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To demonstrate the detrimental effects of an ill-fitting bra on general posture, a British lingerie brand didn’t hesitate to create a somewhat creepy 3D mannequin.
An arched back, sagging breasts, skin covered with marks and scars… Meet Mélanie, a 3D model designed by the British lingerie brand For me, which illustrates the dramatic impact of the wrong size bra worn for several years. And the least we can say is that the image does not leave you indifferent.
An exaggerated model for a real fact
No doubt driven by marketing motivation more than health, the creation nevertheless has the benefit of being based on a real observation: many women do not wear underwear adapted to the actual size of their breasts, which can cause discomfort, back pain and poor posture. Melanie accumulates all these points at once
For the brand, Mélanie is“an extreme visual representation of what your body might look like after decades of wearing an ill-fitting bra”. Her excessively hunched posture would be the consequence of underwear that does not suit her morphology.
6 out of 10 women don’t know their height
The brand, however, consulted a general practitioner and a sports therapist and relied on their study of women’s bra habits, conducted among 1,000 Britons. This indicated that:
- 37% of respondents suffered from irritation;
- 20% also complained of back or shoulder pain;
- 10% admitted to wearing 6-10 year old underwear;
- 8% did not know their breast size.
In France, a Triumph Female Confidence Report study also mentioned in 2016 that 6 out of 10 women did not know their bra size.
According to the British brand, “If you raise your arms overhead and notice your bra riding up, or if you take your bra off and notice red marks where it digs into your skin, these are signs that you need to get measured.”
With, of course, the advice to replace your underwear every year.