Taking Care of the “Girls”

Chances are, you probably either feel like the breast fairy was drunk when she was doling out the goods and gave you WAY too much, or she skipped over you entirely. I meet very few women who are actually satisfied with their breasts (unless of course they paid for them). Consequently, we don’t put a lot of effort into keeping them happy. Either you’re so well endowed, you’ve given up entirely on finding bras that both keep everything in place AND look feminine and pretty, OR, you feel like you have nothing there to worry about holding in place and “dress up”, so why bother with anything at all.

Fortunately, where there’s a market segment, there’s a way. No matter what your size or shape, I assure you, you can find attractive, reasonably priced bras to suit your style, your chest and your wallet.

Of course, for starters, it’s absolutely imperative that you are looking at the right sizes. Erase all ideas of what numbers and letters you think you should be wearing, and start from ground zero. Playtex offers step by step instructions on how to take measurements to ensure a proper fit and even lets you download a tape measure if you don’t already have one handy. According to my friend Courtney who has had experience both in working at Victoria’s Secret AND in having a large chest, proper bra fitting is essential, particularly for larger chested women. She recommends the staff in the lingerie department of any Nordstrom store as a good resource for a proper fitting. (Of course, you don’t have to buy their lingerie to be properly sized.) I’ve also had good experiences in the Maidenform stores which can usually be found at outlet shopping centers.

Once you’ve determined your size, take a good look at the bras you are already wearing. If you have a larger chest, signs that you might not be wearing the right size are frequent back aches, indentations on the shoulders from your bra, and your breasts “spilling” out over the top of your bra cups (of course, for some, this look is intentional). For smaller chested women, if your bra comes up every time you raise your arms, that’s a pretty good sign that you need a better fit. (Personally, I thought it was my lot in life for my bras to do just that. I figured I had nothing there to to hold them in place — until I got a proper fitting and found it was possible to find a bra that does stay in place!)

Now that you’ve probably realized that most of your bras are A.) the wrong size, B.) worn out, and C.) just plain ugly, it’s time to go shopping! Sure, you can go to Victoria’s Secret, but if you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’ve given up on finding a bra that fits you in a store that was made for the perfectly endowed woman.  Playtex offers a pretty good variety of bras in all sizes. Many of the styles are functional but still feminine, like the Playtex Secrets line. For something a little more adventurous in the larger sizes, check out Pampered Passions and BiggerBras.com.

If you fall on the other side of the spectrum, try Lula Lu , whose motto is “who says small isn’t beautiful”? A-men sister! I always get so annoyed when I try to find a bra in my size at Victoria’s Secret, because the assumption is, if you wear an A cup, you most certainly want to be at least a B, and therefore want LOTS of padding. Sure, there are times when a little extra something helps complete an outfit, but I am also proud of my size and don’t feel like I need to “fake it” all the time. LulaLu.com offers a great selection of bras — padded or not padded — in A and AA,and at reasonable prices.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what size you are, if you have a properly fitted bra that you can feel good in. So please, treat the “girls” right and give them the support they need.