Dilemma: Bras

I have three female dilemmas:

-bras that fit

-comfortable shoes

-swimwear for grown-ups

This first post will address the bra but you can look forward to two future posts about shoes and swimsuits!

The Dreaded Bra

Earlier this year my daughter got married. It was an exciting and fun time making all the decisions for the events, buying a wedding gown, clothes for me, eating cakes, etc. Once I picked out my clothes for all of the events I realized that I had to purchase a few new undergarments, including the dreaded BRA! Dun-dun-dun-dun...

Now, my bras are typically sports bras I pick up from Target on a sale rack and I wear them until they are threadbare. It is just something I have no interest in spending money on and my-oh-my they’ve become so expensive! So, for this special occasion, I decided to splurge on actual grown-up lingerie and trekked across town to the mall (I hate malls and I am sure there will be a post about that soon too!). Dillard’s seemed like the right place to go on my exploration. I was going into uncharted territory and felt like I needed a pith helmet, a map, and some archeology equipment to help me find what I needed.

The lingerie section of a major department store is HUGE and filled with bras, underwear, pajamas, and things I don’t understand (who wears some of this weird stuff???!). It felt overwhelming! I grabbed a few bras and ran to the dressing room like a thief, quickly locking the door behind me.

First, everything I am already wearing on my top half has to come off: bra, camisole, cardigan, and shirt all off and on the chair. Next, bras are attached to a funny little coat hanger in a very systematic way. It is a process to get them loosened from this hanger and unhook them to try them on, plus there’s a wad of tags that are very pokey.

I put the first one on, and honestly, I have no idea if it fits correctly or not, because I am used to sports bras that often come in small, medium, and large – much easier! What I do know about this new bra is that it is actually not uncomfortable. It’s kind of cute, kind of girlie. So, I decide this one is a winner and I’m on to bra number two, in a different color.* To my surprise, choice two also isn’t uncomfortable!

I grab my two bras, put all my clothes back on, and walk to the cash register. A beautiful girl at the register, all of about 25 years old, looks at me and says, “Have you ever been fitted for a bra?” I laugh and say, “No, never.” She then tells me it is a free service her store offers and could really make a difference in the way my bras feel and fit. I’m thinking, really? It’s an option for a bra strap to stay up all day? It’s an option for a bra to be comfortable? Heck, yeah! Tell me more sweet 25 year old!!

We both go into the dressing room and she asks me to take off the top half of my clothes again so she can measure me. I’m a smidge uncomfortable because her perfect body has not had three children, like mine, and she definitely looks like she works out everyday, and did I mention that she is 25 years old?!

What is it with us women? Why am I comparing myself to a girl younger than my children?

Anyhow, she measures me and we find out that I’ve been wearing a bra that is about 4 sizes too small most of my life. The straps probably cannot stay up because my bras are for a middle schooler not a middle aged woman! Lo and behold, the lovely girl sells me several bras, that actually fit and are comfortable. In the past, I’ve settled for bras that were just mildly uncomfortable! Now I know there is a better way! It is a tad more expensive but worth the investment in something that I wear most days, all day long.

One bra I especially like is made by Spanx and called a bra-llelujah. It is amazingly comfortable, moves when you move, and washes nicely.

*Things men don’t have to concern themselves with:

1. Having multiple bras in multiple colors for multiple occasions.