Bras officially hardest clothing for women to find ‘perfect fit’

Over half of women (58%) say they’re in a hurry to take their bras off as soon as they get back home, according to new research.

A survey explored 5,000 women across all 50 states’ gripes with uncomfortable clothing, finding that nine in 10 struggle to find at least one category of clothing that fits the way it should (87%).

Across the board, bras are the top item that women have a difficult time finding a perfect fit for (55%), followed by jeans (50%) and swimsuits (33%).

Commissioned by Bravissimo and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that bras are the nemesis of half of women who are ready to rip them off just moments after they put them on.

In fact, nearly twice the percentage of women surveyed are eager to rid their bras upon coming home as those who say the same about their jeans (58% versus 30%).

This shortage of comfortably fitting options knows no bounds, mostly affecting women from the Midwest in Kansas to the Northeast in Vermont (94% each).

Although the pursuit of well-fitting clothing gets better with age (92% of Gen Z struggling to find clothing versus 83% of baby boomers), the majority of women still grapple with finding their “perfect fit.”

Three in five (62%) think about taking off their bra multiple times a day, with those in Kentucky thinking about it most (five times a day).

Nearly a quarter (24%) of women confess they unclasp their bra within the first 60 seconds they return home, with those from Mississippi (35%), Arizona (32%) and Tennessee (32%) being the quickest to seek relief.

The survey also revealed that it’s not just at home where women are eager to take their bra off due to discomfort, also their cars (43%) or at a friend’s house (39%).

“We know from 30 years of supporting women to find bras that fit and feel good, that no woman has to settle for feeling uncomfortable in their bra,” said Natalie Canavan, customer experience manager at Bravissimo. “If you can’t wait to take your bra off at the end of the day, it usually means you’re wearing the wrong bra size and sometimes the wrong shape as well, meaning it’s definitely time for a fitting. Finding your true size can be shocking, but make all the difference in your comfort and confidence.”

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Nearly half of women (46%) also state they haven’t found “the one” when it comes to the perfect bra.

Finding the perfect bra may be especially difficult if you’re from Nebraska (63%), Iowa (58%) and New Hampshire (57%), with these states having the most women who said they have not found their dream bra.

This could be explained by the revelation that many women are choosing their bra size simply by guessing (38%) or through trial and error of trying on different sizes (24%).

Even though most say they think they know their current size (75%), an overwhelming number of respondents have never been professionally fitted.

Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents say they’ve never been professionally fitted before, and this percentage increases for those in West Virginia (79%), Iowa (78%) and New Mexico (76%).

For respondents who’ve had bra fittings before, many (22%) haven’t been sized in over 10 years, which contradicts the general consensus of women who believe you should get sized every 11-12 months (26%).

Respondents say they shop for bras both in-store (61%) and online (27%), but some states still have some access issues, despite shopping in-store for bras being preferred by many.

For example, women in Wyoming need to drive over an hour and a half to even find somewhere to do an in-person fitting.

Aside from location, women find bra fittings to be daunting when feeling self-conscious about their body (26%), not knowing what a proper sizing entails (14%) and not even knowing what to look for in a bra (11%).

All of this discomfort is draining on their self-esteem, too — a large majority (87%) of those polled say a better-fitting bra would increase their confidence in some capacity.

“We recommend having a bra fitting every six months to ensure the level of support and comfort you need to feel like you’re not wearing a bra at all,” said Canavan. “Professional fittings are much more than just about finding your size, and accessibility to bra fittings is so important. Every woman deserves to feel confident and comfortable. Options like video call-secure virtual bra fittings are a great free and accessible option to help you achieve the support you need.”

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 5,000 American women (100 per state) who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Bravissimo and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between June 10 and June 19, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.