How to Unhook a Bra

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posted on 18 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Unhooking a bra can sometimes feel like rock climbing--there's a lot of straps, pulling, and scrambling involved. Where to pinch, where to pull, the list of questions seems endless--whether it's your own bra or someone else's. Don't worry, by the end of this article you'll be a pro at the tricky task of bra removal.

Steps

Bra Basics

Understand how the closing mechanism works. A typical bra has two horizontal straps that fasten in the back. One strap has several pairs of eyelets. The other has one pair of hooks that attach to the eyelets. To undo a bra, you must pinch both sides together and slide the hooks out of the eyelets. Occasionally you may come across a bra that only has one eyelet and one hook, or five eyelets and five hooks. While two or three eyelets and hooks are standard, all of the eyelet-hook bras can be undone in the same way.

Know that some bras attach in the front. While these types of bras are not as common as bras that clasp in the back, they do exist. These types of bras have cups that connect with a clasp at the front. So, if you’re trying to undo a bra and can’t seem to find eyelets and hooks at the back, chances are the bra connects in the front.

Unhooking Someone Else’s Bra

Place one hand on the end of each strap. One hand should be on the eyelet side, one hand on the hook side. Pull the straps slightly away from their back to give yourself room to work with. If the person is facing you, you’ll have to take their bra off without being able to see. Don’t worry! Place one hand on each strap so that one hand can feel the eyelets and the other can feel the hooks. Push the straps slightly away from her back to give yourself room to work with.

Push both sides in towards one another to relieve the tension on the connectors. Think of this like a finger trap--if you pull the two straps away from each other, nothing will happen (except for you maybe ripping their bra.) Instead, the key is to push the two straps together.

Slide the right side (i.e. the side with the hooks) toward you. Keep the other side stationary to free the hooks from the eyelets. Occasionally one hook might come undone while the other stays connected to the eyelet, especially if you are facing them so you can’t see the bra. Don’t panic! Simply repeat the same motion with your focus concentrated on the remaining hook.

Unhooking a Bra with One Hand

Place your fingers on one side of the clasps and your thumb on the other. Keep your fingers and thumb very close to the closing mechanism. These same steps can be followed when you are unhooking a bra with one hand while the person is facing you (ie. you won’t be able to see what you’re doing.)

Pinch both sides together. You will need to do this with your pointer finger, middle finger, and your thumb. Imagine that you are picking a shirt up with just your thumb and first two fingers. Pinch the bra clasp in the same way.

Slide the right side (i.e. the side with the hooks) across the left strap. This will free the hooks from the eyelets. It may help to wedge your fingers (if right-handed) or thumb (if left-handed) in front of the eyelets to keep them stationary while you remove the hooks.

Unhooking Your Own Bra

Put your arms behind your back, reaching from the bottom up. Grasp either side of the hooks/eyelets area and pull the straps slightly away from your back to make room to work with. If you don’t have very flexible arms or think it would be easier to take your bra off at the front of your body where you can see the clasp, take the arm straps off. Once they are off, rotate the bra so that the clasp is in the front. You’ll be able to see what you’re doing which will make taking the bra off easier.

Push both straps in towards one another like they are kissing. Doing this relieves the tension that causes the straps to stay connected.

Slide the strap with the hooks outwards. Keep the strap with the eyelets stationary. Doing this will release the hooks from the eyelets.

Unhooking a Bra that has a Clasp in the Front

Locate the clasp. It should be in between the two cups of the bra. Generally clasps are plastic or metal pieces where one side fits down into the other side. When the clasp is flattened, it snaps in place and locks together.

Place one hand on each side of the clasp. Lift the edges of the bra up and toward you so that the clasp unlocks. You should see the two metal or plastic pieces unsnap.

Pull one side of the clasp up and the other side down. Bras vary on which side of the clasp will go up and which will go down. If you find resistance when you pull one side up, try the other side. The two pieces should come apart so that the bra can be taken off.