Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Find a bra that fits


This post was conceived while I was reading the comments to the post named Some Meandering Thoughts About Bra-Shopping: Why Fashion Really Is A Line In The Sand over The Rotund.

My bra size is 85I. That's right I. If European bra sizes confuse you, that's about a US/UK 38G/H. With this, I am wearing one of those sizes that are mentioned when people talk about boobs that are "scary big". Because, while it is obviously a crime to have too small breasts in our society, they should not be too large either. How fun. Now, are my breasts really "scary big"? I don't think so. Sure, they are large, but they fit the rest of my body. I don't actually stop people in the streets with them, is what I'm saying.
But this isn't what I want to talk about. I want to talk about something that a lot of people seem to associate with large brasts, and that is back pain. As shocking as this may be to some people, I don't experience boob related back pain. In spite of this, it has been suggested to me a couple of times that I might consider breast reduction surgery. Please take a moment to ponder how fucked up that is.
All surgery has risks, of course. What I didn't know until recently, however, was how many malpractice cases involve breast reduction surgeries (NSFW). Out of 116 cases wherein the patients were awarded damages, 51 of them were breast reduction surgeries. By telling you this I am honestly not trying to scare you out of having breast reduction surgery, if that is what's right for you. What I am trying to say, is find a bra that fits. You see, the only time my breasts have caused me back pain, was wen I was wearing a truly shoddy bra. And so many women seem to be wearing the wrong bra size. If you are carrying a bit of a heavy load, as some of us fatties are, the situation might get unbearable pretty quickly.

I would recommend getting fitted at a place that specializes in underwear (here they usually carry a broader range of sizes as well). The advantage of these places, in addition to the knowledge they, hopefully, possess, is that the women who work there have been picked partly because they are the kind of people whom other people wouldn't mind too much getting undresed in front of. After you have been told what your correct bra size is, make sure to try at least one on in that size. The people who work there aren't infallable, after all. Lastly, remember that you dont have to buy anything. These places are usually pretty expensive, and if you can't afford it you can't afford it.
If getting fitted isn't a possibility for you, or is something you just can't bring yourself to do, you can try to do it yourself. There are several how-to guides on this subject online, unfortunately I can't recommend any of them as I haven't tried it myself. Oh, and remember that the band is supposed to be tight. The rule of thumb is that you should be able to fit two fingers underneath it, but not much more.

To help you find a bra that fits, I'm ending this post with a few resources for any other Hooty McBoob's out there:
Dessous XXL - You can have Google translate for you, if your German is rusty.
Bravissimo - I have bought from them several times, and have mostly very good experiences.
Freya, Fantasie and Panache - Three brands that carry larger cup sizes.
Enell - The fabled fatty sports bra.
Looking for a sports bra - Post on the Fatshionista LJ community with many handy suggestions in comments.

3 comments:

Sarah Brodwall said...

http://decentexposures.com/ is an excellent resource for both bras and underwear for the hard-to-fit. They're willing to adjust the fit of the items you order from them as many times as needed until you're satisfied, then they keep your fit information on hand for future orders. Their Dri-release fabric is particularly nice for ladies gifted with huge tracts of land.

Weesha said...

your comment cracked me up hehe, well I never said I was good at dressing simple! that pendant is from Splash too but I'm pretty sure I saw a lookalike necklace in Forever21.

This is a really great post btw and it's awesome that you provided resourceful links too. I also loved your post on the need for feminism in Norway and I think it's actually applicable for most countries around the world.

I keep falling more in love with your blog with each new post <3

Veronica said...

@Sarah Brodwall Thanks for the link! I'm definitely checking it out! Having you contribute to my post like that made me all warm and fuzzy inside in a community-building sort of way:=)

@Weesha Hehe, well, if there's any skill one needn't lament not possessing it's being good at dressing simple=) I couldn't find it at f21:( but I'll still keep an eye out just in case, I really do love it!
Thank you very much! Thanks again! Yes, I would think it would be. At least for the countries whose women have been quote unquote liberated.
You are so sweet to say that! It really means a lot to me to hear it!! <3