The Pencil Test

The pencil test is a simple test to determine one of two things: whether a young girl is ready to wear a bra or not, and if a woman’s breasts are sagging (ptosis).

The tester stands up straight with her back to the wall, lifts her breasts and places a pencil horizontally under them in the inframammary fold (where the underside of the breasts attach to the chest wall). She then releases her breasts. If the pencil falls to the floor, she doesn’t need to wear a bra, but if it stays put, then upholstery is advisable.

Other versions of the pencil test exist, including Boobs, Boys And High Heels, Or How To Get Dressed In Just Under Six Hours author Diane Brill’s cleavage test, which involves placing the pencil vertically in between the breasts while wearing a push-up bra. This time, if the pencil stays put, her cleavage is considered perfect!

Essentially the pencil test is just a bit of silly fun – after all, if the pencil stays put when placed horizontally, it doesn’t necessarily mean your boobs are sagging, rather that you simply have larger breasts.

However, some plastic surgeons advise using the pencil test at home before attending a consultation to self-evaluate ptosis. This is because surgeons generally assess the severity of the sagging by measuring the position of the nipple in relation to the inframammary fold. If the nipples are positioned below the fold, then they are officially considered to be sagging, with nipples which both hang below the fold and point towards the ground signifying the most advanced stage of ptosis.