THE LAST time many of us women compared the size of our fellow female's bust was during the height of puberty, and after awkwardly having to undress in the changing rooms following P.E. While many of us were still getting used to the suffocating strap of our training bras, there was always that one developed teen who was already courting the underwire section of La Senza...

Away from the insecure stares in our high-school years, our infatuation with the size of our boobs becomes a little more personal (unless you're a celebrity, as apparently it's fair game to discuss famous boobs in open forums). 

Six in ten women from Manchester have never had a bra fitting, or can’t remember when their last one was.

Interestingly, as we get older and all inevitably fill out, it's revealed that we are all still a little clueless about our breasts; how to dress them, care for them and even our actual bra size (I've personally been known to use my own 'copp-a-feel fruit bowl' method. Bra size? I'm around about the size of two peaches).

Here in Manchester, it may be time to book that frequently forgotten trip to the bra-fitter...

Results from one of the largest annual bra surveys in the UK have revealed that Manchester’s boobs have ballooned from an average size of 34DD to a even more voluptuous 36DD. The results are compared to women from the North East of the country who on average have a more modestly sized B cup. Boobs hailing from Wales and the Midlands rest happily in the middle, with an average C cup size, apparently. 

Most revealing of all, The Great British Bra Survey of over 2,000 people aged 16-75, found that six in ten women from Manchester have never had a bra fitting, or can’t remember when their last one was. Alarmingly, fit was claimed to be the least important factor when buying a bra, with less than one in a hundred buying a bra for this reason.

The survey also found that many UK women like to go braless once in a while, with 60% of those surveyed supporting this notion. When we do decide to bra-up, black has been chosen as the Manchester’s favourite colour, with many people stating it makes them feel sexy, looks stylish under any outfit and keeps its colour for longer.

Breast yet, when exercising, 40% of women admitted to not wearing a sports bra (and risking black eyes), although women across the nation own on average an assortment of eight different bras in their wardrobes.

Nicola Rodney-Crook, managing director of Bras and Honey, said: “This survey has bust the clasp on some of the UK’s most burning questions from the lingerie industry. We are regularly bombarded with stories about women wearing the wrong sized bra, so we wanted to support The Great British Bra Survey and get to the real truth about Britain’s boobs.

“An average woman will change bra size six times in her life so while it’s important to ensure that we review the bra market on a regular basis, we also have a responsibility to help educate women at the same time. For example, not many women know that their bra size will fluctuate throughout the month, let alone throughout the year. In addition, many women will have been professionally measured – or measured themselves – years ago; however, as our bodies change so too do our boobs, therefore regular measuring is important”. 

More information about The Great British Bra Survey 2015 can be found at thegreatbritishbrasurvey.co.uk