I hate bra shopping! There I have said it. Women are supposed to love shopping but most of the time I find it a frustrating experience especially when it comes to bras. After all, when you shop for tops, jeans or dresses you get to try them on, to imagine where you would wear them and what with. There is least excitement in that but with bras, well, there just isn’t!
Few people get to see your bra and that is problem for me when it comes to shopping for them. Even if you find an absolute belter it remains largely your secret. You can’t run up to your male friends and wave your new bra in their face extolling its merits and your female friends probably don’t want to know either. That is unless you have discovered some miracle garment that dramatically increases the size of your boobs, then everyone will want one.
Some bras do help to make your attributes look a little more generous, others minimise them. There are bras to keep your assets under control whilst you exercise and others, like plunge bras, that create a nice cleavage. I have a particularly nice Lepel Fiore bra for said cleavage but no style I have ever tried will turn you into Jessica Rabbit. My latest sports bra from M&S does a good job of flattening my chest into extinction! I always wondered why athletes looked flat chested. It isn’t because they have no bazookas, it is because their bras are torture implements, but I digress.
Shopping for bras just isn’t exciting and it can be very confusing. I always find myself surrounded by a sea of lingerie with dozens of different styles and every colour of the rainbow on offer. Where the hell do you start for god’s sake? I never feel the desire to run to the changing rooms with loads to try on as I just can’t be bothered. I just want to pick up the bra and pay for it but I never know which one to choose. I wish there was a magic machine that could scan your body and then tell you which style would best suit. Job done! But then there is the sizing issue!
As with all fashions, bra sizes are not consistent. This is a very compelling reason to stick with one brand, especially if you are ordering online. Buying online is great unless you have to send things back in which case it is a pain. I don’t understand how I could possibly require four different sizes of clothes depending on where I am shopping and I always fear a similar nightmare with bras. The Lepel and M&S 36C’s are a perfect fit for me so that is what I tend to stick with so that I don’t have to try things on. Life’s too short!
Perhaps I should be adventurous enough to try another brand. However, I fear picking up my usual size only to find cups big enough to house a couple of footballs or something so tight that I get respiratory failure when I wear it. All this probably explains why I have so few bras. I need more but I lack the motivation to do anything about it.
Article by Sally Stacey