Buying a new bra was always a constant source of stress for me.
I would go into the lingerie stores in the malls ready and excited for new underwear that were going to make me feel sexy and put together, but every single time I would end up leaving feeling defeated and unimpressed.
Truth is, all those pretty little bras look great on the hanger, but once they were on my body, they didn’t look so hot.
It seemed like my only options were skimpy, barely-there styles with tiny little straps that wouldn’t hold a Timbit or big, fat-strapped contraptions that came in a box and looked like they were made for my Nana.
I spent many years thinking it was me. There must be something off about the way I’m shaped because nothing seemed to fit. The bands would always ride up the back, the wire would dig into the side of my breast, the straps would end up slipping off my shoulder, and without fail, my breasts would slip right out of the cup at some point every day.
They just didn’t fit.
Then one year, my mother gave me a gift certificate to a fancy, specialty lingerie store in our home town.
My first visit took me a little by surprise. It’s a small shop, and the woman who greeted me was able to tell me what size I was just by looking at me. After asking me a few questions about styles and materials I liked, she set me up in a fitting room and brought me a few bras to try on.
I must admit, the first time she popped in to do a fitting, it felt weird. This virtual stranger was eyeing my breasts, running her hands along my back and even put her hands in the cup to adjust.
It was awkward to say the least.
But she taught me how to tell if the bra fit. There was so much to think of: where the strap fit along my back, adjusting my breast in the cup so that there was no air underneath and I was properly lifted and the tightness of each strap.
Here I am, almost 40 years old, and I had no idea how to properly fit a bra.
When I turned to look at myself in the mirror after the first bra was on and adjusted, I audibly gasped. I looked like a different person – thinner, taller, perkier. The bra felt comfortable, and I looked great.
I wasn’t the issue. It was my bra.
As good as I looked, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the price tags. They were expensive. The bras I have purchased have ranged from $125 to $175, and there were bras in higher price ranges available.
I think the bra specialist must have felt the panic emanating from my fitting room, because just as I was planning my exit strategy, she acknowledged that they were more expensive than department store bras. She didn’t go into a whole monologue about how I’m worth spending the money on or justifying the quality of the garments. What she said to me really stuck. She told me that most women won’t think twice about spending a hundred dollars or more on a dress that they will wear to one event. Yet they balk at spending money on quality bras even though they are worn every single day.
This was a life changing moment for me.
I had spent my entire life looking for a bra that fit me well, was comfortable and yet still stylish. I had finally found what I was looking for, and I wasn’t about to walk away from it.
So, I have begun building my collection slowly. I pay a visit to my local lingerie store a couple of times and year and I spend the money on a quality bra. They have changed the way my clothes look on me, have made me look thinner, improved my posture and I no longer have to worry about looking like I have four breasts because of spillage. The band doesn’t ever ride up at the back, and the straps don’t slip off my shoulder. I have not had one incident of a breast falling out of my bra when bending over since switching.
I have pretty little lace bras in vibrant colours, sexy black ones with just the right amount of cleavage, and simple nude bras that wear perfectly under a nice white t-shirt.
I am not exaggerating when I say: life-changing.
I feel like I have found the underwear that was made for real women with real bodies that still want to look and feel sexy and supported. I also like that I am supporting a local business.
I haven’t been in a mall underwear store since. Now I’m starting to wonder if this shop’s bra-sized swimwear would be as life changing as their bras have been.
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