A tempest in a D-Cup?

Maybe it's because I am a lifelong member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee (except, perhaps, when I was nursing), but I never realized what a huge problem finding a good bra -- or a good-fitting bra -- was. (Though try finding a 30B bra anywhere other than the Girls department. Trust me, you can't.)

Have you ever walked into the Ladies Lingerie or Intimate Apparel department in a department store? There are literally THOUSANDS OF BRAS, in practically every shape, style, and color (except for a 30B in nude or really any solid color). It makes me envy women with a 36C (which is apparently the preferred method of stuffing a wild bikini*).

And yet according to bra maker Wacoal (which makes one of my favorite bras), 90 million women are wearing the wrong bra. Huh?

The problem, per Wacoal and other boobologists**, a too big band and too small cups. (Which, technically, I am also guilty of -- though it's not my fault!)

But now apparently, Jockey is riding to the rescue, creating a new measurement system and line of bras designed to provide women -- with all the way up to a 50N*** -- a better fit.

To which I say, Oy. Do we women really need to deal with yet another measurement system?

Granted, the current system for figuring out one's bra size -- measuring your chest at the widest point; then measuring the rib cage, just below the breasts; with the rib cage measurement being the band size and the difference between the two measurements determining the cup size, with a one-inch difference means an A; a two-inch difference means a B; and so on -- isn't perfect. And no, it's not because women aren't good at math. It's because breasts come in different shapes and most women don't like feeling corseted.

But instead of coming up with a whole new system, or one manufacturer wreaking havoc by coming up with a new system, couldn't all you bra manufacturers just get together and decide on a single set of standards? (Ditto all you women's clothing and shoe manufacturers.)

Men's clothing, including underwear, and shoes are pretty much standardized. So why can't women's clothing and shoe and bra designers do it? (I know, I know: vanity sizing. Women have gotten much bigger, all over, but don't want to buy larger sizes.)

If you ask me, this is a tempest in a D-Cup.

*I miss Beach Party Week and The 4:30 Movie.
**Not a real word.
***OMG, 50N?!