Today I'm Going to Talk About...Underwear! Oh Yeah!
So, I'm a female person. And as a female person, I have these anatomical features colloquially known as "boobies." In fact, I have rather sizable boobies and always have, which was a source of awkwardness and shame for me throughout my growing-up-as-a-lady years. (Short explanation: I was taught that boobies and cleavage are sinful and will Get You Raped, plus I had always wanted to be a boy anyhow.) Because of that awkwardness and shame, I never took the time to learn how to properly size myself for supportive undergarments. My only goal was "I must hide them! Hide them under as much fabric as possible!" because I was sorta kinda in denial about my having ladyparts at all, which probably just manifested to the rest of the world as a case of "wow, that girl does NOT know how to dress herself." Not only did I let my mom buy me most of my bras, I also acquired them as hand-me-downs from aunts and grandmothers. Thus it was that I entered my mid-and late-twenties with an underwear drawer full of worn out, hilariously modest and bafflingly ill-fitting bras. I had a band size and cup size that I knew, and that was what I always got. I never even tried them on before I bought them.
Around that same time, however, I got my head out from under a rock and began to come to terms with my ladyness and booby-having. I've since come around to kinda sorta liking that I'm a female person, and realizing that there are certain advantages to having a curvy figure. I have also realized that getting the proper bra fit is every bit if not more complicated and error-prone as getting the proper fit in ANY piece of female-intended clothing. But by the same token, finally finding a bra that fits opens up a whole new world of awesome! For the first time in my life, I went to get professionally fitted for a bra today, and then spent the next couple of hours going from department store to department store and trying things on. It's amazing how wrong I had the size thing. For almost as long as I can remember having boobies, I harnessed them into 36 or 38 Cs. I was a C cup. Boom, end of story. But no! I've been getting into shape the past few years, and my clothing sizes have all changed. And it turns out that cup sizes are not absolute, but rather a way of categorizing the proportional size difference between bust and ribcage. My boobs have gotten smaller, yet I'm now living the sweet life with a pair of 34 DD/Es strapped to my chest. I made the classic American woman mistake of having too large a band size, and too small a cup size.
So, ladies of livejournal, I urge you: check your bra size. Check it often, and get it checked professionally just to be sure. Then try things on. Try many things on. I am standing straight, shoulders back and proud for the first time in years without fear of my boobies. And they look good, to boot! (The annoying thing is, I suspect my new bras still aren't entirely the right size, but you try finding 32DD in any department store anywhere. I went to three places today, and found exactly one acceptable 34DD in each location. Small bands + large cups are not a common fixture in most places, it seems!)
Around that same time, however, I got my head out from under a rock and began to come to terms with my ladyness and booby-having. I've since come around to kinda sorta liking that I'm a female person, and realizing that there are certain advantages to having a curvy figure. I have also realized that getting the proper bra fit is every bit if not more complicated and error-prone as getting the proper fit in ANY piece of female-intended clothing. But by the same token, finally finding a bra that fits opens up a whole new world of awesome! For the first time in my life, I went to get professionally fitted for a bra today, and then spent the next couple of hours going from department store to department store and trying things on. It's amazing how wrong I had the size thing. For almost as long as I can remember having boobies, I harnessed them into 36 or 38 Cs. I was a C cup. Boom, end of story. But no! I've been getting into shape the past few years, and my clothing sizes have all changed. And it turns out that cup sizes are not absolute, but rather a way of categorizing the proportional size difference between bust and ribcage. My boobs have gotten smaller, yet I'm now living the sweet life with a pair of 34 DD/Es strapped to my chest. I made the classic American woman mistake of having too large a band size, and too small a cup size.
So, ladies of livejournal, I urge you: check your bra size. Check it often, and get it checked professionally just to be sure. Then try things on. Try many things on. I am standing straight, shoulders back and proud for the first time in years without fear of my boobies. And they look good, to boot! (The annoying thing is, I suspect my new bras still aren't entirely the right size, but you try finding 32DD in any department store anywhere. I went to three places today, and found exactly one acceptable 34DD in each location. Small bands + large cups are not a common fixture in most places, it seems!)