British women are hoarding 156 MILLION bras they don’t wear, it emerged yesterday.
Researchers found the average female has a collection of nine bras, but more than half of these are sat gathering dust in drawers.
Additionally nearly half of women own bras they have NEVER worn.
The biggest reason for discarded underwear was because women find their bras uncomfortable with a third keeping them despite being the wrong size.
Other reasons were that the bras were unflattering, unfashionable or made their breasts look funny under certain clothes, according to the poll of 2000 women by the leading running specialist retailer, Sweatshop.
But it’s not surprising there are so many unworn bras as the findings showed that one in ten women didn't know what size bra they should be wearing and one third had never been properly measured.
Over a quarter said they were currently wearing a bra that doesn’t fit properly, while 74 per cent of women don’t try on bras before buying them, because they are too embarrassed to get their breasts measured properly.
Amanda Brasher, Head Sports Bra Buyer for Sweatshop, which carried out the research to mark the launch of their specialist sports bra fitting service, said: ''These findings are not surprising and reinforce the reason why we have launched our specialist sports bra fitting service.
‘’Too many women are wasting money on bras that don’t fit, or fail to offer the right support. It is vital to get measured, especially if you are active or play sport, as an ill-fitting bra can potentially cause long term breast damage.
‘’Women depend on their bras as something they will wear pretty much every day of their lives, so it’s important to invest in them wisely.
‘’Most women own bras for different reasons whether it’s for everyday wear, exercise or bras for special occasions.''
Out of the women surveyed, a surprising 57 per cent of women did not regularly wear a specific sports bra when exercising, despite the fact that 58 per cent of females were worried about their breasts sagging.
‘’If you take part in physical activity it is vital to wear a well fitting sports bra. 40 per cent of women polled experienced breast pain and while research shows that a supportive sports bra can do more to eliminate breast pain in the long term than painkillers, staggeringly the majority of women do not wear a sports bra when exercising.”
The poll also found most women rotate the same three bras with more than half admitting that they owned a range of different sizes because they never buy the correct one.
And more than a quarter of women even admitted to deliberately buying bras in a size too small so they made their breasts look bigger.
Amanda Brasher for Sweatshop added: ''Our mission is to educate women, so they place the same importance on being fitted for their bras as they do for their footwear.
‘’There is no need for women to be embarrassed about having a bra fitting. All our fitters are female and have been trained to offer an impartial and discreet service ensuring our clients leave with the best fitting sports bra for their shape and needs.
‘’Our free fitting service helps women chose the right size sports bra for their activity. There are many components to consider such as the under band, cups, straps and level of support.’’
