Yahoo Images
Dear male readers,
Today’s post is not for you. Please go read something else, like the Onion or Slate.
Best regards, Jen
~ ~ ~
Okay lady readers, I know we’ve talked about bras here before, but some things bear repeating.
If you have never been professionally fitted for a bra, get yourself to a department store, fine lingerie boutique, or Victoria’s Has-no-secrets and put your rack in their capable hands. Even if you have been fitted, if it’s been a while and your body has changed in the intervening years, you might need to be measured again. Here’s why:
Example #1: I cannot tell you how often I see women who are clearly wearing bras that either do not fit or are so worn out that they’re practically waving white flags of defeat. It’s nearly every day. And believe me, I’m not on the lookout for examples. I don’t care how large your girls are, geographically speaking, they do not belong anywhere south of your lungs. You want them framing your heart. If you think underwire bras are not comfortable, I can promise you that you will feel better, not to mention look amazing, if you have everything hoisted up properly with a well-made, properly-fitted one. A good bra supports everything. Your shoulders and back will appreciate it, not to mention your ta-tas themselves.
Example #2: This excellent post by Mrs. G. Go read it and learn from her. I still can’t believe she’s a convert to my way of thinking, because I thought she’d be the last holdout on the planet.
Example #3: Along those same lines, a friend of mine also recently got measured professionally for the first time in a while and found out that she was wearing a bra that was one band size and two cups sizes too small. Her clothes look and fit better now as a result.
I’ve told you before: the cheapo bras from Target and Walmart are not going to cut it. Even if you are teeny tiny, your girls are worth spending a little extra money on them. They’ll appreciate the lift and support too. Say what you will about Victoria’s Not-so-secrets, that store does offer coupons and sales on a regular basis, so a better-than-bargain bra doesn’t have to be too expensive. (Also, if you’re teeny tiny and want some oomph, you can get padding that will boost you by a cup size or two.)
Ladies, most of us wear bras all day, every day. To put it in perspective, that translates to around 4,800 hours of bra-wearin’ every single year. If you have three decent bras, each one is going to see around 1,200 hours of use in the first year. That translates to a penny or less per wearing. Invest in your bosoms.
Thus endeth the sermon. Amen.
`
with an intro like that, you KNOW this guy was goin’ to tune in……
Gotta love Gary!
That’s so funny–my friend Laura just had a rant on FB about this issue. She’s athletic and also has a large chest. She posted a pic with her new bra under a gorgeous red dress and she literally lost 10 lbs and looked fabulous. Guess I’ll have to suck it up and get ‘er done. Thanks for the post, Jen.
Yes, but do NOT get fitted at Victoria’s Secret. They do not have a wide range of sizes (small bands or larger cups, for example) and try to squeeze everyone into their sizes.
As my mother is a 42 double D, my sister and I have always been fitted for bras. It felt normal. While my sister and I have never reached Mom’s level of ta ta’s (38C over here), we only know that as normal.
I had a bad experience at V.S. While the bra seemed to fit in the store, after I wore it for more than 10 minutes I was in excruciating pain from the underwires. I hate underwires. They push my girls into places they weren’t meant to be, and cut in to the part of me that the bra thinks is in the wrong place. Maybe I’ll try Nordstrom when my cheapie Sears bras (which are no-wire and very comfortable) wear out.
Pricey but guaranteed good fit is Wacoal.
Like Nike says, just do it. You will be amazed how much better the girls look.
Oh, sweet mercy, you’ve been peeking in my lingerie drawer. I am in desperate need of new bras but loathe to spend the money for them.
I love new bras. They are almost better than new shoes. Except you can’t admire them all day and show them off to your coworkers. Well, not without repercussions.
I’ll add to the chorus on VS. They seem to cater to the smaller sizes and I’ve actually had employees there try to shame me into the fact that I did not fit their stock sizes, on more than one occasion and at more than one store.
I found a Hanes bra that isn’t padded (which is amazingly hard to find anymore in any size) that I can get at finer stores as well as Kmart.
Just yesterday I took Mrs G’s advice and went to Nordstrom’s. Believe me, for this lifelong bargain shopper, it took everything I had to plop down 65 dollars for the brassiere I am wearing right now. But? Worth every damn penny.
Good for you, SC!
Thank you for the daily dose of smile. I know I should bite the bullet and do this but honestly it requires driving 45 minutes away and then spending money on bras. Seriously its just an insult I tell you!!!
I’m in need of some new ones but do not yet have the patience or funds to shop. I really wish for it to be acceptable to go without!
I may be wearing mine too tight…I like the sisters to be supported…Lord knows I need it at my age ;D
Brava!! I second the endorsement of Nordstroms for fitting. And Wacoal is an awesome brand.
I just learned I am now a DD, not a C, although my band size is the same.
and – I can’t go to the site from where I’m now posting, but try out the site “Wizard of bras” – she has a sef-fitting tutorial.
I’ve had only good experiences at Victoria’s Secret…and I found that the underwires actually stay inside their bras as opposed to poking though the fabric and into my skin. I just went and got re-measured and bought new ones, all the running I did this summer training for my first half marathon cost me two cup sizes…poor sadly deflated girls. Shopping for running bras is easier now though…
if you shop Macy’s, I can tell you just a few days ago, I went (not knowing if there was a sale on bras or not) found out that if you bought 4, you got 50% off, and then if you used your macy’s card (which I only recently opened one) you can get another 20% off–that’s 70% off!!!! I tried barenecessities.com and they were only having a 25% off sale….so I bought 10 $36.00 bras, and they were only 14 bucks each! woo!! Also, and this is relatively new for Macy’s, if you use your macy’s charge card, to get that extra 20% off (seems like that is always an offer) you can then pay with your debit card, or however you were intending to pay for the item, IMMEDIATELY. Like, they hand you your receipt, you hand them your debit card, and pay that sucker right off! No interest, no forgetting, no nada. For an extra step in the payment process, which equals less than a minute more in the transaction, you can get another 20% off. I resisted getting a macy’s card for so long, but when I heard about this option, I got one.
This is something I am going to put off until I shrink out of my current bras. I admit that they are from Target – but – they are the same bras they had at Lane Bryant until they discontinued them. No padding which I much prefer. I really don’t care if people can see a cold nipple pointing at the floor!
Money well spent. You are my bra guru.
So true! I had a fitting a couple if years ago and bought NINE bras in various colors. I’ve never regretted it.
Perhaps I should invest in better … UPHOLSTERY … to pad my chest.