Ladies, do you do up your bra in the back or hook and spin?

I hook it in the front and spin it around. I can’t manage it behind my back, even though a bra saleswoman once told me that my way is ‘wrong’.

Also, welcome to Fluther!

I do the hook and step.

I hook it up, and then step into it like I was putting on a pair of pants. ;-p

I do the hook and spin. My junior school teacher also told me that was the ‘wrong way’ but it works for me.

Wait, I have heard this question before years ago. It is the question that started me on q&a sites. I think it was on askville.
I have always done the twister (or hook and spin) method.
Until I answered this question oh so many years ago I had no idea I was in the minority.

Or the majority @Judi. That’s three of us hooking and spinning and Brian who does his own thing with his bra.

In the other question I was a minority. Maybe it’s a “liberal” thing since fluther leans way left of askville. ~

Now I want to see @Brian1946 in a bra.

@Judi I think I was in the minority the last time we discussed this here. I’d break my damn arms if I tried to hook it in the back, haha.

@augustlan I understand if you can’t reach around your back to hook. Just in general, when I saw my cousin do the hook and spin, it just seemed really complicated to hook the bra, spin it around, put your arms through the straps, pull the bra up to boob level, then spend a minute adjusting the boobs to their rightful place in the bra. lol It just seems easier to put on the bra, do it up in the back and be on my way. :)

It totally would be less complicated. :)

I often put my bra on like a shirt. Maybe I’m just weird. I don’t want to bother with hooking it up while it’s on me, so I like making sure it’s hooked up before I put it on.

Note: For those of you who fasten from the front and spin, apparently there are bras out there with front fasteners. If you haven’t already, you might want to look into them.

@AnonymousWoman That sounds like an good way to put on a bra. How easy is it to pull the bottom of the bra over your boobs?

I’m guessing your way would never in a million years work on my 42Fs, @AnonymousWoman!

I do like the idea of front hook bras, but the plastic hook always annoys my sensitive skin. :(

@wonderwomanUSA

How easy is it to pull the bottom of the bra over your boobs?

It’s a breeze for me and my 45As.

@wonderwomanUSA: It’s pretty easy for me. I’m used to it, though. ^_^

@augustlan Aw. :)

Maybe they will make better ones for your skin in the future. :)

@augustlan I thought they made some front close bras with metal hooks. Also, ever tried wearing a strapless bra under a front close bra? If you could hide the strapless bra well, the hooks on the front close bra wouldn’t bother you as much. Plus, with a 42F, wearing two bras at once would give the girls a lot more support.

@wonderwomanUSA I’m actually super-sensitive to metals, and can only tolerate gold. Anyone want to buy me a gold bra? I’ve seen one recently that had a front closure that was really similar to the standard back closure (it had fabric underneath the parts that would irritate my skin) and I’ll probably try that one next time I buy a new bra. As for wearing two…I can hardly stand to wear just the one!

Another hook and spin here, and I’ve also heard that it is wrong because your band ought to be tight enough that it would be difficult to slide it around on your torso like that. I also know that my band is too loose, but my cup size is next to impossible to find in the US, so I’m stuck with it. And that’s okay for now, because I don’t know if I could contort to clasp it behind my back, really. :P

Hook in the back, all that spinning would make me dizzy!

I’ve never understood why the front clasp bras aren’t more popular. I know they supposedly don’t give enough support for bustier women, but anyone who could fit in Victoria’s Secret sizes should be okay.

Not that I have a problem with the lack of front clasp bras personally. They completely mess up the one handed bra opener trick.

I hook in the back. I’ve always been pretty flexible and I can touch my shoulder across my back with the opposite hand.

I hook in front and turn it around. Why would I want to try to put together four hooks that I can’t see? It has been a long time since I tried a front-hook bra. However, since I found a bra that fits right and that I like, I really don’t want to switch! It took too long to find these!

gormless grin…contented sigh ;-}

Definitely a hook-in-the-back-er. Any bra that fit me to my liking would be too much of a b**** to try to turn around and WAY too long to adjust my mamma jammas.

I hook and twist. I have smaller boobs, so there’s nothing complicated or difficult about it. What’s complicated is trying to hook it in the back when I can’t see it. Mine only have two hooks, not four like bras for big-breasted ladies, but it definitely takes me more time to hook it blind. I’ve tried front-clasp bras and wasn’t too impressed. I’ll stick to the hook and twist.

I also know someone that puts it on like a t-shirt and one that pulls it up like pants. I feel like that would stretch the bras out. I like mine snug. Although, I do put on sports bras this way.

I’m in the hook and spin camp.

I hook and spin, and always have – even when I was younger and smaller and more agile.

There are front close bras available for larger sizes, but every one I’ve tried puts too much separation between the boobs, so they are not naturally placed. Back when I was still a C-cup and when Victoria’s Secret first came out, they had a terrific front close style in stretch lace. The looked perfect and like I wasn’t wearing a bra at all. Oh, to be 21 again… (physically, at least).

I hook in the back 98% of the time. When I was very young I would hook and spin.

Front hook bras only are one size, back hook have three choices usually. If you measure size 35 (American) then front hook might be harder to fit, although brands do vary a little. Also, as bras stretch you get more life out of it if you can hook tighter over time.

There might be bras that have a back adjustment, but still front hook. I have never seen one, but it is a good idea.

I hook in the back but mostly I wear front closure bras. Problem solved. :)

There are men that wear bras, too. This is sexism and I won’t stand for it!

Hook and spin.

Yes, hook and spin, why struggle for minutes when you can saddle up in seconds? lol

Ah for the good old days when this question would be moot because all y’all did was slip on a t-shirt or halter top.

@coloma I can only speak for myself, I don’t struggle. If I did I porbably would spin it around. I think sometimes spinning can be irritating. But, many women wear their bra band too large (I worked in the bra industry) and so if it is loose it would be less likely to be a struggle to spin.

The ones I have currently hook in the front. Win win! But when I had ones that hooked in the back, I didn’t have problems doing it behind my back.

The things us girls have to do just to put the boobs in the bra. Not to mention having to deal with falling bra straps or hiking up the annoying bra. lol

H&S

@wonderwomanUSA Often the reason bra straps fall is because the bra is too big around the back. It isn’t always the reason, but usually.

@JLeslie I feel sorry for the women who wear bras that don’t fit and don’t know it. I was at the mall the other day and saw this woman actually reach inside her shirt with both hands to pull up her bra.

It seems like most of you hook your bra in front and spin, now I feel like the weird one. lol

@augustlan…The bra lady told you that you were putting your bra on wrong? Oh, that is TOOO funny!

No weird, @wonderwomanUSA! It’s all good.

Hook and spin!

I like the idea of front hook bras, but I’ve never found one that offered enough support.
I used to hook and spin, until I learned how to hook in the back.

@AshLeigh Anytime I wear a front close bra, I just get paranoid that the bra might pop open on me. As long as the girls stay in the garage I’m good. It’s easy to hook the bra in the back once you have a little practice and have long arms and have smaller boobs. lol

@Dutchess_III She did! I think she had a point…it can stretch out the band prematurely. I can live with that, though.

Wrong. I love it. She shouldn’t have said wrong. It is understandably difficult for some people to hook the back. If you really want to do it right you also are supposed to bend forward and lift your breast well into the cup before standing up straight again. I never do it. If you actually have a bra specialist help you, you put your arms through the straps and hold it down beneath your breasts and then we hook it for you in back. We can tell by the resistance on the band if it is the right size when we hook it.

^^^Yeah! I have to be to work in 30 minutes! Get the damn thing on and move on!

Us women have it tough, having to deal with our bras everyday. :)

So far my bra total is: 12 hook and spin, 6 clasp in the back, 1 owns only front close bras, 1 puts on their bra over their head. Now we just need one girl who spins their bra around three or four times re-unhooks it and then clasps their bra up in the back. lol :)

I love that you summed up the totals. I had missed someone puts it over their head. I don’t even do that with a sports bra. Now I will only buy one that hooks like a bra or zips in front. I also need adjustable straps.

@JLeslie Running always gives me fits with the boobs, so I usually put on a regular bra under my sports bra. The only front close bra I have is a sports bra, which works well for doubling up the bras. I love the easily adjustable bra straps on my sports bra :)

No matter how you put on your bra, it sure is nice to take it off after a long day.

I can’t believe how this thread keeps going and going and going….! :)

I love multiple choice questions, especially one with only 2 choices. I’ve always hooked in the back. When, for some reason, I couldn’t, I got help to get it done. Now, I’m not well endowed, so maybe it’s different for a woman with a bigger frontage area.

@Sunnyz Having smaller boobs prevents you from getting a black eye while running. :)

Plus Brian who steps into his. We didn’t ignore the guys @Blackberry.

I used to have this bra that didn’t have hooks. It had this little clip that one end slid into the other and part popped out like a spring. Sounds great until you lean on the corner of a wall and the little sprint part is depressed… Boinnnnnnngggg… Boobs free.

@Bellatrix That is a dangerous bra to wear, you must have had some close calls. lol

I was quite young when I owned it and it was embarrassing. I would not recommend bras with that sort of clasp if you like to stand around leaning on walls trying to impress boys. I think they were impressed when it happened if they were about but for me it was for all the wrong reasons.

@Bellatrix Or the guys might be more impressed, by undoing your bra without touching it. lol

I just realized, there is a man in the room!! Can we talk about something a little less personal, like Tampax??

All my bra’s are front closing. Then I discovered the Ahh Bra, so now I don’t have to hook, I can do the pull over. I know…the pull over style is not for everybody, especially bigger breasted girls.

“Bras allow us to reach new heights.”

I keep imagining me trying to pull a clasped bra over my head…Um. Ouch. No!

I love this thread.

@Dutchess_III I’m thinking about how long it would take to get the boobs situated in the bra if I had to use hook and spin. It would be a pain. :)

You just lean forward and let them fall into the cups. If that doesn’t work – a bit of a rummage does the trick @wonderwomanUSA.

<——head explodes

@Bellatrix That would be much easier, I was just going by what I saw my cousin do. She was fumbling around with her boobs for a couple of minutes until they were placed correctly in the bra. lol

@JLeslie – here I thought you had some magic method of putting on a sports bra without pulling it down over your head, but then you said you only buy the hooking kind. Let me tell you it is a complete workout to try to put on or take off a tight fitting over the head sports bra when you are all sweaty! I often think of anyone were videoing this, it would go viral on youtube in a flash!

@rooeytoo I have to agree, putting on a over the head sports bra is a real pain. By the time you get the bra on, you are all worn out. lol

I never expected to have this many people talking about bras. I wonder how many more there will be. :)

In my bra wearing days my very favourite bra, Elle MacPherson and long out of production, used to do up in front, put it on like a shirt and then do it up.

@rooeytoo When I was younger, and thinner, and more flexible, I had the pull over the head sports bras and even then I found it annoying. Now it is almost impossibly to pretzel myself into one. I don’t understand why it is so difficult to find ones that hook. My favorite sports bras for under clothing are Wacoal (I used to work for them) the fit is great for me, but it is moderate hold, I would say for a runner it might not be sufficient. I use it for zumba and it is great. I would assume you have Wacoal in Australia since it is Japanese, but I am not sure. I don’t remember all the coutries they are sold in.

I am in process of moving. Bending, lifting, packing, and all sorts of contortions. They just won’t stay put with all the action. lol
I was helping my daughter load a heavy carved asian screen into her car that she bought from me tonight and the bra scene was twisted by the time I was done.haha

@JLeslie I realy like the Under Armor sports bras. I have one that zips up in the front that is a racer-back and it gives great support.

@Coloma Bras can get really annoying sometimes.

@wonderwomanUSA My favorite part of the day is unhooking.
In my comfy jammies now. haha

@wonderwomanUSA If you don’t have large breasts (as in, D or bigger), there’s nothing difficult about situating boobs into the cups. I just hook it, spin it, pull the straps up, perhaps do a small adjustment with my hands, and it’s done. If I were to hook it in the back, I’d spend 5 minutes trying to get it clasped and I’d still have to adjust it afterwards. So, nope, nothing frustrating about it.

Now if you ARE well endowed, it may take more work, but I think any technique would be more difficult with large breasts.

@livelaughlove21 When I saw my cousin do it, she had some trouble, but maybe her bra was too small.

@Coloma It’s nice to get home and take off the bra. :)

All I know is I’ve never been happier to have my little B cups as I am after reading some of these responses. Having big breasts seem like a huge hassle.

Having smaller boobs would be easier, it would be a lot less to have to stuff into my bra. lol

I was sure Wonder Woman’s tits were a weapon, lasers shooting from her nipples…although I may have just made that up. Nice thread girls, nice thread ;-}

FYI- www.HerRoom.com has a great selection of bras for all sizes (28A, 42M, 58J). They show it from all angles and under different styles of shirts, and there are user reviews.

@hearkat 28A? Girlfriend needs a three piece with a biscuit, STAT.

Wow, @hearkat! Thanks for the source. That’s the biggest selection I’ve ever seen in my size.

3:30 PM on the west coast and Coloma is starting to think about unhooking after being cinched up since 7 am. haha

@livelaughlove21 probably not. I know lots and lots of women who wear a 28 band, if they wear a properly fitted bra. My best friend wears a 26, and she’s by no means underweight. Petite, yes, but, a healthy weight for her height.
@hearkat this site is amazing. Thank you.

@DigitalBlue I didn’t say anything about an unhealthy weight. My sister is 5’3”, weighs 100 lbs, and is not medically underweight, but I tell her she needs to eat a three piece and a biscuit too. Not a single curve on that body. People often think she’s a teen, and she’s 31.

More power to tiny girls that wear 28A bras and like their bodies, but I’d be putting some meat on my bones if that was me.

Poor @filmfann. His head esploded. Dare we tell him that we can stand in front of the mirror and look at our boobs all day if we want? :)

@livelaughlove21 Yeah…big boobs are a pain. The bra strap wants to slide up your back, and drop in front. Have to go to the bathroom 5 times a day to readjust.

@Dutchess_III It’s likely you are wearing the wrong size and not a good quality bra, or your bras might just be old and the elasticity begins to give. I highly recommend Wacoal and getting measured.

So glad I’m a dude. Being a woman is complicated.

@Dutchess_III Or we could all tell him in minute detail how we put on our bras. lol

@Dutchess_III At least you go to bathroom to adjust the bra, it’s weird seeing someone just digging in their shirt for a couple minutes. :)

@FutureMemory – at least women do have to do the “my testicles are sticking” squat dance or readjust themselves walking down the street. The testicle situation seems a lot more complicated, jock straps, boxes, briefs, boxers, the list goes on…....

Another good website to find bras for the more well endowed: biggerbras.com

Anyone find a good strapless bra? That is the one type of bra I’ve had a hard time finding.

I think this is the final bra total: 13 hook and spin, 7 clasp in the back, 2 have front close bras, 2 have bras they put on over their head. Not what I expected. Now ladies, get to stuffing those boobs into your bra. lol

@wonderwomanUSA Haha, the tally is in.
Yes, I can never find good strapless bras either.
Speaking of stuffing….when I was 16 I used inserts in my bra and one fell out while dancing the night away, total humiliation, the guys at the party were playing catch with my left boob.
I also joke that I may be 53 but my boobs are only 36 because I didn’t have any until I was 17 lol

@wonderwomanUSA I think On Gossamer strapless is great.

@rooeytoo Sounds like you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about testicles.

@FutureMemory – seems as if you guys are constantly fiddling with them, hard not to notice!

Nowt wrong with a swift game of pocket billiards.

Question: Regardless of how you put on your bra, did you learn to do it that way from your mom, i.e. do you do it the same way she does/did?

@rojo I don’t think my mom taught me how to put on a bra. I just did it the easiest way for me.

I learned from my mom and older sisters.

My mom showed me both options. She also, thank goodness, introduced me to tampons.

I don’t recall anyone showing me. I think I just figured it out for myself. As I mentioned ^^ one of my school teachers told me off for not using the hook up at the back method after I had been wearing a bra for a couple of years. I chose to ignore her.

I think I remember seeing my Mom do it….

I have absolutely no clue how I learned to put on a bra. I guess I tried behind my back – since I was able to tie bathing suit tops behind my back – but figured the twist was easier. (I wasn’t forewarned about getting a period, let alone being told about pads.)

I HATED bras from the get go! My first training bra was so annoying I decided I would sleep with it on to get used to it. I ended up ripping it off during the night and remember crying because I hated having to start wearing a bra. I am a sensitive type, clothing tags bug the crap out of me and I have to cut them all off, a wrinkled sock drives me batty. haha
I was truly born to wear nothing but flowing skirts and little chamois. lol

My first bra I ever had was a blue sports bra and I put that on over my head. When I got my first real bra, I just naturally hooked in the back. Anyone else remember what their first bra was?

My first bra was a plain white 32 A, and I was very resistant to wearing any bra at all. My mother insisted, and showed me how to put it on. She was very big chested, so I learned the hook-in-front-spin-around method from the get-go, even though I probably didn’t need to do it that way at the time. I had to rely on friends to tell me about tampons.

Mine would have been around a 32A too. It was yellow with white straps and pretty much just fabric and straps. No support whatsoever.

My stepmother had strange ideas. I wasn’t allowed to use tampons. I can’t remember what bizarre idea she gave me for why tampons were so dangerous but I also wasn’t supposed to wash my hair while on a period. I used to get up at 2 am to wash my hair so she wouldn’t know. No way was I going to school with ‘chip pan hair’. Apparently hair washing while on a period can have some drastic impact on your body. Again, I have erased the details from my memory because I judged it ‘truly ridiculous!’

Wow, that’s weird @Bellatrix! I remember there were some fears about toxic shock syndrome and tampon usage, so I can understand that part. But not washing your hair? I’ve never heard such a thing!

No. She was/is rather strange! I think she lacked knowledge about human biology and believed a lot of old wives’ tales. She told me she couldn’t have boy babies because she had an ectopic pregnancy and the boy ovary didn’t work any more. I’m just thankful I knew enough to know not to trust her advice on such things. I learned early to just nod and say ‘reallyyyyyyyyy?’

Haha, the ‘boy ovary’. I don’t know how you kept a straight face!

The recall for Rely tampons was in the early 80’s I think. Late 70’s some more awareness was coming out. Many people did generalize this to thinking all tampons might be very risky. A friend of mine got TSS from a contraceptive sponge. She passed out shortly after checking herself into the ER. When she finally woke up two days later the doctor told her if she had not walked in saying she thought she had TSS they likely would not have diagnosed it fast enough and she would have died. She was advised to never wear a tampon again, which realy sucks of course.

Oh god I would have been in for hell if I had laughed at her! She really believed this stuff. It’s funny now but as a kid I was just horrified at some of the things she said. I guess she hadn’t been educated about her own body and how it worked. Sad really.

Her reason wouldn’t have been fears about toxic shock. More likely to do with virginity or something ridiculous.

“Boy ovary’? That’s almost as good as the two times I’ve heard of couples who believed that since pregnant women look like the baby is growing from their stomach, that the baby must grow in the stomach, and thus the women performed oral sex daily to get pregnant. Sorry, I heard about both on the radio, so I don’t have a cite for either, but I would love to find stories of either one. In the one story, the guy had supposedly been getting the mouth love for almost 20 years before they were informed they were going about it wrong. I want to trade lives with him if it’s true.

Boy ovaries!! LOLL!!! Well, I guess we can donate one of each of our ovaries to @filmfann. :)

Has anyone but me wondered what the purpose of a “training bra” was? What are we training them to do or what?

3:56 in California and Coloma just unhooked.
I had a crown build up this morning and now that the novacaine has worn off my tooth is throbbing. I don’t need to deal with IBS anymore today. Irritable bra syndrome. lol

OK…where can I go to get a “quality” bra?

@Dutchess_III – I listed a website above

The only place I’ve ever found a bra that fit was Nordstrom.

(That was the STRANGEST questionnaire I’ve ever taken!)

Nordstroms is a good recommendation, they carry Wacoal, the one I mentioned above, and also other quality brands. All the sales girls are supposed to be trained in measuring. Bloomingdal’es also has good bras, bit the associates are not necessarily trained, hit or miss. If neither are near you then a speciality shop is probably the way to go. Or, if there is a Macy’s near you they have fit events a couple times a year where you can make an appointment with a vendor during the event who should be trained. But, if you live in an area that is not very affluent they may not carry many of the better bras.

Speaking of bras, I’m at our new mountain house and have been traveling back and forth. I only brought one bra. I can’t find it for the life of me! I have a funny feeling I’m going to find it when the snow melts. My dog has a habit of carrying t shirts (usually) and leaving them around outside.
At least I’m in Oregon. I can just pretend to be a hippie mama.

@Judi I love the line about finding it when the snow melts. Hahaha. I was not able to wear a bra for about 6 weeks when I had my accident and the weather was already warming up. At least you will be in warm clothing and more covered up.

FYI, if you need a large bra, you’re not going to find it at any department store. If I want to physically try on a bra in my size, I have to go to Lane Bryant. Or I can order online, without trying on, and hope for the best.

So because of Seek’s new version of this question I was lead to this thread, which I could have sworn I’d never seen before, to find I actually posted in it twice. Very strange, I have no memory of ever reading any of this.

My first girlfriend had a clasp-in-front bra. Let me tell you, that is a teenage boy’s dream come true. Phew.