It is estimated that as many as one in 10 UK women wear the wrong bra size.
So one shopper decided to put this to the test by getting professionally fitted at a major retailer to see if they could get her measurements right.
Chantelle Crabb, who works for plus-size (D-K cup) lingerie brand Curvy Kate in London, took to the streets of New York to get fitted at a major lingerie brand – and was shocked by what she discovered.
Chantelle, who normally wears a 30HH, was measured and fitted by the anonymous lingerie giant as a 36DD – a bra size that is a staggering four cup sizes smaller from what she should be wearing.
During the fitting, Chantelle said she spotted a string of mistakes – including the use of measuring tapes which she says are ‘redundant as everyone’s bodies and breasts are different’.
She said: ‘No two breasts are the same, so we shouldn’t follow the same formula for each person.’
Wearing the incorrect size can lead to discomfort, headaches, back pain and breast ptosis (sagging).
Chantelle explained: ‘I believe the issue with the fitting in question was the way I was measured.
‘The retailer carried out one measurement under my armpits and over my boobs, while I still wore my clothes and a lined bra.
‘My back measurement is 30 inches, hence why I wear a 30HH. By measuring me the way they did, my back band was always going to come out larger.
Chantelle said she spotted a string of mistakes – including the use of measuring tapes which she says are ‘redundant as everyone’s bodies and breasts are different’
Chantelle, who normally wears a 30HH, was measured and fitted by the anonymous lingerie giant as a 36DD – a bra size that is 10 sizes different from what she should be wearing
Dangerous: Wearing the incorrect size can lead to discomfort, headaches, back pain and breast ptosis (sagging)
The assistant ‘The retailer carried out one measurement under my armpits and over my boobs, while I still wore my clothes and a lined bra’
‘It seems this particular retailer has a “one size fits several” policy and when you’re dealing with a fuller bust that just won’t do.’
Curvy Kate told MailOnline they carried out the fitting in a bid to ‘highlight how misleading the information is that is given to the unsuspecting public’.
The retailer, who specialise in lingerie for the fuller bust and promote the benefits of a correctly fitting bra, believe that these errors could be a key factor contributing to up to 90 per cent of women being in the incorrect size.