IFGfit Bra Review: Can a Sports Bra Really Help You Slouch Less?
“If you’re constantly slouching despite the reminder, [the bra] is not going to help you. A brace alone is not good enough to change your posture,” Herrera says. “Yes, you’ll have improvements with back pain, neck pain, and breathing. Does it do that by itself? I don't think so. You’ll need to do physical therapy, and/or at-home exercises” to truly feel a difference.
Still, I decided to give IFGfit’s bra a shot.
IFGfit Women's Lisa Posture Bra
When I put it on, I felt a subtle tug on my shoulder blades and head—as if someone was gently pulling my shoulders back, like a puppeteer. It’s not uncomfortable, but it does feel slightly odd at first (kind of how it feels to put in retainers). Within 10 minutes, I actually did feel some mid- and upper-back aches subside. After wearing it for 10 to 12 hours straight, the chronic, sometimes-burning knot in my right shoulder and neck, while not completely gone, got significantly less bothersome...both during and after wearing the bra. Added bonus: The bra made my boobs look extra perky by guiding my shoulders back and my chest upward.
At $178, it’s certainly a splurge for a bra, period. I tried the Lisa, and while I dig the sculpted, interesting, not-too-sporty silhouette, it was tricky to conceal under my summer wardrobe. (It’d be easier to hide in fall and winter sweaters, turtlenecks, and hoodies, though.) The neckline and back are cut high, so I felt mostly limited to crewneck tees—anything with a deeper or wider neckline looked awkward. But unlike sports bras, the fit is flattering and smoothing without being aggressively tight, and there are no skinny or crisscrossing straps that cause back or armpit spillover. I did wear the Lisa as a crop top with a high-waist skirt, a rare styling move for me because it usually means overexposure somewhere, and was pleasantly surprised: Its full-coverage, eight-panel design looks chic and legitimately passes for an actual top, instead of seeming like I was wearing a bra in public.
IFGfit seems focused on style-conscious customers, especially women, in need of (or, at least, interested in) posture support. Yet the brand hopes to court an even wider demographic too, by positioning its clothes as workplace wellness tools: Liu is pursuing partnerships with banks, medical offices, and Silicon Valley giants to offer employee discounts on IFGfit pieces within companies’ wellness benefits. Liu is confident the wonder-activewear may help reduce chances of injury or invasive surgery by “improving the body's posterior chain [shoulders, spine, pelvis] for better joint stability, proprioception, and recovery.” I’d imagine it’s difficult to accurately measure these long-term benefits, but for now I’m impressed with that bra, which, at the very least, looked great while reminding me to not slouch so much.
Alexandra Ilyashov is a writer and editor based in New York City.
