Women keep their underwear for a lot longer than they are supposed to. In theory, a bra is only designed for around 365 days of wear, but I bet you’ve had some of yours for years and years. I don’t blame you - I only get rid of mine when one of the wires stabs me in the heart. However, did you know that the majority of women are wearing the wrong kind of underwear? Use this buying guide to help you on your next underwear shopping trip:


via flickr

Men’s Underwear

Men’s underwear may not seem as complicated as women’s, but there’s a lot the average male gets wrong. He may not think it matters as only superheroes wear their underwear outside - no one is going to see, right? Well, it does matter. Even if you have a long term girlfriend, I bet she absolutely hates your holey briefs.

If you must keep your underwear for years and years, you need to buy it from a reputable retailer to make sure it stands the test of time. For example, http://shop.guess.com/en/view/men/underwear/, will last you a lot longer than underwear from a discount store (naming no names here). Basically guys, spend a little more on your underwear and the ladies will love you!

Women's underwear

Most women are wearing the wrong bra size. If you’re a woman, you probably are too. Rather than go out and get ourselves measured properly, we simply pick the first bra size that seems to fit and stick with it.

To find out whether you’re wearing the right bra size or not, grab a soft tape measure. You should either stand topless, or wear a bra with no padding before you start.

Measure right underneath your bust, where your bra would usually sit. Write this measurement down. If you’re in between inches, always size down. Make sure the tape measure is straight all the way around.

Now, measure around the fullest part of your bust loosely. Instead of sizing down if you’re in between inches here, it’s usually best to size up. Write this down. Now, enter your measurements into an online bra size calculator, and you have your answer!

The measurement below your bust is the band size, and your cup size is the amount of inches your bust is bigger than the band size. For example, if your band size was 34 and your bust size was 36, you’d be a 34B as your bust size is 2 inches bigger than your band size. Hopefully this will help you understand bra sizing a lot more.

Now, let’s say you find a bra you really like but they don’t have it in your size. Using your sister sizes can be an option. You may have even been wearing one of your sister sizes your whole life, without even realising it!

With a sister size, you either go up or down in your band size, and then do the opposite in your cup size. For example, one sister size of a 34B, is 32C.

Not only does nice underwear make us look good, it makes us feel good too. You’ll look great radiating confidence on the outside, even if your underwear is hiding inside your clothes. Happy shopping!