Hate bras? It's no surprise why: The underwires poke, the bands give us back fat, and the cups either squish or threaten to dump the girls out on display.

But it doesn't have to be that way. A couple minutes alone with a measuring tape is all you need to reconcile your boobs-to-bra relationship.

Follow these simple tips to determine your bra size:

First, put on a comfortable bra—one that doesn't minimize or boost your breasts. Then grab a measuring tape that can wrap easily around your body. Can't find one? Use a piece of string and then measure it.

Band size

Measure under your armpits, high on your back, and across the top of your chest, above your breasts.

How many inches do you get? If this measurement is an even number, that will be your band size. If it's an odd number, add 1 inch and that will be your band size. So if you measure 34 inches around, your band size will be 34. And if you measure 35 inches around, your band size will be 36.

Cup size

Measure loosely around the biggest part of your chest, keeping the measuring tape level with the ground.

Got that number? Now subtract your band measurement from your cup measurement. Each inch represents a cup size. For example, if your band measurement is 34 inches and your cup measurement is 35 inches, the difference is one inch, and your cup size is A. If your band measurement is 34 inches and your bust measurement is 37 inches, the difference is three inches, and your cup size is C.

Difference (band minus cup measurement) / Cup size

Less than 1” / AA

1” / A

2” / B

3” / C

4” / D

5” / DD

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io