What Size Bra to Buy?

A girl might feel shy about her growing breasts and not want other people talking about them, looking at them, and measuring them. But it's wise for a girl to get measured so she knows her correct bra size.

The women who work in the bra departments of stores can help a girl with this measurement. A girl also can do it at home if she has her mom or a friend help her. If you are a girl, here are instructions for how to do it:
Run a tape measure just under your breasts, all the way around your back and rib cage. The tape measure should rest flat on your skin and lie straight across your back — not so tight that it digs in, but not so loose that it sags down in back.
Make a note of your measurement and add 5 inches. That's your chest size.
To measure cup size, take the tape measure around your body across the fullest part of your breasts.
Write down this number and subtract your chest measurement from it. The difference between the numbers is a way of figuring out your cup size. If the difference between the two numbers is less than 1 inch, your cup size is AA. If it's 1 inch, your cup size is A; 2 inches, you're a B; 3 inches you're a C, and so on. For instance, if your cup measurement was 33 and your chest measurement was 32, that's a 1-inch difference. Your bra size is 32A.
If your chest measurement comes out as an odd number (such as 31 inches or 33 inches), it's usually a good rule to round up to the next number. Most bras have a few sets of adjustable hooks and eyes, so you can adjust the tightness. It's a good idea to round up, rather than round down, because when you buy a new bra that hooks on the first or middle hooks — rather than on the last — you can leave room for growth.