Do you remember the episode of Oprah where everybody got new bras and a kind of shoes are lives? The other day, I was sending a dear friend some pictures of some clothes I ordered from Rent the Runway*. I am working in person several days a week now and the last time that I had to wear real clothes to work, as in non-fitness clothes, was, oh, 2012? In a different city. Different climate. Thirty pounds ago. TLDR I have no idea what the fuck to wear.
I tried on some of these RTR clothes and hated how they looked and was spiraling about my body. She talked me off the ledge a little bit, and then said, I don’t know, maybe you just need a new bra?
I don’t need much encouragement to go shopping, and the next time I had a break in my day I ran over to Nordstrom and got myself a bra fitting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind that I’ve gotten in New York, where you go into some little bathroom and some vaguely Eastern European old woman manhandles your lovely lady lumps. I was really looking forward to that. However, a lovely woman did help me get measured, and as I walked out to my car I realized something:
💫 This is what it feels like to not want to hide. 💫
I mean, I didn’t even want to exist for a while so I CERTAINLY didn’t want to be seen.
I bought a new bra (OK, three), and it really changed how I looked. I stood up straighter. I felt more confident in my clothes later. And while I’ll link the actual bras in my stories, it’s less about the garment than it is the belief that I deserve to have clothes that make me look good.
It’s not a vain thing. Sometimes my clients think it is—but, I think we all want to look good? When you look what you consider your best…you feel good. There’s obviously way bigger societal implications of that, but when you’re wearing an outfit you like or happy with your haircut—you just feel better.
As humans, we’ve been decorating ourselves dating back to at least the Neolithic area (10,000+ years ago). Think of all of the beauty rituals that exist—dating back to Ayurvedic techniques.
It is OK if you don’t care about any of this—AND it is OK if you do!! (One of my fave things about my fave podcast, Be There in Five, is how she legitimizes women’s interests that have been shot down by men as frivolous.)
This morning, as I was getting dressed, I put on nothing new other than the bra, but I felt GOOD. I felt happy in my body.
I firmly believe that anyone with breasts should go and get measured for a good bra. (Or, honestly, even just make sure that the straps are snug and not stretched out.) A good bra can be annoyingly expensive—especially if you have big boobs 🙄—but having at least one bra that makes you feel really good is kind of life-changing.
The Bras (should you care)
I’m including my sizes just to show the variances by brand—and even within brand!! My ultimate fave bra runs small and so I am a cup size larger in it than I am in the bra below.
Chantelle Norah Comfort Underwire Bra (38DD)
Wacoal Back Appeal Smoothing Underwire Bra (38DD)
Nature Bliss Perfection Underwire Contour Bra (38D)
This post contains affiliate links, which means I get a little cash money if you buy something from these links, at no extra cost to you.
*For the Rent the Runway link, it gets you $40 off your first month.