I blamed my desk chair. It was my bra.
So you can skip the whole list.
For two years I tried everything. Stretches in the morning, a $39 posture strap from the internet that I lasted exactly twenty minutes in, a cushion behind my back at the office, and at least four bras I was told would give good support. And of course I sat myself up straight a hundred times a day.
None of it lasted longer than an hour. Until someone asked me what kind of bra I actually wore. I'd never made that connection. It wasn't about holding myself up. It was about where the weight hangs. Point by point:
Heads up: read this before you buy one more posture gadget.
Ineke VermeerMonavida customerSits at a computer six days a week
By four o'clock, nothing was bothering me
That was the strange part. I didn't do anything differently. No exercises, no reminder on my phone telling me to shift in my chair. I put it on in the morning and that was it.
The first day I caught myself around four. Normally that's when I'm tugging at my straps and rolling my shoulders. This time I'd forgotten I even had it on.
It closes in front, so you can see what you're doing
Reaching behind your back, fumbling for two hooks you can't see. Every morning. And on days when my shoulder was stiff, that was a real hassle.
This one closes in front, right in the middle under your breasts. You look at it, you hook it shut, and it sits right the first time. Such a small thing, and it still makes a difference every morning.
On my back there's one wide panel, not two thin straps
This is the key part. At the back, the straps run into one wide panel across your shoulder blades. Below that sits a strip with hooks, so you can make it tighter or looser yourself.
What you notice is that your shoulders aren't dragged forward anymore. Nothing is pulling on you. There's just no weight hanging from two thin straps at the front.
My shoulders don't carry the weight anymore
Your breasts can easily weigh 6 to 9 pounds. In a regular bra that hangs on two narrow straps just over half an inch wide, and they pull on your shoulders all day.
Here that weight rests on the wide band under your breasts. It runs from the back around your ribs to the front and closes there. I can't put it any better than this: in the evening, nothing is nagging at me anymore.
No more red marks at five o'clock
Two red grooves in my shoulders, every evening when I took it off. For years I thought that just came with wearing a bra.
They're gone. The straps are wide and lie flat, so there's nothing that can press in anywhere.
Take three, save $10 on each
I thought the same thing: sure, we'll see. But you get 30 days to try it at home, and if it doesn't fit right, we'll exchange it.
Try it at home first →- Try it at home30-day perfect fit guarantee
- Popular sizesoften sell out fast
Ineke V. and 105,847 other women
No underwire making itself known around noon
For me it was always around noon. That's when the wire would settle against my left rib, and I'd spend the rest of the day shifting around.
This one has no underwire. I didn't have to touch it all day, and that was a first in years.
The band lies flat, no ridge on my back
My old bras made rolls I don't even have. That bulge above the band, straight across your back, that shows right through a fitted top.
This band is wide and just lies flat. Under a shirt you see a straight line and nothing else.
You can't see it under a blouse
I was afraid you'd see the bands. Some sporty thing under my blouse, no thanks.
Under a T-shirt you can't see a thing. I've worn it under a thin blouse too, and nothing shows there either.
What my daughter said before I noticed it myself
She noticed before I did. “You're standing differently,” she said, about two weeks in. I had to laugh, because I wasn't paying attention to it at all.
I saw it in a photo from that weekend too. I wasn't leaning forward as much. That's my experience, not a promise, and it's no miracle. It's just where the weight hangs.
What this ended up costing me
I spent at least $300 on it. The posture strap from the internet: $39, in the drawer after a week. Two bras from a specialty store that were supposed to give good support: over $180 together. A cushion for behind my back: $45, now on the couch.
This one: $39.95. The only one that did what I was looking for.
$29.95 per bra in a 3-Pack
The Posture Lift Bra · $39.95 each, $89.85 for three · sizes S to 3XL · nude, black or leopard
- Closes in front, so you can see what you're doing
- One wide back panel instead of two thin straps
- The weight on the wide band, not on your shoulders
- No underwire settling into your ribs
I've bought plenty that let me down. If this one fits you differently, we'll simply send another size.
See it on the site →- Try it at home30-day perfect fit guarantee
- Popular sizesoften sell out fast
Ineke V. and 105,847 other women
A few practical things
Start with the size of the bra you wear now. Been a while since you were measured? Then check the size chart on the product page. Stuck between two sizes? Go for the bigger one. If it still doesn't fit right, we'll send you a different size for free.
You put it on and hook the wide band shut in front, under your breasts. As snug as you like. Then you use the hooks on your back to set how tight it sits. The first time takes half a minute; after that you do it on autopilot.
You get our 30-day perfect fit guarantee: just try it at home, and exchanging it costs you nothing.
S, M, L, XL, 2XL and 3XL. So no cup sizes, just regular clothing sizes. Measure your underbust and your full bust and look them up in the size chart on the product page.
It wasn't my desk chair. For two years I tried to keep myself upright, while the weight at the front was simply hanging from two narrow straps. Wherever you shop, look for these three things: wide straps instead of narrow ones, a band that carries the weight from below, and no underwire. The Posture Lift Bra has all three:
Popular sizes often sell out fast · 30-day perfect fit guarantee
Ineke V. and 105,847 other women
Ineke V. and 105,847 other women