Maybe this is weird, but hear me out.
Ladies, answer me this question. When was the last time you bought yourself a new bra? If you did so recently, maybe this post isn’t for you. BUT, if you haven’t purchased a new lady support system since God knows when, bear with me. I firmly believe bras are the worst, and there are very few feelings in the world better than the relief of taking a bra off after a long day. Alas, bras are a necessary evil for most of us, so we wear them every day.
But how many of you have ever actually paid attention to how your bra fits? Let me clarify what I mean by “fits” because I’m sure many of you are thinking, “Of course it fits. I can close the band, and the cups cover the girls just fine.” Those things mean your bra is functional, but it doesn’t mean it fits.
Up until about a six weeks ago, I had spent my bra-wearing years blindly guessing what size I was. I wore the same bras, from the same store, in two different band and/or cup size combinations. I would hold off on buying bras until the last possible minute when my current ones were barely holding on (literally and figuratively) and then buy whatever was available at the few stores that sold my size (perks of being plus size). Then recently, I ventured into Victoria’s Secret for the first time ever. I had lost enough weight after my surgery to finally fit into their bras AND my very old bras were now completely wrong in size and in rough shape anyway.
I was SO nervous.
I’m not a super confident woman, and the thought of a stranger measuring me for something pretty personal was nerve-wracking. But I put it into perspective — this was the girl’s job and something she did on a near-daily basis. The measuring process was over in about two minutes. Within another three minutes, I had a few different options to try on. I felt the difference IMMEDIATELY when I put the first bra on. This was different than any other bra I had ever worn. The band was SO comfortable and stayed where it was supposed to. The cups didn’t have weird gaps anywhere. It was pretty awesome.
Yes, I did just describe a bra fitting as awesome. It is weird being a grown-up. I hated the thought of spending the money, but my husband convinced me it was worth having bras that fit and were well made. I ordered two the next morning (on clearance, because baby steps) and got them about four days later.
OK, so maybe you truly don’t have time to hit a store that can measure you. I get it. But there are ways to do it at home. I suggest the website HerRoom. There’s an entire page dedicated to not only how to measure, but different tests you can do at home to see if a bra truly is the right size. Also, please know I’m not advocating AT ALL for buying bras at a certain store. If there’s a Target or Walmart bra you LOVE and it passes all the tests? Have at it, girlfriend, and load up on those bad boys. I’m not saying you need to spend a lot of money on each one, I’m just urging you to take the time to make sure what you do buy is the best for you.
Also, maybe I’m just wicked late to the party, but to ensure your girls are consistently cared for, please try to take the time to wash your bras with care. I used to throw caution to the wind and wash my bras with all my other clothes. Hooks bent or broke off completely, straps twisted into tangled knots. Now, I’m washing my bras separately in laundry bags, and they have stayed in better shape than any other bra I’ve had.
OK. I’m done. Maybe this was weird and TMI, but we moms ignore so many of our own needs sometimes. But to me, this seems like a small thing we can do for ourselves to help us feel our best. Maybe your bra won’t be so uncomfortable. Maybe you’ll like the way you look. The benefits will be personal and individual — give it a try!
