Today, my customer service team forwarded to me this inquiry from a customer named Denise:

"When I was young, my mother told me the average and also perfect bra size was 34B.  Now I have noticed a lot of 34B in pictures, and the basis of your fitters measurements.  What is it that is so special about 34B?  So is 34B really the average size?  Or was it at some point, the average size and we’ve now outgrown it?    Thank you!"

Well Denise, you ask a very good question.  First, let me address why HerRoom uses 34B as the basic average bra size for photography and measurements.

The reason HerRoom uses 34B bras and thus 34B models is because in the lingerie industry, the established sample size is 34B.  Months before a new item is displayed on our site, my buyers go to market where they are shown the new styles by each vendor.  With the exception of manufacturers who specialize in larger sizes, all the samples the buyers are shown are in 34B.  We take those samples, photograph them, and measure them before they are shown on the site.  So, it’s not our choice, but rather, 34B is the only size we can get our hands on.

Now, this sort of answers your second inquiry which is why are there so many 34B mentions on the Internet, and is it the average bra size.  No, it is not the average bra size.  Today, U.S. manufacturers tell us that 36C is the average bra size in America, and that it is trending towards 38C becoming the new average U.S. bra size.  Yup, we are getting bigger. Again, because everyone makes their samples in a 34B, we are somewhat forced to photograph that size on our site.

Denise, I’m also glad you asked this question because it gives me an opportunity to point out something we do at HerRoom that no one else does.  From reading years of customer comments, it was clear that larger busted women find it very difficult to make a decision about a bra unless they see it on a model with a fuller figure.  To address this, any bra that comes in DD cup sizing or larger at HerRoom will have an alternate image shot titled "36DD".  That’s right, once we have inventory of a bra, we pull the 36DD and bring in a model of that size and have her photographed.  So, a full figured woman can now see a bra at least close to her size on a more voluptuous model.  She will also be able to see if the manufacturer makes any design changes to accommodate the large cup sizes.

Great question.  Thank you Denise.

Find bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Plus-Size Lingerie

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