A brief look (or not) into my bra history and body issues. » All bra adventures

A brief look (or not) into my bra history and body issues.

First off I’m so happy I found bratabase, and love how welcoming and helpful everyone else has been so far.
I feel like I can share my braventure so far, and some of my current frustrations. I’m going to rant 1st, and then tell the boring story of me and bra’s.
1. People who’s bands are way large and don’t understand down a band up a cup! It’s simple people! How do you not know your bra shouldn’t fit up between your shoulders in the back?! It makes you look slouchy too!
1.2 the fact that it’s generally not ok to explain bras to strangers.....
1.3 the fact that generally if you DO they think your wrong.....wtf don’t knock it till you tried it...jerks.
2. Who the heck are clothes made to actually fit?! and how come Sizes have no standardization what so ever!? I have 3 stacks of jeans right now, to big (some basically fall down, have 1pair of 4 in this one), fits, to small (can’t bend while wearing or can’t button, have 1pair of 8) other than 2 pair they are all a US6 or waist of 26 (tight fit) or 27 (loose fit). If I use size charts for brands I have they usually put me in an 8 or 10 which would fall off. I have shirts in everything from a XS to a L.
3. Things like “Your not a C cup” “your to small to be a D cup” (educate yourselves people) just the other day I asked the lady at the thrift store if they ever get in any really weird/odd bra sizes (such as 60, 65,70, or 8,10,) and if they do get them do they put those out (at one point they didn’t put shoes w/o us sizes out they sent them on to other places) she said they put out anything that’s not ruined, and that she put out a D cup the other day that was mismarked and no way it was a D (her tone of voice annoyed me).. I said well it could very well be if it’s a smaller band size because I am a D cup...... she looked at me funny.... she looked doubtful...then I explained band/cup sizes to her.....still doubtful.

I’m going to start at the beginning, at 12 for Christmas (which I would grow to hate) fabulous new outfit, white cotton blouse, my Dad (this part didn’t bother me my dad did all the embarrassing and awkward conversations, it would have been way weirder coming from my mom) informed me that I needed to start wearing a bra or cami under things because I was developing, but he said this right in front of my brother (14 at the time)....ugh..... I Opted to primarily wear baggy clothes for 2 years, after which I could find tighter 32B’s and they fit, they got to small I went to 34-36 A-B loose in the band but what choice did I have? At 16 I grew 4inches and somehow lost 20lbs in a manner of weeks, I was back to 32B (when I could find them in the god forsaken hick town we now lived in) and sewing my bands tighter (the fact that I had to made me feel like a freak) or slipping swim suit pads into a shelf cami. This sudden weight loss ment I hated myself, 5’7.5” and 106lbs I thought I looked disgusting and sick (in hindsight I looked quite nice and surprisingly heathy) this with years of comments about my “mosquito bites” and the “itty bitty titty committee“ of which I was apparently the president, the “thunder thighs” I somehow still had as small as I was, and the self projected “problems” that I hated my hair, I have long arms, tiny wrists, big hands and my feet look weird. I was sewing a lot of my clothing at that time (size 0,1,2 aren’t generally made for long arms and 32in inseam) and one day looking for bra altering information, realized the whole band down cup up thing and found figleaves. Happiest day! 30:3 was my best friend for 3 beautiful years until pregnancy. Then I bought some bravado bras, which covered a range of sizes and are actually pretty great (unless they changed since) everything I read said I’d likely gain 1-4 cup sizes.......ahahaha I gained nearly 50lbs band did not change (went from 28 to 29 under and that stayed) was measuring out at 30:6 by the end of pregnancy, then breast feeding 30:9 and so round and firm and cleavagey, I hated it! My back hurt, and I was constantly hitting my boobs when in tight spaces. Within a week of childbirth I had dropped right down to 126lbs (nearly 9lb baby, lucky genetics, and stress like only a newborn in the NICU can bring), so once I weened and the boobs shrank I was happy with my body, money was tight, I bought some cheap one sizes fits several in a Small and called it good. In the next several months I gained almost 30lbs again band didn’t change, got some 30:6 bras for my birthday, they where to wide set and one actually bruised me. Started working and in 2mo. Had dropped back down to 125-130 back to my smalls, “big” bras to SIL, she gave to a friend who loved them and fit almost perfectly, she had been wearing a 36:4, didn’t know small band big cup sizes existed (I felt good that day even though she was a b*tch).
From then up almost till 2nd pregnancy I fit 30:3, before pregnancy I started gaining weight and switched back over to Small on size bras. During pregnancy I didn’t care, I spent the better part of my 1st trimester with what felt like depression even though I wasn’t depressed, no energy, no appetite, sleeping constantly. Then I was like they are big, so what not wasting money on good bras when they won’t be the same size after. I definitely wasn’t breastfeeding this one, not because of the giant boobs but several other reasons. Ultimately no one told my body I wasn’t Brest feeding and my milk came in anyway, hospital nurses said it want and just leave boobs alone and wear a bra it would go away, the night I got home from hospital I was running a fever high enough to Warrant a hospital stay and the surface temp of my breast was higher than my oral temp...... and so I had to pump and ween (If it wasn’t for medication I honestly would have switched her at this pioint, anyone who has breast fed and had issues with production (I did with 1st kid) I dumped and cried at the waste! With first I was getting 4oz. Each at 3mo. in, this was 8oz each the first pump)... I measured just out of curiosity and was at 30:12. August was the first time since I have measured and attempted to get a bra I measured at 29under and 34.5 to 35 (hormones) around which means I should have started with a 30:4 or even 30:5 but I surely couldn’t be that size....... haha guess what? I was wrong.

So, I no longer believe I have disproportionately large thighs, I don’t care that my breasts aren’t “big” but based on the ones ive seen mine are about average for my body size. I don’t mind my arms, wrists, or hands, actually they’ve all been useful, although sleeves are still an issue. who cares about my feet anyway!?! My hair still sucks, but I have learned how to make it look nice-ish, if it where the 80’s I could have the envy of all big hair easily. My stomach jiggles a little and I don’t care enough to worry about it. My MANY stretch marks have never really bothered me. My long legs and high hips (my bottom rib is almost touching the top of my hip) still make comfortable well fitting pants an issue. My butt is generally very nice looking and I like that, it bothers me if it starts loosing shape enough that will I exercise to fix it....my husband likes my nice rear end so has a bearing on that. I have dark circles under my eyes (genetics mostly, thanks mom!) I don’t like them but I don’t hide them, (if someone has enough of a problem with my looks that it’s going to cause them to treat me differently or not want to be around me then they are shallow!) I don’t wear makeup (occasionally I will put on mascara and tinted moisturizer). I love my flaws and imperfections, in a world where perfect is what everyone seems to be looking for in looks, What good is pretty if the inside isn’t? I am me, I am nice and kind and thoughtful and creative, and I strive to be a better person each day, currently working on being quieter, less quick to judge, and on my temper.......also strive to have a nice bum....LOL. Oh and I no longer hate Christmas!

Filed under Boob and body issues

Shared on Dec 08, 2017 Flag this