clothing rave

[cellio]

nsingman asked for a rant or rave (he didn't specify) about bras. Ok, I can do that. :-)

I don't know when bras -- as opposed to corsets -- were invented, but boy, I'd sure like to thank the person responsible! Corsets might be ok at doing the job (this is based on observation, not direct experience), but they look pretty uncomfortable, and just letting 'em hang loose would be horrible for someone my size. I tried that at Pennsic once (that being an environment where it wouldn't raise eyebrows), and I didn't get through one day. Swing swing swing whap whap whap bounce bounce bounce -- how does one manage to get through the day like that?! So I am delighted that a straightforward solution exists for under $10 per.

Which isn't to say that there aren't bad bras out there -- there sure are. Ones that pinch, or don't fasten tightly, or have straps that are too long for short people like me, or that itch, or whatever. The worst ones are the ones that try to be sexy but end up just being decorative. That might be fine for the AA-cups out there, but not for everyone. I believe it is possible to make something that is both functional and attractive, but forced to choose I'll go with function almost every time.

I have no problem with people who find bras restrictive and would rather go without. If that's what makes you happy -- or if you're small enough to be free of this particular burden -- then go for it! I, meanwhile, will revel in the joy of bodily protrusions that stay approximately where I put them until I'm ready to do something else with them. I didn't say bouncing is universally bad, after all -- I just want to control when it happens. :-)

Comments

[aliza250.livejournal.com]

Many women wear a too-small cup with a too-large band making up the difference, because that's the best fit they can get with the reasonably-priced bras (by which I mean under $40) that department stores stock.

Plus-size stores carry larger sizes, but the bands don't start until 38 or 40. I'm a 34 J.

Buying a 40 and shortening the band isn't really an option, because taking in the sides would lead to the straps getting pulled off the sides of my shoulders, and there generally isn't a good place to take in the middle.

A couple of years ago I spent close to $100 on a high-quality bra. It fit wonderfully the first day, but on the second day I noticed that some of the stiffening felt had crumpled, and it never fit right again.

I found some 34F bras a while ago, and they fit reasonably well as long as I can ignore the end of the underwire rubbing into my underarm. (I usually manage to switch bras before it starts to draw blood. Usually.) $75 wasted for two bras that I can hardly stand to wear.

Right now I'm wearing a sports bra that gives me a floppy uniboob, which is even less attractive than going braless, but I'm trying to let the underwire welts heal up.

Most big-breasted women I know HATE their bras.

(And yes, I've heard about Decent Exposures for years, but their bras are neither adjustable nor sized in the over-the-shoulder measurement, nor do they offer underwires. They look more like "leisure bras" than something that could both support me and look reasonable under a thin t-shirt or dress blouse.)