Why Do Your Bra Straps Slip?

Women with narrow or sloping shoulders are most likely to experience bra straps slipping.  However, these are not the only reasons for this problem.  We maintain that straps falling off women’s shoulders can also be the result of poorly fitting bras. Here are several other reasons why your bra straps keep on slipping and how to resolve the issue.

Cup Size Is Too Big

This can mean two things:  (1) you are not properly fitted when you bought the bra so the cups are not filled enough with breast tissue and do not apply tension on the straps, and (2) as you age, you lose the volume on the top of your breasts, creating an empty space on the cups. If the bra cups are not filled enough to apply tension on the straps, the latter will naturally fall off your shoulders. You need to go one cup size smaller and scoop your breast tissue into the cups to be sure that they are filled properly.

The Straps Are Very Loose

Bra straps can be, and should be adjusted. They need to be tight enough to provide the required 10% support to the breasts’ weight. (The other 90% should come from the bra band). If the straps cannot provide this 10% support, they tend to fall off. They should, however, not be too tight to prevent the bra band from getting pulled upward.

The Bra Back Is Not Properly Positioned When Worn

This happens when you forget to check whether you’ve worn your bra the right way and everything is in proper place. This is an important factor for comfort during your entire day. After you’ve worn the bra, reach back and pull the bra back down to make sure that it is placed correctly.

The Bra Back Is Expanded

The straps will be farther apart when your band is too large.  According to a lot of survey, a common mistake women make for bra fitting is wearing a bigger band and smaller cup sizes.  The bigger band size than necessary contributes to straps falling off your shoulders.  Obviously, the cure is that you adjust the size of your bra – go up in size of the cup and down in size of the band.  This will make a good fit and prevent strap slippage. 

The Bra Style Is Not Right for You

Every woman’s body is different, so not every style will fit you or the dress that you wear. The square-shouldered women can have the wide-set straps in bras, while those with narrow or sloping shoulders should consider carefully the placement of straps on the bras that they buy. Knowing your body style and the bra styles that fit you will help a lot.

The bottom line here is that a properly fitted bra is very important, for your comfort and for prevention of straps slipping. If you haven’t had your bra size measured yet, maybe it is time to do so to find the size and style of bras that support and don't fall off your shoulders.