Over at the living at 400lbs blog, she discusses finding a bra, and one's that are taken off the market and trying to find new ones. I relate, as the bras I always founded and fit, would crumble or be impossible to find at a future date.
Death of a Bra
I hate bras. I can understand a well-endowed woman wearing one for various reasons, but I have not worn a bra since the late 90s when I had my weight gain. To me, the height of absurdity was bounding up my breasts while I had fat rolls that stuck out way past my bosom. I am definitely very-pear shaped. I do tend to wear sweater sets and double layers, for modesty sake. Bras to me were so uncomfortable, even though I used sports bras in my midsized years, I remember the horrible, chafing, the rashes, the straps that always cut into my shoulders and I thought why do it anymore? The bras never fit either in the cups or elsewhere. They were expensive, they wore out. I am not even sure I could hook a bra nowadays. The last bra size I wore was 43 B, this was before the major weight gain.
So I set myself free. I stopped wearing them somewhere around 1995 or so. I would put on undershirts, to get by when I was still working. Depending on the outfit this isn't always needed. I wished the bras had stayed burned in the 1960s, what happened with that? Bras should go the way of corsets. I even wonder if bras have led to more breast cancer blocking the lymph system. So have other people.
Now I am relatively flat chested so maybe this decision was made easier. They also do not make a size 56 B bra. [I am smaller on top then on the bottom]. So today, wearing a bra is NOT an OPTION anyway, and by the way, at the height of my weight that measurement was even higher but the breasts stayed around a B. This is something I was happy to let go of. If you are reading this, and are a fat woman wearing a bra. Ask yourself if it really helps you, in some cases, they may, but if you can walk away from wearing one, ponder that too. Some probably will be shocked thinking I am flouting societal conventions, but I do not believe in doing that what makes no sense.
Being large on top, I have to say that I need at least a sports bra so that my breasts don't hurt when I walk. All that bouncing can be painful! That being said, I am also VERY sensitive to texture and bras were a torture to me most of my life. Then I found sports bras in larger sizes and I was in love. Currently my sports bras are custom made for me by my partner, so I'm very lucky.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I figured women who were larger probably would need bras more to keep bouncing and rest down. I guess I am fortunate I am so small on top, I can get away with giving up bras...{I think women with severe PCOS tend to have smaller chests} I am sensitive to textures too, and even have some pressure point concerns at the weight and health I am in, so have to be careful with all my clothes, so I understand that. I am glad you found custom made comfortable bras.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
ReplyDeleteI'm a lot smaller than you are, but I too have small breasts for my overall size (5'8", 200 lbs, about a 38B) and don't need much in the way of support. I do need some, though, especially when running. Sometimes if I've been not wearing a bra all day my breasts will ache. And sports bras, which are all I wear, do not cause any problems for me; they're comfortable and not at all constricting.
Also my breasts have gotten bigger as I've been on the pill (I used to be more like an A, or even smaller --- one bra-size calculator I tried to use once told me "if those are your measurements, you do not need a bra"!). I felt more comfortable when they were smaller, and wish they would go back down. :|