Self-esteem and dignity: how giving girls well-fitting bras encourages them to play sport

Professional bra fitter Philippa Mitchell from Orange takes her bra fitting service on the road in her retro caravan. Photograph: Indiana Chataway/The Fitting Studio

Earlier this year, teachers at Gilgandra high school, five hours drive north-west of Sydney, noticed a drop in the number of girls participating in sports.

“We were brainstorming what the reason was that they were not participating, who the students were, and which activities they were not wanting to participate in,” says the school’s relieving deputy principal, Ilana Austen.