to Poland or was an arm and leg to get shipped to the US. But, it's not! Browsing through their other pages, I read that they ship world wide and it generally costs around 22,51zl ($6, US).

I read some encouraging reviews from other bra-lovers out there having great experiences with Misterna and I had to try it. It can be a little confusing and intimidating at first, but here's how it worked for me.

The translated page is pretty easy to navigate. Hovering over the headings at the top will cause a pop up of the translated categories. There are also shortcuts at the bottom.

1. Go ahead and shop around. Add what you wish to order to your cart. If you're uncertain about sizing, every bra there has a specific sizing guide for that brand. As there is a pretty large variance between brands, I would suggest using this for comparison if you've never worn the brand before.



2. Once you've added your items to your cart, select the option to check out. This button doesn't translate. It says "Zamow". You can see it here:

There, you'll have to create an account with this button:

3. Fill out this info as best you can. Let's say my US address is actually this:

                                    My Name

                                    123 Main St

                                    Town, State 12345 USA

  This is how it would be filled out in the create account form:

The next page will look like this:

This is where things get a bit more complicated.

4. Take a screenshot of this page showing all your items and select the paypal option.

5. Then, open up your email to contact Misterna to place your order.
Address your email to: Kontakt@misterna.pl
The content of my email was simple and straight forward. I just said:

            Hello! I would like to place an international order to be shipped to the US. My address is:

            My Name

           123 Main St

           Town, State 12345 USA

           (Paypal address: my@email.com)


            These are the items I would like to order:

              I do not mind if my order does not contain all of the original boxes. Could you please assist                 me in completing my order? Thank you!

After that, a support person at Misterna will reply letting you know that your order has been placed and now only needs funding. They speak fluent English there and communication was no problem. Here's there reply:

The email confirmation isn't in English and the best I could gather was that it was similar to Ewa Michalak in terms of an order being placed and THEN needing to be funded. The confirmation looks like this:

6. Go back to your account page on Misterna.pl and view your account:

7. That page will show all your order info and have a button to "PLACE" your order.
Click the "PLACE" button and it will automatically forward you to paypal for completion.

Once you've completed paypal, that's it! They had my order shipped out the very next day.

I'll add an update as soon as my order arrives.

Now go check out the amazingness of Misterna.pl!